[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  TRIBUTE TO CAMPBELLSVILLE COLLEGE STUDENTS--KENTUCKY STUDENTS HELP 
                    MISSOURI FLOOD SURVIVORS REBUILD

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor several students 
from Campbellsville College in Taylor County, KY. Members of the 
Baptist Student Union and several faculty members spent their spring 
break in Winfield, MO, about 40 miles from St. Louis, and just 2 miles 
from the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.
  While other college students were enjoying the weather in various 
tropical locales, these young people were making a difference to the 
Winfield community which was ravaged by the great flood of 1993 almost 
a year ago. A levee broke under the tremendous pressure of the swollen 
Mississippi and ravaged the town of 700 citizens. Because of its 
proximity to the river and the force with which the water came, 
Winfield was hit as hard or harder than most every other town in the 
area.
  Mr. President, we all understand what needs to be done structurally 
in areas of the Midwest which were hit by the flood. Buildings need to 
be rebuilt, bridges reconstructed, homes cleaned, and belongings 
salvaged. But it was more than the structural damage that the 
Campbellsville students found themselves dealing with.
  The citizens of Winfield needed to rebuild themselves as much as they 
did their homes. The Campbellsville students met and interacted with 
the people of Winfield, and tried to help them regain some of the hope 
they had lost as a result of the devastation. Perhaps it as much for 
the spiritual and personal guidance these young people offered, as it 
is for the tremendous work they provided, that they will be remembered 
for years to come by the people of Winfield.
  Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this 
special group of young people from Kentucky. In a time when we are too 
often focused on our lives rather than the struggles of others, we can 
all learn from their example. In addition, I ask unanimous consent that 
an article detailing the accomplishments of this outstanding group be 
printed in the Record at this point as well as a list of the students 
involved in the effort to rebuild Winfield.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

