Earlier this year, a large outbreak of wildfires devastated western Oklahoma.
Approximately 152,294 acres of land were burned. Many reportedly lost their homes and property to the fires. One of these homeowners was an elderly gentleman named Jerry Kuhlman. Kuhlman had been living in the house his parents built for 87 years until the fires destroyed it.
Oklahoma Disaster Relief volunteers first met Kuhlman while responding to the damage caused by the fires. The team who assisted Kuhlman tried to get him to relocate, but Kuhlman refused.
“We had first met Jerry during Disaster Relief recovery,” said First Baptist Church Apache, Oklahoma, pastor Jon Syverson, director of the team that assisted Kuhlman. “He kept telling us he did not want to move into town. He was a lifelong resident of the property.”
Two other buildings on Kuhlman’s property were left untouched by the fires: a small barn and a large dog kennel. Since he had nowhere else to stay on his property, Kuhlman opted to sleep in the kennel the night following the fires.
‘Needed to do something’
The next morning, the Disaster Relief team returned to Kuhlman’s property to check on him and found him sleeping in the kennel. The team knew they could not leave him without a place to sleep.
“It all started with ‘we need to do something’,” said Syverson.
Over the next few weeks, Disaster Relief volunteers returned to Kuhlman’s property multiple times. In those weeks, the team constructed for Kuhlman a studio apartment inside the barn. It was complete with air conditioning, a bed, television, hardwood floors, running water and more. During the construction period, the team shared the gospel with Kuhlman, but he remained vague on whether he had received Christ.
Decision time
On a Sunday night, two team members, Steve and Pam, asked him directly if he was a believer. On that night, Kuhlman accepted Christ into his heart.
A part of Disaster Relief’s mission is to bring the gospel to those affected by disasters, and through their efforts many, like Kuhlman, have received Christ.
Kuhlman is ecstatic about his new home and has reconnected with First Baptist Apache.
“He has our phone number, and he’s doing well,” Syverson said, “He loves the apartment he’s in.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Jacob King and originally published by Baptist Messenger.
