Summer was finally here, the warm air, bright sunshine, and I couldn't wait for the good times to start!
We left the familiar home we knew June 16, 2013 to attend a mission trip with Adventures in Missions to Staten Island, NY. We were partnered with a local ministry named Third Day Missions. Upon arrival to the Island, I had known about Hurricane Sandy, how thousands of people had been affected and devastated, but what I didn't know was all of the damage that was still to be found 8 months later.
When I saw this devastation, I realized some people wouldn't be enjoying the good times of summer like I had an opportunity to. Our work began promptly on Monday, June 17th. The group that I worked with was assigned the job of digging out the dirt beneath a house and filling it with gravel so that it would not flood again. Did I mention that all of this had to be dug by hand and then carried out by buckets!?
However, I found this to be one of the most humbling experiences that I have ever had. The team that we had, worked very hard and had an incredible passion to help the hurting people of Staten Island. That job was estimated to take two weeks, however the team had finished it in just two and a half days! The following days were filled with other jobs, such as weeding, and cleaning up Church parking lots, and ministering to the people!
My favorite part of the whole trip was meeting a man who I knew by the name of Mr.Youseff. My bestfriend, Katelynn and I had been walking down the street looking for anybody in need. We found this huge white tent in the middle of the street and a man, Mr. Youseff, giving out food and necessary supplies. We came to find that Mr. Youseff had made a promise to the Lord, that if He saved him and his family from the storm he would give back help for a year! Well, God saved the whole family! Even the brave dog Sampson, who swam for fifteen hours! 🙂 Even though the days were busy with work, we managed to find time for worship and team building! On this trip many friendships were formed, memories were made, and lives were touched.
Something that has stuck with me, even since we have returned is that there is still 7-10 years worth of work to be done on Staten Island. Little by little Staten Island is being rebuilt, and God is certainly at work there! It was truly a blessing to be apart of the mission trip and I definitely feel like we helped bring some joy and Jesus back to the community!
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." -Mother Teresa
sounds like a very humbling experience wish I could have went along. Thanks for the link