Bella S., Centerville High School
In the Wake of Destruction
The ruin, the muck, the mold, the filth, the stench. If you’ve ever truly seen the destruction left in the wake of a storm, you’d know what I mean. The houses left demolished, covered in decay and sludge, are a sight like no other. I will never forget what I saw those few days, two years ago.
It was August of 2022 and just recently in late July, a series of seemingly neverending rain clouds hit Eastern Kentucky over the course of 4 days. Neighborhoods and towns flooded, leaving the people stunned. My church responded to the call for help, calling for volunteers from our ward to help. I heard about it from my dad and pushed him to take me because I wished to help. The only problem was that there was an age requirement. You had to be over 15 to attend; I had just turned 12. I begged my dad to let me sneak along with them, telling him they wouldn’t notice. After some convincing, he agreed to let me come. I was honored to help and snuck along with the group, lying when someone asked me my age once.
I arrived there ready to help in any way I could and was utterly shocked at the state of the houses after the flood and storm. Whole houses were shifted, roofs, walls, and floors had fallen through, and everything was layered with up to a foot of mud. These people’s whole lives and homes filled with memories and love had been destroyed so suddenly. I was in total shock; I had no idea something like this was happening so close to my home. Though slightly aghast, I got to work immediately, tearing up rugs, bringing out furniture, ripping down walls, avoiding debris, shoveling up mud, throwing away tons of muddy trash, and saving what I could. I remember finding a fallen shattered photograph of a smiling family, now covered in mud.
Yet, despite the devastation I witnessed and the hours of hard labor worked on multiple houses in the hot sun with no electricity, my group was still joyful; The victims of this calamity were still joyful. I couldn’t understand it, but nonetheless, I felt it within me as well.
I realized it, with a smile on my face and a shovel in my hand, this was the power of service. In the midst of something that seemed impossible to be positive, we were. I learned then and there how important service was for me and for my happiness. After realizing how important service was, I became a better person. I started being more positive, cheering for others, uplifting anyone I could, and trying to help those I saw in big and small ways.
I know, because I have experienced it for myself, that service will bring true happiness to all involved, the one being served and the one doing the serving. You can choose to be the one serving others even in the wake of destruction.
