When we think of natural disasters we think of the devastation in Japan, Haiti, or even Louisiana, we wouldn’t think of Hammond, Indiana.
But, this week our eyes were opened to the reality that so many families have been living everyday.
This year for the Adult / 20 something mission trip we volunteered with LARRI (Lakeshore Area Regional Recover of Indiana).
Our neighbors in the Lakeshore area lost their homes to the flood in September 2008, and so many have been waiting to move back in. LARRI has been working tirelessly to rebuild
the remaining 130 homes before their grant deadline of September.
We were so privileged to be a part of their efforts. During our week here we’ve helped rebuild three basements.
The first home we came to belonged to a family whose basement flooded three days after they moved in, and has flooded multiple times since.
After two days of mudding, sanding, painting,
and laying flooring, we were able to see the nearly finished product.
And, as much of a blessing as it was to see the fruits of our labor, the most fun part was to spend time getting to know the family that would use the space we were fixing.
Thank you for all your prayers and contributions to our trip, we grew so close together as a team and have seen Christ in our midst throughout the trip.
So many of us have said that we can’t believe how much work there is to do and so close to home. We look forward to a continued relationship with LARRI and hope that many of you will be able to join us for future trips with the Do Something Ministry.
