A 10-member mission team from First United Methodist Church, Crestview drove to Baldwin, Louisiana on Aug. 21 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief's Sager Brown facility.
There they participated in a hands-on short-term mission trip. With the flooding in Louisiana, this was the perfect opportunity to assist flood victims in a tangible way.
This team was made up of adults from ages 39 to 79, which shows that one is never too old to serve the Lord.
Due to the great need for assistance, once the team was in Louisiana, all efforts were dedicated to packing "flood buckets," which contained these and more items:
●5-gallon cleaning bucket with a lid
●cleaning supplies
●trash bags and dust masks
●sponges and scrub brushes
●gloves, air freshener and bug repellent
●clotheslines and clothespins
It was all hands on deck to get these buckets packed and loaded onto pallets, which could then be taken to a Methodist church in Baton Rouge for distribution.
Churches requested needed items and the Sager Brown UMCOR then provided them. Along with the team from Crestview, there were churches from Texas, Tennessee and Native American churches from Oklahoma, all coming together to share the love of Christ with the flood victims.
The week flew by for the missions team. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday were dedicated to working on the flood bucket assembly line.
On Wednesday, food distribution to local and needy seniors took place, with the food being provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Catholic Charities.
The warehouse where the work was done was not air conditioned, but volunteers did have lots of water and industrial fans.
In talking with several team members, I was told that this was a great experience for helping others, as well as meeting other Christians who love the Lord.
This was also a good chance to network with different churches about other ministry needs.
If you would like to donate to the Louisiana flood victims, here are two links:
●American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation
●UMCOR: www.umcor.org
●Samaritan's Purse: www.samaritanspurse.org/
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CROSE: Crestview church group helps Louisiana flood victims