The Clydes offer emotional, spiritual support

• Addie and Rex Clyde

Addie and Rex Clyde

Talk about it

Spending time with loved ones is important in any given relationship, plus doing activities together keeps the bonds strong. Volunteering as chaplains in the Cloquet community was a decision Addie and Rex Clyde made

together.

Rex was called in by Volunteer Services to offer support and a listening ear as a chaplain – he belongs to the Almond Branch church – for flood victims in the Cloquet area.

“We assist people in the community with their needs: physical, emotional, and spiritual,” Rex said.

“It is neighbor helping neighbor,” Addie added. “We were the fortunate ones to be helping out our community.”

Hearing the details of the first homeowner’s situation after the flood brought plenty of emotions for the husband and wife duo. The basement wall of the homeowner’s house was pushed in by the intense floodwaters; the collapsing wall also damaged the pipes to the septic system. An onlooker could see the basement was now cave-like from the damages, dark and damp from the broken pipes.

Meeting the homeowner for the first time also brought feelings of surprise for the second-year chaplain and his wife.

“She was tickled,” Addie exclaimed. “She was happy to have help. She had no idea of how to clean and fix her basement.”

Working with the Clyde couple was a group of about eight hard-working men from Barron, Wis.

“They seem cool,” Rex smiled as he watched their work from the back of a pickup truck in the yard. “Energetic, very strong, and they all have a good attitude – a servant’s heart.”

Happy to have reliable, strong volunteers to help bring aid to the community, Rex and Addie could not wait to help the next homeowner.

“We recommend more volunteers help out,” Rex said. “Many hands make a light load. It helps to build fellowship, and brings the community together.”

Tags: carlton county, faces of the flood