Despite Death and Destruction, Disaster Chaplains See Nothing but God's Love for This World

Kristy Etheridge : Mar 24, 2014
BillyGraham.Org

"I had a gal who would pray for me. I wasn't even thinking about [prayer], and she'd call and say, 'I'm praying for you,' and it's like, 'Uh…thanks.' But there are those people in your life who consistently cover you, even when you're not asking." -Sandy Bender

(Jersey Shore, NJ)—When Chuck and Sandy Bender met almost 30 years ago at a Southern California marina, they never expected God would eventually lead them thousands of miles away, into the heart of disaster zones from the Gulf Coast to the Jersey Shore. As chaplain coordinators for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, Chuck and Sandy drop everything at a moment's notice to travel to the country's worst crises. (Photo via BillyGraham.org)

Since 2005, they've responded to dozens of disasters, ministering to hurting people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy and the deadly Tucson, Arizona, shooting involving Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

But before God could use them to love and comfort others, the Benders had to realize how much God loved them.

And that wasn't easy.

"It wasn't that I didn't believe in it all," Chuck said, explaining that he grew up going to church. "It's that I never thought I was worthy enough to become a Christian. The best way I can explain it is those old merry-go-grounds—I thought Christianity was like that. I was always trying to reach for the brass ring." (Photo via BillyGraham.org)

Meanwhile, Sandy walked away from God for many years. "I strayed quite far," she said. "I thought I wasn't good enough. I didn't know that I could be forgiven for all the things I had done."

Both Chuck and Sandy went through divorces that rocked their faith and led them to further question their worth. "There was a lot of guilt about that," Chuck said. "We thought we were unworthy because of the divorce, and we couldn't be used in ministry."

But everything changed once they began to grasp the concept of grace.

"One day God just spoke to my heart," Chuck said. "I quit looking for that brass ring and finally said, 'Father, You have to take me just as I am.' From then on, God started working on our hearts"...

The Benders faced their first major RRT deployment in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. They didn't have a lot of experience, but when one of the chaplain coordinators had to leave for an emergency, Chuck was asked to take over. "I ran it like a fire station," he said.

But his new role as chaplain pushed him far outside his comfort zone. "I remember I had to give a devotion," Chuck said. "'Me, give a devotion?' God never stretches you farther than you can go, but He wants to stretch you. So that was a blessing for me."

After Katrina, the Benders responded to many more disasters, from Hurricane Ike (2008) to the Haiti earthquake (2010). (Photo via BillyGraham.org)

When asked about their most difficult deployment, both husband and wife uttered the same words: West, Texas. On April 17, 2013, a fire broke out at a fertilizer company located just north of Waco. While first responders were attempting to put out the fire, the building exploded, killing 14 people and injuring at least 160 others. Twelve of the 14 fatalities were volunteer firefighters. For Chuck, that made it personal. "To me, they were heroes," Chuck said. "After about my seventh funeral and listening to the bagpipes, my cup was full. I was done."

Through the anguish, God provided opportunities for Chuck and Sandy to comfort the people of West—from a grieving waitress to a firefighter who had pulled up to the burning building just in time to watch his friends perish. "God just put me in there, with my firefighting background, in that place to comfort him and share the love of Christ," Chuck said.

...Chuck and Sandy say they've seen one piece of evidence after another that God cares for the hurting in the midst of tragedy and evil. "We have seen firsthand God and the Holy Spirit at work at these disaster sites," Sandy said. As a result, she and Chuck have also seen people awakened to the love of Jesus in ways that may never have been possible in the absence of disaster.

"What happens is, they've lost everything and they have nothing left," Chuck said. "They find out all the material things and all the carnal things aren't important anymore. Everything else is stripped away, and it just opens the door for the Holy Spirit to come in there. It's not us."

"The Lord has taken the mess I made of my life and used it to bring hope to others," Sandy said. "My life has been an example that there is hope. He'll meet you where you're at. You don't have to clean yourself up and be ready."

It's been a decade since Chuck and Sandy joined the Rapid Response Team. Even after dozens of deployments to one tragedy after another, they say they're more certain today of God's love than when they started.

"God loves these people more than we do," Sandy said. "He loves them more than anything, and He wants them to know. God loves us. He sent us to them. He could have sent us anywhere.

"We see nothing but God's love for this world."

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