Volunteers help Texas victims rebuild after Rita

United Methodist News Service
PORT ARTHUR—Temperatures topped 95 degrees––not to mention the humidity. Rain showers were unpredictable and unrelenting.
But none of that deterred 15-year-old Lyssa Harper from being part of a weeklong Hurricane Rita recovery effort.
Harper labored alongside fellow youth and adult volunteers, even though she has a legitimate reason for avoiding the oppressive Texas sun.
Harper suffers from occipital neuralgia, a condition that has inflamed the nerves from the base of her spine to her skull. Headaches, body aches, fever and more make mission work difficult.
“I was nervous about coming, but God took care of me really well,” Harper said. “Yeah, I had headaches, but he made it so I didn’t have to leave the work site. He’ll make sure that I’m well enough to help in all the ways that I can.”
Harper was one of more than 50 members from First UMC, Round Rock, who spent a week in June rebuilding the devastated community of Port Arthur. Temple UMC, Port Arthur, housed the volunteers.
Since Hurricane Rita hit last September, more than 200 teams—totaling 2,000-plus volunteers from across the nation—have served in the area between Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange.
Angela Baker, director of Rita Recovery of the Texas Conference, said more volunteers are needed. More than 900 families are still on the recovery center’s waiting list.
“Every day, we receive a call from a family saying: ‘Can you help me?’” Baker said. “They pass by a work team or see us working on their neighbor’s house and then ask how they can get help.”
Baker said some people say they can’t volunteer because they don’t have adequate experience, they’re too busy or they’re too young.
Teams from Round Rock, Aledo (Texas) UMC and Schertz UMC made those excuses look weak.
Chelsea Liccion, 14, of Schertz UMC said the work was hard because it was different from what she was accustomed to doing. But she committed to it because she wanted to serve God and help others.
Sam Kite, 14, of Aledo UMC encouraged people to think about how their sacrifice would touch another person.
“We were building a wheelchair ramp for a family,” Kite said. “The client was just sitting at the screen door watching us with tears running down her face.”
Recovery updates are available at www.umcortexas.com.
People interested in volunteering can call Bonnie McAndrews, volunteer coordinator, at (409) 892-0140 or at bmcandrews@umcortexas.com.