Hey everyone,
We often measure restoration in dollars or days. But real restoration is measured in the quiet moments when a heart finally decides it’s safe to hope again.
Last week in Abaco, I stood on a brand-new deck with a man whose life had been dismantled piece by piece. His story is a testament that while wind and water can destroy a farm, they cannot destroy a calling.
Here is this week’s 3, 2, 1… Impact.
1 Story of Impact
For two decades, Reverend Stephen Knowles poured his life into the soil of Abaco. He wasn’t just growing food; he was growing the next generation. He built a farm and a petting zoo to educate the youth, selling local produce in the market and giving tours to school kids. It was a labor of love, built by hand.
Then came Hurricane Dorian.
Stephen stayed behind to secure the farm. He released the donkey, sheep, and goats to give them a fighting chance, but the storm was a monster. The roof ripped off, and Stephen found himself sucked into a vortex, holding onto a counter, praying the shortest prayer of his life.
He survived the wind, but the aftermath nearly broke him. While helping recover a body from the debris, a backhoe crushed his foot. In the chaos of the post-storm reality, which he described as looking like “fighter planes dropped huge bombs”, he kept his crushed boot on for 10 days, knowing if someone saw it, they’d send him away. Working through the pain, he was eventually medically evacuated to Cuba for surgery.
It took three years and seven months for him to walk on his own again – seven surgeries and 285 sessions of physical therapy.
But the physical pain paled in comparison to the spiritual wound. He was angry. He had stayed, he had served, and yet he lost his home, his church, and his farm. All the NGOs that came after the hurricane were long gone. For six years, the trauma was so deep he couldn’t bring himself to return to the property.
But God wasn’t done. Through a connection with Pastor Ryan Forbes, Many Hands reached out. We didn’t just offer materials; we offered relational infrastructure. When Stephen finally stepped back onto his land, he didn’t see rubble – he saw a team.
Standing on the new deck we helped construct, looking over the land he once thought was lost, Stephen told me, “What I could not do in six years, God did in six weeks.”
Today, the flame of hope is re-lit. The farm is returning, and in time, the youth of Abaco will once again have a place to grow. We are Transforming Together, proving that even after the darkest storms, we can say, “Let’s go home.”
3 Points to Ponder
- Pain can blind us, but gratitude gives us sight. While recovering in Cuba, Stephen saw a double amputee playing dominoes, laughing with pure joy. In that moment, the Holy Spirit convicted him: “Look at you. You’re angry… and you have both of your legs.” That shift in perspective didn’t change his circumstances, but it changed his heart. What bitterness are you holding onto that is blinding you to the blessings right in front of you?
- When you make it happen for others, God makes it happen for you. Stephen didn’t wait for his own restoration to start serving. Even while stuck in Cuba, he started an NGO to help impoverished families. He took his eyes off his broken house and placed them on the needs of others. Where can you be Love in Action for someone else today, even while you are waiting for your own breakthrough?
- We are designed to rebuild together. Stephen is a capable man – a firefighter, a lifeguard, a farmer, a pastor. Yet, he couldn’t go back alone. It took the “giving and receiving” of the body of Christ to break the silence of six years. We must move from dependency to dignity, but we also must move from isolation to community. Whom do you need to invite into your rubble to help you rebuild?
2 Quotes to Share
“When you make it happen for others, God makes it happen for you.” — Rev. Stephen Knowles
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 1:6
The miracle wasn’t just the lumber or the labor; it was the acceleration that happens when we stop struggling alone. What area of your life feels stuck in “six years of silence,” and whom might God be sending to help you build the breakthrough? Feel free to reply and share – I read every response.
Live with impact,
Tim
