January Newsletter 2025

Beauty From Ashes Part II

Psalm 57:1 KJV

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

I wanted to continue my story of witnessing the devastation in North Carolina. It started as mourning but then began to take on a spirit of the Lord, of His hope. He works through all of us, if we let Him.

My story continues from Part I after meeting with Brenda, whose dear friend was killed in the massive mud flood.  We continued to ask locals about what really happened.

Our hosts, Katie and Ben shared stories of two of their friends. Joe is a client of Ben’s, and is described as a hardworking and kind gentleman. He was calling and texting Ben in the storms, and had to leave his home to get a cell signal. He climbed to higher grounds calling for help. His wife and dogs stayed in the their home as she did not want to leave her “fur babies”. He was desperate for help, and ran back to check on his wife to see if she would come back to higher ground with him. Instead of meeting her, he saw his home being ripped off its foundation and flung down the mountainside. He helplessly watched his wife and home disintegrate against the bridge and vortexes of water. Ben showed us the text messages from Joe. It was surreal and heartbreaking as I imagined how this tragedy occurred. He lost everything in one moment. Everything.

Their other dear friend, Sue, was taking care of her 7 year old granddaughter Olivia when the storm surge came to her childhood home. The violent shaking of their home sounding like a train crashing into the home, and the roof was torn off in one shear move. The water flooded the home, destroying all in its path. Sue threw her body over Olivia and began to pray. She told her granddaughter, “Do not be afraid, God is with us.”  The roaring noise began to dissipate, and they sought shelter in the living room. They survived unscathed, but lost everything.

A fund was set up to help the two families above, and many people contributed to help. Each one received $3500, which is not enough to build back their lives, but it is a start.

We traveled into Burnsville, North Carolina to assist a couple who decided to stay in their home. They had no electricity or running water for two weeks, and the roads were only recently cleared. They needed nonperishable food and water. They also requested an electrical cord to run a heater into their home, powered by a propane generator. The temperatures were dropping, and obtaining cured wood was becoming a problem.

We spent several hours talking with them that day, and provided fuel, food, power cord, medications, and prayer.

The couple, Karen and Dale, told us that a man came to their door shortly after the storm and told them that he was there to take them to safety. He told them he would take them to a helicopter and fly them out. They were instructed that they could not go back into their house and retrieve anything- they were to leave their purse, wallet, papers, et cetera at home. Dale asked the man where he was taking them and he answered, “I do not know.”

This was an odd answer to Dale so they refused this help. It was unknown who this man worked for and what his true intentions were. Their property was on a road of prime realty, and they did not feel it was right to leave under these circumstances. We sat in silence for a while, and then gathered hands together in prayer. The Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit was palpable, and we knew He has plans for all of us.

Jeremiah 29:11ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Shortly after our heartfelt prayers with Dale and Karen, we met a couple of other volunteers driving the same treacherous road. It ended up being a divine encounter.

My friend Landen yelled out through the window of his truck, “Hey do you want to go to Camp Miller? It’s a base camp that one of our friends has spearheaded. Carrie, there’s a guy named Christian Hickey that I want you to meet; he’s a big part of the camp and he runs a missionary.”

“Absolutely!” I yelled back. We turned around and followed them. After about 20 minutes we approached Camp Miller in the Pensacola Valley.  At the entry point the 82nd Airborne Division was seen along with a number of volunteers. Many tents were set up including a prayer tent. That caught my attention and soon I was introduced to Christian, who spearheaded this project.  The goal was to create a multifunctional operating base to assist the local people and volunteers with showers, supplies, a Tesla charger, ministry, kitchen, internet, and medical aide. Christian served in the Marine Corps and now has dedicated his life to his ministry, Triple Authority. They also go to war torn countries like Ukraine and hand out audio Bibles and minister to veterans, regardless of their nationality.

I was quite impressed with this organization and saw how passionate they were about serving others through Christ. I asked what kind of help they needed

“Right now we found some scrap material and we just built that makeshift shower over there. It would be great if we could get more materials to build a proper shower and bathroom for the displaced people here.”

He went on, “Everyone works so hard here so we also provide a meal at the end of the evening. The volunteersall gather around and sing worship songs. It’s really a beautiful experience.”

As Christian was describing this, I saw how some of the first responders were gathering some money together to buy some hotdogs for everyone. All were donating their money, and some had little to give but still donated. At that moment, I knew that I needed to contact David Schmidt from Lifewave.

David and I spoke on a podcast earlier in the week and I described to him the travesty and the plight of the people in North Carolina. I told him how I felt that most of the supplies were not being used efficiently. He relayed to me that he would be happy to donate supplies or money if I found a reputable source. I knew at that moment that Triple Authority was a perfect fit.

Through a series of divine appointments, Christian connected with David on a zoom call via Starlink. After hearing his plan, David Schmidt and Lifewave donated $100,000 to complete the Camp Miller! In a matter of a month, the Camp completed its goals and is still a functioning neighborhood center today.

God works in mysterious and beautiful ways. I am honored that I could be a little part in his plan to bring brothers and sisters together in the body of Christ. Each one of us is so important, and we serve such a loving Father, Abba. In giving to one another, we truly become alive in this fallen world. It is then we find such beauty in the ashes.

With great love and many blessings,

Carrie Madej

Now available for online health consults.

Please email your requests to info@carriemadej.com

for more information

• December 3, 2024 - Astrid Stuckelberger

• December 10, 2024 - Glenn Meder - Privacy Academy

• December 17, 2024 - Martin Bales - Firefly and frequencies to promote healing