Disaster Relief

Wyatt has been trained by, and deployed various times in association with, the following organizations:

We are challenged in the scriptures to help & take care of those who are struggling. Many times, we can't get to those with spiritual struggles because their physical troubles are hurting so badly. A person cannot truly recover from a disaster or crisis incident unless a spiritual recovery takes place. People need peace & comfort restored after their disaster occurs, helping them to ease the physical pain and restore their physical needs. At the same time, meeting the physical emergencies in someone's life often opens the door of their heart to take care of any spiritual need in their life.

Every disaster or crisis incident has different needs, as well as every victim or emergency worker has different needs during and after the event.

We are responding to the spiritual and physical needs of those for whom we believe Jesus Himself set the example of caring. Even Jesus wept with a grieving family in John 11, then He got real serious about meeting their physical & spiritual needs, as only He could do.

Sometimes we respond to domestic, substance abuse, or even suicidal crisis in the areas of our own ministry outreach. Other times, we deploy under the authority of local, state, and federal agencies. At other times we partner with the above-listed organizations to expand our assistance impact into a crisis event, while respecting the guidelines requested by the organization under which we are deployed.

If Mary had possessed a cell phone, she could have called Jesus on His cell phone, crying out for help with her crisis with her brother.

Today, we have modern technology but we also have a lot more people in crisis to assist. You could have a part in helping us answer the calls!

Responding to a call-out from a local police department, and in association with Victim Relief Ministries, we recently assisted a family in getting a fresh start.

After 15+ years of confinement and abuse, the family is breaking the cycle and beginning to heal. Pray for their safety, comfort, and new life.

Below are some pictures of our domestic violence rescue team in action. Local law enforcement had secured the area and organized this relocation operation.


Team preparing to begin	Bus # 6 staged for loading at family's home	Loading # 6	Loading # 6	Loading # 6


Loading # 6	Loading # 6	Loading battered family's valuables into a rented storage room	#6 helping to secure a fresh start for a hurting family	Another Victim relief unit serving this hurting family

Officer Shootings

During the recent officer shootings in Midlothian, God allowed Wyatt to be at the right place at the right time. For 8 hours, he was able to serve, pray with, and supply water to hundreds of law enforcement personnel.

In the days following, we were able to help those in the apartments cope with the tragedy. We also transported 42 adults and kids to a CISM session at a local church, conducted by Victim Relief.

The apartment manager and family have been attending a local Baptist Church since the event.

In January, I had the opportunity to attend a national 2-day CISM training course with about a hundred other relief, trauma, and law enforcement personnel. Critical Incident Stress Management training emergency personnel deal with emergency events and gives training to help victims back to a they can put back together. While it brought 1997 to the front of my life for 2 days, the training I received has greatly helped me help others in crisis.

In February, I attended a 2-day basic training with Victim Chaplain and Counselor Association of America. Although I was certified a few years ago, I attended again in support of six men and women from my local church who have volunteered to train and be ready to respond when needed for victim and disaster relief operations. It was a great honor to travel and train with these dedicated workers.

This year we have responded to three domestic violence rescues. For two of these events, we responded with bus # 6 (Monster Bus). This gave us the security of a large vehicle for personal transport and the ability to remove essential family items from the crisis scene. Working with local sheriff and city police departments, these women and children were relocated where they can start over with their lives. Details would not be appropriate, but God allowed us to take Jesus into some very hurt families and lives.

Special thanks to Victim Relief Ministries and local law enforcement who allow us the privilege of helping hurting families in crisis.

In March, I spent 6 days in the New Orleans area. This was mostly at Restoration Ministries' "Good News Camp." This is a faith-based disaster relief camp in association with Campus Crusade for Christ, 700 Club, Feed the Children, Texas Baptist Men, City of New Orleans, and the Louisiana National Guard. May others were there in support of the camp.

This is a small city surviving in the middle of total destruction, 6 months after the disaster, operating totally on generator power, housing sometimes 3,000 volunteer relief workers in tents and and trailers.