          Spring Rake--College Students Help Disaster Victims

       Editor's note: This was written by Marc C. Whitt, director 
     of public relations and marketing at Campbellsville College.
       ``You all changed my town totally and I want to follow in 
     your footsteps!''
       Those were the words written by a 13-year old who expressed 
     her appreciation toward 47 Campbellsville College students 
     and staff who spent spring break not on the sunny beaches of 
     Florida, but in the mud and debris of flood-stricken 
     Winfield, Mo., a community located 40 miles northeast of St. 
     Louis.
       Several members of Campbellsville's Baptist Student Union 
     and a few college staff traveled to Missouri March 11-17 to 
     rebuild homes and lives wrecked by the Midwest's ``Flood of 
     '93.''
       Although homes received much attention from the group, 
     lives crushed by the flood's destruction seemed to be what 
     received the most repair, said Tiffani Merrick, a junior 
     communications/psychology major from Nicholasville, Ky., who 
     served as the mission trip coordinator.
       ``Before we went to Winfield, the people there told us that 
     they wanted someone just to listen to them for a change,'' 
     said Merrick.
       According to Merrick, citizens of Winfield were disturbed 
     that several governmental and non-profit agencies had come to 
     their community and had quickly left without them being able 
     to express their grief.
       ``They needed people to love them. Probably the most 
     productive thing we did was to have real conversation with 
     them,'' said Merrick. ``This community was in such need when 
     we arrived. Even though we arrived as strangers, they invited 
     us into their lives.
       ``We treated them like people, not flood victims,'' she 
     said.
       Before the flood devastated Winfield, it was a town filled 
     with more than 700 citizens. Today, only 592 remain in what 
     was described by the Campbellsville group as a place where 
     hopelessness lingers in the lives of those who still call 
     Winfield home.
       The town, which lies two miles from the banks of the 
     Mississippi River, was reported to be one of the two hardest 
     hit towns in Missouri. Much of that destruction resulted from 
     a major levy which broke nearby.
       From viewing pre-flood pictures of Winfield, Merrick said 
     that the small town was once occupied by beautiful homes. 
     ``Today, trash and mud have made it into a slum. It's a sad, 
     drastic change for one community to experience.''
       Rebecca Mishler, a junior from Dunnville, Ky., said the 
     trip made a definite impact on her own life. ``I tried to put 
     myself in their shoes,'' she said. ``These people have had a 
     lot of bitterness bottled-up inside. There was a lot of 
     devastation. We all asked each other, `What if this had 
     happened to our families?'''
       One lady whom the group had met told about seeing her house 
     and lifelong belongings swept away in a matter of seconds 
     when the levy broke.
       Mishler said that 80 percent of the homes in Winfield have 
     been abandoned. ``In spite of the destruction,'' she said, 
     ``we were there to offer them some hope.''
       According to Joan Stansbury of the college's Office of 
     Campus Ministries, Winfield will never be the same following 
     Campbellsville College's impact on the community.
       ``We did as much, if not more, spiritual rebuilding as 
     physical rebuilding,'' said Stansbury.
       Our students who worked with the Back Yard Bible Club 
     noticed the hurt in the children's eyes. Once the children 
     and adults saw that we sincerely cared about them, they were 
     totally open with us.
       Problems among the youth's population were abundant, said 
     Merrick. Drugs, alcohol and sex had replaced what some might 
     term as traditional small-town values and activities.
       ``Many of the kids told us that if you didn't have a car 
     and some money for a trip to St. Louis, there wasn't much to 
     do.
       ``Apparently, there are several cases of teenage pregnancy 
     in the local school system, especially in the middle 
     school,'' said Merrick.
       In another story, Stansbury told of a 5-year old girl who 
     had ``fallen in love with our group.''
       ``This little girl would bring her paint brush, gloves and 
     box lunch every day to help us,'' said Stansbury. ``She 
     stayed with us all day long for two days. Her mother said she 
     would get up the first thing in the morning to go to work.''
       That same 5-year old later asked Campbellsville student 
     Richard Smith of Owensboro, Ky., if she could have his Bible.
       Smith explained to her that his grandmother had given him 
     this Bible and because of that, it meant a lot to him.
       But Smith could see in her eyes how much she wanted it, so 
     he gave it to her, said Stansbury.
       Another situation, more than any other, moved 
     Campbellsville's group.
       ``A rather rugged-looking man, who was in his early 40s, 
     came to us in a special way,'' said Stansbury. ``This man had 
     long, stringy hair and wore dangling earrings. Just by his 
     looks, I'm afraid many people wouldn't have helped him. But 
     he wanted our help!
       ``Before the flood had destroyed his home, he had lived 
     down by the levy in a house that stood on 12-foot high 
     stilts.
       ``From the time he lost his house, he has been living in a 
     house where six-feet of water once stood.
       ``He lived in filth. There was mold growing on mold. The 
     smell was horrific.
       ``There were no walls inside, only stud frames. His carpets 
     were filled with dirt and grime. The house was bearly 
     livable.
       ``Campbellsville's students and staff came in and cleaned 
     his house, painted his fence, cleaned the kitchen and 
     bathroom spotless, vacuumed the carpet, told him how much God 
     loved him and then we listened.''
       Stansbury said that in talking with him, the Campbellsville 
     group discovered that he was on his second marriage and was 
     presently separated from his wife.
       After much prayer with him and for him, this man 
     surrendered his life to Jesus Christ on the third night of a 
     revival the Camp-bellsville College BSU was conducting for 
     the community.
       ``He had several problems,'' said Stansbury, ``Each night 
     our group had `family time' and had prayer for him and his 
     wife. The third night before the service, we held prayer for 
     him again. We had such a burden for this man.
       ``After we had worked so hard on his house, he just sat 
     outside and stared at it, said Merrick. ``He said he had to 
     go outside and look at his mailbox to see if it really was 
     his house,'' she said.
       Proof of Campbellsville College's efforts were demonstrated 
     in a video recorded by the Office of Campus Ministries.
       Sue Healey, disaster relief coordinator for Winfield, said.
       ``I would never have wanted to be without you. You have 
     brought such vitality and life and the Spirit has come with 
     you. Believe me, you have just changed things over there 
     (East Winfield).
       ``The people that you have worked with * * * all the people 
     you have touched over there, their hearts are singing. I know 
     I speak for the pastor (Rev. Mark Miller, First Baptist 
     Winfield), myself and Jamie Cox (disaster relief coordinator 
     for First Baptist Church) when I say that we love you and 
     it's more than the physical work you did, it's the impression 
     and feelings that you are leaving with us * * *
       ``They have noticed some of the things that you have done 
     and you have touched them spiritually and emotionally. You 
     have made them stop and think. I've seen unity in that 
     neighborhood that I have never seen before. You have brought 
     people together.
       ``East Winfield is going to come back and believe me, you 
     are the major part in this and have started us in the right 
     direction.''
       Citizens from Winfield are planning to visit Campbellsville 
     College next fall, according to Healey.
                                  ____


                Spring Break Mission Trip, Winfield, MO

       1. Akers, Tree.
       2. Amiet, Wendy.
       3. Ashcraft, Patrick.
       4. Barnes, Curtis.
       5. Bell, Laura.
       6. Borger, ``CJ''.
       7. Borowick, Scott.
       8. Bourne, Leigh Anne.
       9. Brashear, David.
       10. Bush, Kathleen.
       11. Carlisle, Jason.
       12. Choate, Stacey.
       13. Edwards, Shelly.
       14. Ford, Tara.
       15. Fuller, Chuck.
       16. Gardner, Jennye.
       17. Gowin, Don.
       18. Gowin, Sharon.
       19. Hancock, Ira.
       20. Hendley, Michelle.
       21. Judd, Betty.
       22. Lewis, Adam.
       23. Marcum, Harold.
       24. McKinney, Amanda.
       25. Merrick, Tiffani.
       26. Mishler, Becky.
       27. Montgomery, Jay.
       28. Morgan, Chris.
       29. Morin, Wayne.
       30. Pochodzay, Sharla.
       31. Richardson, Dawn.
       32. Sells, Lorraine.
       33. Smith, Gene.
       34. Smith, Rich.
       35. Stansbury, Joan.
       36. Stooksbury, Christal.
       37. Talley, Jennifer.
       38. Taylor, Mark.
       39. Thompson, Amy.
       40. Wakefield, Mark.
       41. Ward, Jamie.
       42. Ward, Shayla.
       43. Watkins, Rusty.
       44. Willoughby, Carl.
       45. Wilson, Sarah.

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