Partnerships Bring “Muddy Bear” to Ohio DR

Partnerships are key to the work of Ohio Disaster Relief.

In December 2023, Rumford, Maine, experienced terrible flooding. Much of the town, including the fire station, was damaged by floodwaters.
 
A 12-person Ohio DR team led by Josh Wright, Urbancrest Baptist Church, deployed to Rumford. The team was supposed to do both flood and chainsaw recovery, but little did they know that God had other plans.

Upon arrival, the entire team was needed for flood recovery, and one of the homes affected belonged to John and Nancy. Their home and shop, which housed their business, were under several feet of water.
 
The Ohio team got to work and finished the flood recovery in about two days. It then took months for John and Nance to get back to normal.

John and Nancy are carvers who make animal carvings from tree trunks using a chainsaw. To help them get their business going again, the members of the flood recovery team commissioned a carving of a bear for Ohio DR. The team paid for it out of their own pockets and chose the name, “Muddy Bear.”

Eighteen months later, on July 8, 2025, Muddy Bear arrived in Ohio. Why did it take so long to receive the carving?

The carving process takes time. First, a rough carving is cut, and then the item has to dry for six months. Once it dries, the fine carving of the details is completed, and the carving is stained.
 
While Ohio DR waited for Muddy Bear, something else happened. John joined New England Disaster Relief and deployed on a chainsaw team.

This is a great example of partnership. Ohio DR deployed to Maine through a partnership with New England Disaster Relief. The Ohio DR team partnered with John and Nancy through the commissioning of Muddy Bear, helping them restart their business, and finally, John joined New England DR and deployed to help others affected by disaster.

Partnerships are key to the work of Ohio Disaster Relief.