Hurricane Sandy Rebuild Mission Trip 2013 - Solid Rock Baptist Church Today, a group of 10 volunteers from Solid Rock begins a journey to the East Coast with final destination at Calvary Protestant Church in Baldwin, N.Y. The purpose of this 8 man, two women team is to help in the rebuild effort of homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy that struck the coast on October 29, 2012. Thousands of people are still displaced and trying to recover from this massive storm that displaced them from their homes. To remind you of the massive destruction of this storm, I have posted a news release from FEMA that was posted at the one year anniversary of this great storm in October, 2013. This reminds all of us of just how many people are still affected by this hurricane of monumental proportion. On the evening of October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in southern New Jersey, with impacts felt across more than a dozen states. The storm battered the East Coast, particularly the densely-populated New York and New Jersey coasts, with heavy rain, strong winds, and record storm surges. During Sandy’s immediate aftermath, more than 23,000 people sought refuge in temporary shelters, and more than 8.5 million customers lost power. The storm flooded numerous roads and tunnels, blocked transportation corridors, and deposited extensive debris along the coastline. One year later, more than $1.4 billion in Individual Assistance has been provided to more than 182,000 survivors, and an additional $2.4 billion in low-interest disaster loans have been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration. More than $7.9 billion in National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) payments have been made to policy holders, and FEMA has approved more than $3.2 billion to fund emergency work, debris removal, and repair and replacement of infrastructure. [Post From FEMA News release] As you process this information, it is the volunteers who go in the name of Jesus who are helping those still caught in the aftermath of this great disaster. The Disaster Relief Ministry of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention has made a two year commitment of helping residents in the New York Staten Island and Long Island communities and residents in New Jersey in the rebuilding of their lives and communities. Thousand of volunteers have gone to these places and many more are still on the way. In fact, over the Christmas holiday break, hundreds of college students will make their way to the rebuild base camps to help put homes back together. Go to the NAMB Sandy Rebuild web site and you will find all the information you want about this great project. I share all this to say that God is the ultimate rebuilder when disaster strikes our lives. The 10 member team deploying from Solid Rock today is evidence of this fact. We have three people who survived the 2008 flood that wiped out Oakville, IA who are now in either rebuilt homes of their own or in new residences that are going to pay forward the help they received when disaster struck their lives in 2008. We have a man who was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer over fives years ago that is going and will most likely out work all of us as he celebrates the miraculous healing work of Gods hand in his life and his cancer free status. We have four professional contractors in the group who will use their skills in installing windows, hardwood flooring, interior wood working, and drywall finish. We have 1 person that has been on multiple rebuild trips since his first trip when he responded with Solid Rock to help victims of the Joplin Tornado. This volunteer has already been to New York/New Jersey this past fall with a rebuild team he connected with in Joplin, MO. And for some, this will be their first DR trip and I am sure it will not be their last. So, it will be amazing to see what happens as we make landfall on Monday evening and begin work on Tuesday morning. You can be a part of this trip as you remember to pray for the team this coming week. You can still give a contribution to help with the costs of getting the group out and back. I want to thank the Solid Rock Seniors for taking up an offering for building materials that will be used in the drywall finish projects that we will be working on this coming week. If you are reading this and not connected directly with Solid Rock, you can mail your gift/contribution to Solid Rock Baptist Church, 14041 Locust Street, Wapello, IA 52653 and mark it Sandy Rebuild God always provides what we need. I want to thank the Baptist Convention of Iowa for paying for the costs of housing the Solid Rock team at the Base Camp, for the Solid Rock members using their vehicles, trailer, tools, and most importantly their lives. I also want a woman who is sending some special hand made gifts that we will give to the home owners in the places that we work. She too is a survivor of a disaster that struck her home a few years ago and is paying forward the help she received from her Lord and church family. So, in this season of giving, let God lead you to be his hands and feet in helping others rebuild their lives, regardless of the disaster they find themselves in. God has put an amazing church family together at Solid Rock. This group is one of the most giving, hard working groups I have ever been around. Praise the Lord for what He has done and will continue to do with us. Follow what happens in New York this week by the posts that I hope to share on this page as we go forward. In Jesus Name Pastor Dan Doolin
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 11:00:02 +0000
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