Help Aaron and his Kids as They Rebuild after Helene

Aaron and his kids were hit hard by Hurricane Helene last fall. They live on top of a mountain with about 4 miles of gravel roads at an average incline of 30 or more degrees. After the hurricane, they weren’t able to get off the mountain due to the flooding for more than three weeks.

As soon as he was able, Aaron spent the next months delivering supplies to others who were hurting and serving his local community. Recently, Aaron’s only vehicle broke down and fixing it would require a new transmission, so the vehicle is totaled. Now, he is permanently stuck on the mountain and because of this, can’t work to provide for his family. Hurricane Helene also severely damaged their house, and it was condemned. Aaron has tried to find help and resources, but he has been denied by every other organization, including FEMA over six times. We were able, by the grace of God, to come alongside Aaron and do repairs on the house and replace the roof to make it livable again. However, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to fix the house and Aaron still needs a way to provide for his family, neither of which he can do if he doesn’t have the ability to work. He already has job offers in town but has no way to get there and due to medical problems, has no money left to buy a car. Aaron has said that this is the first time that a church has shown him and his family unconditional love. They have had previous poor experiences in addition to strings being attached to most of the aid they've sought. This truck is an opportunity to continue to show him and his family the true unconditional love that Christ demonstrated and commanded.

We’re working in conjunction with Calvary Chapel Asheville to raise money to get Aaron and his family a truck so that they can begin to rebuild. All of the funds raised from this GoFundMe will go directly to Calvary Chapel Asheville and they will purchase and coordinate getting Aaron the truck. Extra funds over the goal will go towards initial registration and insurance.

Please prayerfully consider donating even just a little bit to help get Aaron and his family back on their feet.

-Matthew Mazan

Background:

Hurricane Helene hit Asheville, North Carolina, in late September of 2024. It was recorded to be a Category 4 hurricane, reportedly being the deadliest since Hurricane Katrina. But, according to National Geographic, Helene’s death toll “could have missed thousands.” The locals confirmed that the death toll was significantly underreported. They shared stories of whole families and neighborhoods being wiped out in the valleys of the mountainous terrain. Further up the mountains, people were stranded, unable to obtain supplies and food. For the individuals that survived, many were displaced and were forced to live in tents, cars, and RV trailers.

Months after the hurricane, the death and damage count only increased. In January of 2025, the weather dipped down to as cold as -17F. With all the displaced people, many froze to death.

Immediately following the hurricane, Calvary Chapel of Asheville was quick to respond. They converted their church building to serve as a base for reconstruction and outreach. Their fellowship hall turned into a pantry and supplies room. Their sanctuary was morphed into a clothing closet. But their ministry didn’t just stay inside the walls of the building. We were told that early on, members went out with kayaks and chainsaws to rescue people stuck in homes. They renovated RV homes to give to people who were displaced. To the people that still had homes standing, they spread their information so that they could organize to have teams go out and help demo and reconstruct. Their aid comes unconditionally as a reflection of the unconditional love of God but is only made possible through the support of donations and other churches sending down teams to help.

On March 23, 2023, Cornerstone Chapel of Loudoun County sent a team of volunteers down to North Carolina, right outside of Asheville. We were told that even though the destruction was months ago, communities were far from recovery. We were assigned to go help reconstruct a house. The assignment, in name, was the physical reconstruction of the house but at its core, the goal was to minister to the family that resided inside.

I was working on helping with the house when I decided it was time to take a break, so I sat down with the homeowner, Aaron. What follows is what we learned about the family, as told by Aaron and from talking with the kids:

Aaron was born into a domestically abusive family and moved out at 16. All he had was a car, so he decided to just drive and explore America. He would stop in a small town for a couple of days, work an odd job for cash to continue on. He later ended up in North Carolina where he met a girl, got married, and had twins. She decided that she wasn’t ready for kids, and when the twins were 8 months old, she packed a duffle bag and left. She would later come back, under the direction of her boyfriend, asking for custody of the twins. She didn’t have any legal papers that proved she was their mother, the twins didn’t know who the woman was since they had grown up without her around, but she brought police who forced Aaron to hand his kids over to her and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend abused her and the twins. Aaron found out about the abuse and immediately took steps to attempt to stop his kids from going back to their mother and boyfriend’s house, but the state required him to share custody. He would try, for 6 years, to save his kids from the damned situation they were in. In those 6 years, he was working 3 jobs to pay for attorneys. He gathered stacks and stacks of documented evidence. And finally, after the long fight, the state granted him custody, but the battles were far from over. Aaron and the twins were left homeless and lived in a tent. Eventually, a friend lent them a car. They moved into the car. Their home turned from a car to an RV. Then, they were finally able to save enough to buy a walled home.

That house was the home that we were assigned to.

Aaron was told that Helene was going to miss their house and to not worry. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. They woke up to their roof leaking, the house flooding, and the surrounding valley filled with water. They were stranded on the mountain. Even with all their needs, Aaron decided to take in a family of a single mom and her 3 kids. They have since moved out, but Aaron continues to help his neighbors in whatever way he can.

We’ll call Aaron’s twins “L” and “H.” They are currently 15 years old. Their abuse left them scarred with trauma and PTSD. Their trauma is clearly evident, causing grave issues at school, and resulted in them both having to be pulled out to be “homeschooled.” Aaron doesn’t have the funds to pay for a tutor or co-ops and leaves the “schooling” up to the kids. Given their age and cognitive situation, they are “unschooled.” Their house is so remote in the mountains that they do not have any in-person friends.

During our trip, Matthew and I decided to befriend the twins. We were allowed to put down the construction tools and just spend time conversing and hanging out with both L and H. We, respectively, conversed with them, learning their stories and spiritual beliefs. Aaron was astounded that they were open to talking to us as they, H especially, were wary of strangers and dealt with severe anxiety when it came to people. We praise the Lord for the opportunity to befriend them and minister to their needs deeper than physically in their home. Matthew and I were both able to share the gospel with L, H, and Aaron and are praying for God to continue watering the seeds of the gospel in them.

Blessings and cheers,

-Eliana-Joy Briceno