The small city in a city, Camp Good News provided meals, some medical care, employment assistance, housing assistance, spiritual guidance, emotional help, transportation assistance, volunteer services operations, and assistance to other faith-based operations in the gulf area.

I wish I could share the whole trip with you, but it would make a book, so I'll try to hit the high points.

After discovering the place I was originally going to stay (sleep) wasn't going to work, I decided to stay where the ministry was -- at the disaster relief camp itself. The original place was nice ... it had air conditioning, hot showers, and a real bed. But that wasn't where God wanted me. I was there to help people and I needed to be where they were. Equipped with a 2-seater Jeep (without reclining seats) and a sleeping bag, I trusted God to provide what I needed for the next 6 days. In an area that was recently 14' under water and where you don't know anyone, that's a bit of a stretch. As always, God was faithful.

On Tuesday night, I relieved the security personnel at the front gate so they could get some sleep. One guy had pretty much been on duty since NOVEMBER. He needed SLEEP. About 9:00 p.m., Tony & Buck walked up from the volunteers shelter tent. Tony & Buck are Wisconsin high school boys who gave their spring break to work in New Orleans. They're "good ol' boys" who like trucks -- muddin' trucks. We talked about their trucks back home, their family, our Monster Bus, and finally, Jesus! Those two young men traveled across the country to help others and met Jesus about 10:30 that night. We became best friends the rest of the week.

About 11:45 p.m. a large RV drove up to the front gate as if they were expecting me to open it. Doing my job, I approached the vehicle. A passenger got out and said, "Do you know who this is?" It was the owner of about 10 RV's and trailers at the camp. I had planned to sleep under an 18-wheel trailer, but God provided a new camper trailer from a Christian businessman for me to share with a pastor from Lake Whitener and a successful businessman from Detroit.

Every day was a different experience ... praying with, counseling, and helping an endless community of hurting, desperate people.

One night I prayed with Kenneth for a bicycle for him to get to work. He lost everything, and lived and volunteered at camp. He also worked a 10-hour day at a job that was an hour away by foot. 10 minutes later, in the middle of all this destruction, Kenneth was given a bicycle.

God is working in a lot of lives in New Orleans. A local survivor and regular at the evening meals and chapel services has been sober for 85 days. Another local man, John, has been clean since August 30, 2005 -- from a 25-year heroin addiction.

As I walked the property and neighborhoods around City Park, I not only was able to help local survivors, I prayed with and helped dozens of contractors from all over: Georgia, Kansas, S. Carolina, Chicago, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Dallas, Honduras, and the Philippines.

One afternoon Bichel limped up to the front gate as I was passing by. He had broken his leg 2 weeks earlier. No insurance and no doctors! The average wait at an emergency room in New Orleans was about 18 hours. Bichel was turned away from local hospitals because the broken leg was damaged from walking on it and a specialist was needed. No specialist was available in New Orleans. We got him crutches and a ride north to medical help.

Another evening, a local man walked up and thanked me for being there and helping with the food. He hadn't eaten in 18 hours. The man is trying to make his house livable with no electricity or water so his family can come home soon.

One night when a cold rain came over New Orleans, I was going out back where the general public wasn't allowed for security reasons, dragging out large cardboard boxes and passing them out at the front gate for free shelters. Many of these people truly haven't anything to go home to.

In April, Debbie and I went back for a couple of days. It was wonderful to have Debbie experience the joy and ministry God had allowed us to be a part of. We went back with medical supplies, toiletries, baby supplies, pillows, and come clothes ... as much as our Saturn could hold. again, I was privileged to pray and counsel with many folks. As we volunteered to help we were handed cases of fruit and we prepared fruit salad for 200 people. Then we carved turkeys until it was time for evening chapel. Debbie continued carving turkeys as I was honored to open God's Word for those eating in the tent that night.

