North Texas man’s inspiration shelters Hurricane Harvey victims

In February of 2017, Erik Sanders of Melissa, Texas, found himself out of a job. In searching for something to fill his time, he came across an online ad for an old camping trailer. Not only would this give him something to do, but he looked forward to future trips it would enable him to take with his family.

It took four months to completely gut and refinish the trailer that would eventually be known as the ‘glamper’. During the refinishing process, Erik—a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—had a quiet feeling that this camper wasn’t meant for his family, but would serve as a refuge for someone else.

While working on the camper one afternoon, Erik sat down to rest on the bed and started to doze off.  Suddenly he heard a voice say, “get busy, the storms are coming”. He had mostly finished the inside of the camper, but not the outside. The roof was in need of significant repair.  That week, he set to work laying down a rubber roof coating, and making sure all of the openings were sealed. A few days later, when the first of the Texas spring rainstorms hit, Erik was thankful for the prompting he had received. Little did he know of the larger storms that would hit his south Texas neighbors a few months later, and the role that the camper would play in providing relief to those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

In the meantime, Erik started volunteering at the Dallas Texas Temple, and even found employment again.

When Hurricane Harvey hit southeastern Texas, Erik’s Latter-day Saint congregation, among others in the Sherman area, was assigned by the local leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help in Beaumont, Texas. Erik was determined that the trailer needed to come with him—it had never been used, was fully stocked, and ready to go.

About 30 miles from the work assignment, a fellow Mormon volunteer, who was driving behind Erik, called to inform him that his trailer was giving off a significant amount of smoke.

Erik pulled off the freeway, and miraculously, there happened to be an RV park right off the exit.  Upon inspection, it was determined that the smoke was caused by a minor wheel malfunction that was easily fixable. So Erik left the trailer at the RV park, and continued onto the assignment.

As he pulled into town, Erik noticed that there were trailers parked in front of many of the gutted, water damaged homes—temporary housing for families while home renovations were taking place. Suddenly, Erik knew why he felt so strongly to bring the trailer. Perhaps the trailer would provide a refuge for one of these families.

When he arrived, Erik asked his church’s volunteer coordinator if there were any local priesthood leaders around, in hopes of finding a family in need of the trailer. While they were talking, a man from the Beaumont Stake approached them to see if they needed anything. When they explained that they had a trailer if someone had the need, the man said, “Let’s call my son; he happens to be the stake president [ecclesiastical leader in the Beaumont, Texas, area]. ”

When the Stake President answered the phone call from his father, he was standing on the front lawn of a family, whose home had been completely devastated by Harvey’s flooding. They had been discussing options of where the family could stay.

Erik more than willingly loaned the trailer to the family. His impression of the trailer serving as a refuge for another had proven true. Erik’s only comment about the experience was, “I am humbled and grateful to have been able to do something.”