The LU Serve Now program has sent multiple teams to North Carolina to assist Samaritan’s Purse in rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Helene devastated communities in September 2024. Two trips were planned for the spring semester.
A 12-member team traveled to Asheville, N.C., Jan. 11-16, and another team was there over Spring Break, March 15-21.
On the first trip, the group installed insulation and subflooring, painted walls, framed houses, and more to provide permanent shelter for those affected by the storm.
Asheville, N.C.
“The Lord has called us to go serve others,” said elementary education junior Gideon Wise. “This is such a great opportunity our school offers, so all of us wanted to go down and help people, see who was hurting and just help in any way we could.”
Recently, Liberty instituted a new program that grants full-time eligible employees up to a week of paid leave for volunteer service with LU Serve Now. Team leader Owen Baker, who works for Liberty Information Services, was part of the Asheville team.
“It was an amazing experience to get out of the office and the normal job I have and have an impact in a different way,” he said. “It was really cool to work along with the students. They were so on fire with helping others and represented Liberty so well. I received several compliments from Samaritan’s Purse staff and some of the other foremen and construction workers who were there.”
From Feb. 1-7, Liberty sent its fourth team to Lahaina, Hawaii, in response to the 2023 wildfires. The following week, a team visited San Angelo, Texas, to assist in rebuild efforts following flooding in the area last July.
Also over Spring Break, a team traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to serve alongside World Gospel Outreach in food distribution and clean water projects.
Read more at Liberty.edu/News
“(LU Serve trips) are such a cool opportunity for so many different things,” Wise said. “One, you get to travel the country — or maybe out of the country. You can experience new places, meet new people, interact with people you wouldn’t otherwise interact with. You also get to be the hands and feet of the Lord and have an impact you can see. It’s very tangible. That is really encouraging to my faith, and I think it would be encouraging
to anybody.”
Visit Liberty.edu/ServeNow to support future trips.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
