New York
A Reflection on the New York Mission
We have been on several Trinity mission trips over the years including Frakes, Kentucky, Greenville, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, and Staten Island, New York. As far as devastation goes, the damage we saw in Staten Island was the worst. The destruction stretched for miles of the Jersey and New York shore. Boats were pushed hundreds of yards from the water and houses were washed from their foundation by the storm surge. When we arrived in early December, 2012, some of the worst damage had been cleared into massive piles of debris that were being steadily hauled away to landfills. Our mission team was tasked to clear out three houses of waterlogged sheetrock, insulation, plumbing and flooring so that the houses could dry out in preparation for being sprayed with fungicide prior to renovation.
Like all our mission trips, the days were filled with hard physical labor which made us appreciate our beds even if they were an air mattress, but which left us with a deep sense of satisfaction that we, who did not have to suffer the devastations, were able to help others get closer to normalcy or improve their standard of living. We felt we were living examples of the Golden Rule. Another benefit we enjoyed is the wonderful fellowship of the mission team members which allowed us to grow closer together. We would strongly urge anyone who wishes to help others to do so, whether they have any constructions skills or physical limitations that they think might prevent them from doing the work. There is always something that someone can do and it is always important to the team effort and appreciated by those being helped. – Rhonda and Larry Evans
