GARFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Water has a way of finding Doug Foster.
For the past three nights, the 84-year-old man has slept at Little Switzerland Resort and Campground on Pickerel Lake while his home on the Muskegon River continues to dry out from the flooding that prompted an evacuation order for hundreds of households in Newaygo County, including those in his own neighborhood.
"You can't beat the view," Foster said to me on Thursday, sitting on the screened-in porch of his cottage. "I wonder if they'd let me trade my place that's in the water for this spot."
While the campground doesn't open until May, owners Rob and Debbie Lammers made an exception for Foster when they heard about his situation. If his house was waterlogged and he had no where to go, they'd let him stay with them for free.
"They take good care of me," Foster said.
"There's a need, and we're in a fortunate enough position to help," Rob Lammers said. "I think when we do that, it makes all the hard work we do around here worth it."
"Totally worth it," Debbie Lammers said.
In addition to a free room with a lake view, the husband and wife have also provided Foster with food and laundry.
"The man's been through a lot," Debbie Lammers said.
Newaygo
MUSKEGON RIVER FLOOD: How a Newaygo County man found help after his evacuation
The cottage is the third place in Newaygo County in which Foster has found emergency refuge since the river's floodwaters began to rise. Last week, a neighbor and a nearby church both offered him a bed.
"Our church is a church that's very action oriented," said Matthew Deprez, the lead pastor at Inspire Church in Fremont. "We're the kind of church that says, 'Hey, if there's a need, we're going to meet that need.'"
When the Muskeon River reached the major flood stage last week Thursday, Inspire Church opened its doors for people who were displaced. When Foster and another man showed up, they slept in the church's new expansion, becoming the first people to use the space.
"We crave servanthood," Deprez said. "This has been an incredible display of selflessness for the church, for nonprofits in our community. The county did an incredible job, and we just all stepped up together."
Inspire Church was connected Foster to the Lammerses, who are regular attendees on Sunday.
"I was so proud of the church," Debbie Lammers said. "This is where we're supposed to be. This is where our heart is, too."
While the Muskegon River has since passed its peak flood stage and many of Foster's neighbors have returned to the neighborhood, he believes it will likely be at least a month until he is able to move back into his home.
"Everything is a total loss," he said, adding that he took a look at the damage himself on Wednesday and planned on receiving an estimate for possible repairs on Thursday.
"We'll get on with it," he said. "I will, like I say, I will survive."
At least at Little Switzerland, surviving can look quite tranquil, especially with Foster's pet cat and treasured guitars — safe, sound and dry — in his possession.
"I am now at an age here where I need some help," Foster said. "And I got help. Yes, I've got a good place to stay. It's beautiful here, the cottage is nice, and I'm fed."
