Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief Coordinators
ELIZABETHTON — For Kaye and John Thomas, Hurricane Helene wasn’t just another disaster. Instead, it became their most demanding mission in nearly 30 years with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief (TBDR).
“It’s taken some creative minds,” Kaye explains, describing their role, from overseeing massive repair work to organizing large groups of volunteers.
The Thomases, from Sevierville, have been stationed at Grace Baptist Church since Helene swept through Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee last September, destroying homes and taking lives. They, along with three others, have coordinated hundreds of volunteers in rebuilding efforts.
Their temporary church office at Grace Baptist displays a thorough organizational system with colorful sticky notes and white cards taped along the walls.
One wall is covered with white cards under a sheet reading “Complete.” Another shows volunteer teams and their assigned jobs.
From Grace Baptist, Kaye and the team assist families with required FEMA letters. The families are added to a database and listed on cards for the wall, helping staff oversee relief efforts across 10 different areas.
Their job is repairing salvageable homes, not building new ones — everything from ripping out flood-damaged materials to repairing roofs crushed by fallen trees.
Called on mission
Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer Kaye Thomas works the phones during a recent DR response. — Photo by Katie Shaw
This physical labor is how the Thomases started 30 years ago. Kaye, who retired as a special education supervisor for Sevier County schools, said John was called to missions in 1994, leading to their first disaster trip (installing a roof in Michigan). John, with his construction background, became a team leader while Kaye supported his work.
“God has taken us literally all over the world,” said Kaye, describing mission work on five continents including an orphanage in Nairobi, homeschooling missionaries’ children in Thailand, and traveling to Haiti twice after the earthquake. Their most humbling experience was feeding volunteers at Ground Zero following 9/11.
Their work evolved into the administration position they lead today, keeping them on the road living like “gypsies.” Kaye, 76, and John, 77, are living in a
motorhome in the church parking lot while they work.
Kaye said they originally helped mainly during fall hurricane season, but “in the last 10 years, it seems like constant disasters — hurricanes, floods, fires, or straight-line storms. We’ve spent more time in our motorhome than at home.”
Living in the motorhome makes it easy for 12-hour days coordinating relief efforts. They walk to the church at 6:30 a.m. for team meetings and 7 a.m. breakfast, with teams returning for supper and evening devotion.
“We’ve met so many wonderful people doing this and they’re all so appreciative,” said Kaye. “I’ll send a team out and the homeowner will make a special trip to say thank you.”
A personal storm
While helping storm victims find hope, the couple is working through their own “storm.” Almost eight years ago, John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Seated together and holding hands, they want to share his story to inspire other families.
“The day of the diagnosis, we left the office, sat in the car, and cried,” Kaye describes. “And then we both said, ‘We’re not giving up on our missions. We’re going on.’”
Most of their disaster relief work has been completed since John’s diagnosis. The couple, married almost 58 years with four great-grandchildren, have switched roles. John now supports Kaye as she takes the leadership role once held by her husband.
“We’re a team and we’ve done all this mission work together,” said Kaye. “You shouldn’t use excuses. God will always give you a way. If you’re willing, He’ll always make a way.”
While they originally thought their Elizabethton work would last more than a year, Kaye thinks they could finish much sooner thanks to local help. When completed, they’ll head home until called back on the road again.
“I’m just really proud of the people of Tennessee,” she said. “They’re survivors and they’re going to make it.”
— Note: To read the full story, see “John and Kaye Thomas Keep DR Teams in Sync,” at baptistandreflector.org.