A special THANKS to Pastor Jerry, Pastor Gary, Sharkey, Brady, Jay, Jessie, Kenneth, William, Pastor Ray, Norm, Irvin, TBM, and many others who made us feel like family and allowed us to be a part of the great things God is doing in City Park, New Orleans. Below are some pictures of our Katrina-New Orleans relief operations. Continue to pray for these folks and consider helping us to be ready to go next time a crisis develops.

In 2005, multitudes were severely impacted by the hurricanes that hit our country. Many generous people responded to their needs by asking how they could help.

While the areas of our ministry are multi-faceted, our Director, Wyatt Snider, placed a major emphasis on providing relief to those who were hurting so much. In addition to his duties as Director of Gloryland Express, Inc., Wyatt is also the Children's Minister at Thorntree Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, Texas. Wyatt owns the fleet of busses used for street ministry and youth outreach programs, but instantly changed his focus in the face of national disaster.

Wyatt spent days transporting people, reuniting families, counseling survivors, and helping provide basic needs to these people. (One of the ladies in these pictures is 93 years old -- her main concern was that she had lost her Bible in the evacuation; Wyatt provided her with a replacement.)

Here, in Wyatt's own words, is what Gloryland Express, Inc. did during those turbulent days, and how you can be a part of this exciting ministry:

"In association with the Red Cross, Victim Relief Ministries, Salvation Army, Texas Baptist Men, and the Dallas Police Department, we recruited and deployed volunteers to assist these people who were hurting. We provided ground transportation throughout north Texas, and had the privilege of counseling and praying with hundreds of evacuees at Reunion Arena in downtown Dallas.

"After the first hurricane, we assisted at Reunion Arena, providing assistance to relief workers, as well as free local shuttle service. Many relief workers cried as they put evacuees, crying, on my bus -- people on their way to start a new life.

"We were able to assist hundreds of families -- loading their bags, transporting them, and then returning for the next group of precious passengers.

"Newspaper articles have told of the relief organizations who were often bogged-down by their own policies and procedures, wanting to help, but being caught up in 'red tape.' We had no such problem with bureaucracy, and were able to operate as many as 18 hours per day in this crucial mission where response time was paramount.

"After viewing our activities at Reunion Arena, a self-described non-Christian businessman asked me to get him past the bureaucracy to help someone. I couldn't get him into the Arena, but we were able to partner to help many needy people. Every dollar he gave helped buy some of the 200 gallons of fuel consumed, plane or bus tickets to reunite families, and meals to help people traveling.

"I rode an emotional roller coaster with these emotionally wrecked people. I could share hours of great success stories with hundreds of families, but one story stands out in my mind:"

"With volunteers from our local ministry and as far away as West Virginia, we worked with shelters, apartments, hotels, and organizations in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties.

"As I try to settle back into our local ministry, drug prevention programs, and school / after-school chapels, I can't help but wonder about the next time people need help. I don't want to have to wait 2 - 3 days to raise funds, organize workers, and locate equipment while people are hurting and scared.

In 2005, Gloryland Express became Gloryland Express, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible.

"I will continue assisting young people in making wise decisions about life, as I prepare to help people through our next disaster.

"Thank you for listening to this story. Would you consider donating to get these programs rolling? I know God will greatly bless you for helping, and you will know that during the next disaster, YOU helped the Gloryland Express be there with supplies."

Dallas, Texas -- Many From Reunion Arena




God's Protection of Our Ministry Returning to Reunion Arena, Wyatt was rear-ended on an exit ramp. Thankfully, no passengers were on board, the driver of the car was not injured, and the only damage to the bus was to the flag pole.

Within hours, Wyatt was transporting 50 FBI agents and emergency personnel to the crash area. Unfortunately, none of our brave astronauts survived, but the items discovered during their extensive search led the way to improvements in our shuttle, providing additional safety to all who would fly this dangerous mission in the future.

Grief Counseling at NASA with the public, NASA employees, and the astronaut's families.

The Search at Hemphill, TX