Mission Trip 2014 has been declared a complete success!
Six high school youth and 4 adults traveled to Moore, OK to help with demolition and reconstruction following a devastating tornado season in 2013. HOWEVER, the greatest work accomplished that week was on each individual who participated in that week of service to the church and to our neighbors.
Day One of our journey took us to Oklahoma City where we did plumbing repairs and paint work for Church of the Harvest. This is a large congregation in the Oklahoma City region with several satellite campuses. Why would we be charged with working on such a large congregations’ facilities when they obviously have the human-power necessary to do such work? Because Church of the Harvest has taken on the call to headquarter, organize and house relief efforts in this region. They’ve built dormitories and a cafeteria to house and feed work crews year-round. Some of their members were able to quit their jobs, or take on volunteer efforts equivalent to a part-time job, to oversee the many individuals and work groups that would show up in the years to come to help the recovery process.
Day Two of our trip we returned to Oklahoma City to a large warehouse where we were greeted by organizational leaders for Sheds of Hope, a Presbyterian ministry that has taken on the task of helping folks salvage as much of their lives prior to the weather events as possible. This group pre-fabricates walls, floors, doors and roofs for sheds which are then taken to disaster sites and set up as permanent structures so as they sift through the debris of what once was home, they have some place to store their belongings to keep them safe and secure. Yes, the demand for these sheds still exists. Many people need the funds they are currently using to pay for commercial storage to aide in the reconstruction process.
Day Four and Five (Day Three was our day off) we helped with the demolition process of a home that barely missed the line of destruction…about two houses down, the street is completely GONE! This neighborhood was filled with homes in some process of repair as many sustained damage from high winds and flying debris from the storm. The homeowners had insurance and hired a contractor who came in and performed shoddy work, cashed the check and left town…leaving them with a home they still were not able to live in, but was now also subject to the harmful effects of weather. We spent our time tearing out rotting wood, wet drywall and insulation and replacing wall studs, sill plates and foam-core board to prepare this house for the next crew to come in and take the home a little further in the process.
Stay tuned to learn more of the work accomplished and the lessons from our week.
Blessings,
Tracy