Making a Diffference

As I posted a couple weeks ago, I had been preparing to go on a mission trip with my church youth group from June 22 - 28. Our Youth Group leader had been called to active duty and was doubtful he would return in time to go with us, so several of us adults stepped up to the plate to organize the rest of the trip. Luckily, the Youth Group leader was able to return in time to go with us, and he didn't have any planning left to do by the time he got back to town.

We were told to plan on dry-walling in a house that was destroyed by Hurrican Rita, but when we arrived, we learned our work assignment was to build a handicap ramp, install a water heater, repair window, and other miscellaneous work to finalize a house for move-in. The man we were helping had been living in a FEMA trailer for nearly three years. Now, when I say trailer, don't make the mistake I did and assume it was a trailer like you see in a mobile home neighborhood. Oh, no. These trailers are about 16 - 17 feet in length, and basically a scaled down travel trailer. The travel trailers you see on the road are deluxe models compared to this man's "home", provided courtesy of our national government. The man's house had its front porch ripped off and was laying on its side, displacing the rafters in his attic, breaking window, and creating lots of areas for wind and water to get in and ruin much of the inside of his house. His water heater was broken, and the house's siding was torn off in many polaces. The work on his house started around May 12, so we were about the 5th group that spent a week of volunteer hours putting his house back together.

The contractor who met with the homeowner told us that when he first told him that the mission organization would be back May 12 to start working on his house, the homeowner didn't believe him. Evidently, there are lots of people who come by, talk with the homeowners to see what they can do about fixing the houses, and then never return. So, when the Methodist missionary ministry actually followed through on their word, the man was very excited.

The four high school freshmen that went with us all had fantastic attitudes, and worked hard all week to do whatever was needed to make this man's home liveable. Their work ethic was one that would surprise many adults. Anybody who believes that today's youth are only interested in things that benefit them, and aren't interested in working hard on behalf of somebody else needs to go on one of these mission trips. They would be pleasantly surprised at how dedicated these kids can be toward the service toward others. As us Rotarians say it, Service Above Self.

I don't normally wear a hat, but if I did, my hat would go off to those youth who were so incredible toward making sure the project we were assigned was not only finished, but that the work was done above expectations. Three of the four youth are higher ranking Boy Scouts, and they definitely proved that they are devoted toward their mission of making things better than they found them.