Mike Hensley, center, director of missions for East Tennessee Baptist Association, recently visited with Oleg and Valentina Ryzhkov after the reopening of their restaurant near Newport. The restaurant was closed for nearly 10 months following Hurricane Helene, but Baptist volunteers helped the couple return to both their business and home. — Photo by Lonnie Wilkey
NEWPORT — Though not a spokesperson for Cocke Countians who lost their homes and possessions due to flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, many no doubt would agree with the sentiments expressed by Valentina Ryzhkov.
“If it weren’t for the church people, we’d never returned to our business or home,” she said.
Valentina and her husband, Oleg, are a Russian couple who have owned Grill 73, a restaurant on Highway 73 near Newport that serves authentic Russian food, since 2011.
She credits Mike Hensley, director of missions of East Tennessee Baptist Association and its staff, for connecting them with local volunteers.
Valentina said the workers who helped them redo their restaurant and house were “amazing. We didn’t expect that much help.”
The restaurant, located in front of their home, was completely under water after the Pigeon River flooded. Oleg Ryzhkov recalled they could not get into the restaurant from the outside due to mud and debris. “We had to start on the roof and work down.”
It was a traumatic experience for the Russian couple, who were circus trapeze artists who traveled around the world before retiring and moving to Cocke County. They were late in evacuating when the river began to flood. They were able to use a neighbor’s driveway and move to higher ground where they spent the night in their van. Upon returning to their home and business, they discover that many of their possessions were lost.
Volunteers assisted with recovery efforts in both their house and restaurant. Hensley noted that nearby Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and pastor Glen Franklin played a key role. Church members Mike and Lorane Runyan helped lead the relief efforts for the couple. It took about 10 months to reopen the restaurant.
“We were glad to help,” Runyan said. “We stressed that it was God who did it through the church.”
Runyan noted that several members of Pleasant Grove knew the couple and had eaten in their restaurant, including him and his wife. In addition to the Ryzhkovs, the church helped many other families using funds they had along with funds and supplies donated to them from other churches.
“I’m proud of how our church reached out to help people in need. We are a giving church,” he said. “It’s also our responsibility as Christians,” Runyan added.
The couple was overwhelmed by the generosity of Pleasant Grove and others. “No words can describe how we feel,” Valentina said.
“The Lord has worked through so many different people,” Hensley observed. He noted the Ryzhkovs have been in Newport a long time. “They are one of us and we wanted to show God’s love to them.”
The Necessary family
Freddy, Mary Ann and John Necessary stand on the porch of their new home nearly 11 months after their home was destroyed by Hurricane Helene. The family affirmed they could not have returned to their home without help from “all the church people.” — Photo by Lonnie Wilkey
Freddy and Mary Ann Necessary and their adult son John, who live in the Fugate community near Del Rio, also sang the praises of the many volunteers who helped them to return to their home after almost 10 months.
The lost family everything in the house (which was submerged in water for seven days) as well as vehicles and other items such as garden tractors, tools and more. They also endured additional hardships throughout the process including spending cold winter nights in an RV.
“We thank God for all the church people,” said Mary Ann Necessary. “We met a lot of good people who we never would have met before.”
“If it weren’t for the Lord using all these people, there would have been nothing to come home to,” her son agreed.
The family recently held a dedication service for their new home which was attended by Hensley (who led the dedication prayer) and many of the volunteers who helped rebuild their home, including Ron Sliker, a Baptist layman from Maryville. WBIR (News 10 in Knoxville) reported on the dedication.
Sliker, who led the rebuilding effort, told the news crew that the house could not have been rebuilt “without the hundreds of volunteers and people who donated.”
“The church took us in,” affirmed Freddy Necessary. “If it weren’t for the church, we would have been helpless. We received stuff we never even asked for. We have been blessed.” B&R
