Love Thy Neighbor

On Halloween night, the Ingram family home caught fire. Deneisha, their 25-year-old daughter, woke up to a wall of flames. Together and through their family members’ screams, she and her dad Earnest used a garden hose to fight the flames that had reached her younger sister Sariah’s door.

They cleared the way enough for her sister and two little cousins, ages 3 and 4, who had stayed the night to trick-or-treat, to escape unharmed. This allowed her mother, Debra, to get out safely, too.

Firefighters arrived and finished the job, but the house needs to be rebuilt. Debra has lived in that Senoia home for 47 years, since she was 5 years old. They own the house outright, but they don’t have insurance.

They also experienced two family deaths in the same month. As they grieve the loss of their loved ones, they now grieve the loss of their home.

This family is full of the most humble, kind, hard-working people you’ll ever meet. Earnest is a free-lance contractor, Debra works the overnight shift at Wal-Mart and consistently opens her home to extended family members in need, Deneisha taught special education students and now cares for people with dementia, and Sariah is working hard in middle school.

Their entire lives have been about helping people who need it most. Now they need someone to return the favor.

As active members of their church, Oak Grove Baptist, Debra gave her testimony recently, saying, “I know I am being tested. Yes, I am, but I know there is JOY ahead. I TRUST in the Good Lord.”

Tragedies don’t just happen to other people. They happen to us and to the people we love.

This time it happened to your neighbors, the Ingrams.

Let’s bring some JOY to Earnest, Debra, Deneisha, and Sariah! Help us help them rebuild their home!

PS - And, just to let y'all know, in the video, the little lady with the BIG voice in the first row of the choir is Miss Debra.