Sr. High Mission Trip Overview from Jillianne

We had an amazing time serving the people of eastern North Carolina on our Sr. high mission trip! We were able to work with UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) in the Pamlico County area of the outer banks! That's near New Bern, NC ... basically on the inner banks of the Outer Banks area! We spent most of our time on or near the Neuse River! Monday through Wednesday we were able to put in a new ceiling in the kitchen and bathroom for Mrs. Mary. Mary was a sweet, sweet woman in her 80s. She and her late husband built the home in the 1960s. Sadly when Hurricane Irene came through last summer, the waves were taller than the house in front of her's and afterwards she had about 19 inches on standing water in her house. Because Mrs. Mary lives on a fixed income; so she is unable to afford flood insurance. Obviously, her insurance company would not cover the damage. And, to further add salt to the wound, FEMA was unable to give her any money for repairs either. FEMA gave her money after another Hurricane in the early 2000s. They require that one they give you money you keep flood insurance. Since she was unable to afford it, she was out of luck as far as getting help from FEMA. Fortunately, we were able to give Mrs. Mary a new ceiling in her kitchen and bathroom. The last day of the trip we traveled around Pamlico county in an effort to help Bruce (our site coordinator) consolidate resources. We moved a couple of piles of OSB and other ply-wood. Then we went to Oriental, NC to move a large pile of shingles out of a handicapped man's yard to a dumpster back at UMCOR's warewhouse. It was a tough day and was very hot, but we were able to accomplish the task! This mission trip was not originally planned back in May when we advertised summer youth activities. It was the result of a conversation that occurred on the way home from the Sr. high beach trip to Garden City. In particular, Katie Sands deserves great credit for helping plan the details of the trip! Sadly, she got pink eye on the first day of the trip and had to go home. We missed her but were very thankful for her research and input in planning the trip! Our theme for the trip was to 'Step out of Your Comfort Zone.' Our evening programs focused on that theme. We talked about how when you are willing to step out of your comfort zone, you grow. Ways you can step out of that zone are by being a servant, knowing and using your spiritual gifts to serve God, being the light of Christ in the world and in our daily lives! We hope you will take a look at the pictures from our week! They can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sjeyc. Thanks for your prayers and support!