Just months after Hurricane Ike ravaged the Texas coast, thousands of residents are still without homes and there is still a lot of work to be done.
Every year, the students of the Wesley Foundation have taken a trip to High Island as a part of Spiritual Life retreat, a time for members to spend time with one another in fellowship while participating in community service.
This year, the opportunities for helping the community were more abundant than ever before.
With much of the area in ruins, the Sam Houston State students were put to the task of working on Bayview United Methodist Church.
“We wanted to help the people get their church back,” said one student worker.
The students shoveled mud and removed sheet rock, carpet, furniture, pews and piles of trash from the church, which was nearly destroyed by the Category 3 hurricane. Several members of the Fannet United Methodist Church served lunch to the students as well.
Wesley Foundation pastor Max Adams said the students also went to one of the church member’s homes, where they were surprised to find excessive water damage in a house that was on stilts.
“It was terrible how much destruction there was,” said another student worker. “We threw away computers, copy machines, furniture, thousands of dollars worth of stuff that was ruined by the storm. It reminded me to keep my treasures in heaven.”
“This was our Spiritual Life Retreat,” Adams said. “The students wanted to spend their time giving back to this community. I am very proud of them”