GATE, Okla. – In late February, wildfires spread across northern Oklahoma, burning thousands of acres in the Oklahoma Panhandle, including in Gate, a small town in Beaver County. Doug and Debra Little were among the many who were affected. Their house, along with most of their belongings, was destroyed by the fire.
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) ash out teams arrived and offered to help clean out the area. The Littles agreed and asked the team if they could look specifically for their wedding rings.
“Deb was really hoping we could find our wedding rings,” Doug Little said.
The DR team went to work sifting through the ash and debris. Miraculously, the ash out team was able to find the rings. Intense heat had melted the two rings together, but they could still be discerned against the rest of the debris.
“Man, those Baptists know how to dig through rubble,” Little said on Facebook. “Two things I’ve learned from this fire: one, is it’s crazy what survives and what doesn’t and two, God is good.”
Even though the rings are not wearable, they survive as a symbol of the couple’s bond and the goodness of God. DR has countless stories like these where teams can go in and reunite natural disaster victims with their physical belongings, but DR isn’t just focused on physical healing. They also bring help, hope and healing of a spiritual nature.
“We have the privilege of seeing people come to faith every year through this ministry,” said Oklahoma DR Director Jason Yarbrough.
In 2025, DR had about 120 Gospel conversations with homeowners. Of those 120, 10 made professions of faith.
“Every 10 times we have a Gospel conversation with a homeowner, or somebody impacted by the storms, we’re seeing somebody pray to receive Christ,” said Yarbrough. “The Kingdom impact is out there, and it’s incredible.”
DR provides trained chaplains who go to response sites with other teams to help provide spiritual healing which sometimes extends to the volunteers as well.
Responding to natural disasters can place a mental toll on volunteers. When volunteers need it, chaplains are there to have spiritual conversations or just listen to what they share. This can open doors to those spiritual conversations that lead to life change if the volunteer hasn’t already made a profession of faith.
When natural disasters hit, Oklahoma Baptist DR is there to help those affected recover. Whether it be sifting through debris to find personal belongings or seeking to have spiritual conversations, DR is equipped to handle the task.
Yarbrough appeared on the Messenger Insight podcast this week to talk about disaster relief and tell the story of the wedding rings. That episode can be found here.
For more information on Oklahoma Baptist DR, visit okdisasterhelp.org.
This article originally appeared in the Baptist Messenger.
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