Serve Now News
Building Homes, Bringing Hope
A Serve Now team of twelve deployed Mar. 9-16 to Mayfield, Kentucky. They joined Samaritan’s Purse in establishing a community of 81 homes for families who lost everything in a deadly 2021 tornado. Our team assisted in constructing these homes by building porches, roofing houses, and praying over the families who came to see their homes-in-progress.
Bethany, a senior on the trip, spoke of the impact the service had on her, saying, “Serving alongside the men and women who have dedicated so much of their energy to work full-time for Samaritan’s Purse impacted me by seeing what it looks like to honor the Lord by loving his people! All the materials we used to build new homes are donations, which speaks to the body of Christ coming together for Mayfield.”
Savanna, a Christian Leadership major on the trip, said, “One of the highlights of the trip was getting to see all of the other college students and leaders serve the Lord wholeheartedly. It was also a blessing to learn more about what it looks like to be the hands and feet of Christ through the Samaritan’s Purse staff. The whole week was so refreshing and encouraging!”
So far, 48 of the 81 houses have been completed, and each of the families in the program have been given financial, emotional, and spiritual counseling to prepare them to make a house a home. Construction on this community is set to finish later this fall.
Insights
In lieu of our recent service trip, here are some helpful facts about tornadoes…
● The United States sees an average of 1,000 tornadoes a year
● Tornadoes can form during any month of the year, not just during “tornado season”
● Tornadoes can have wind speeds of up to 300 miles per hour
● Tornadoes can produce “debris balls” which can intensify the level of damage
Coming Up
Thanks for your support and involvement in the Serve Now program! If you are looking to get involved, here is one final opportunity to serve this semester:
Serve Lynchburg | Apr. 27
Come join LU students, faculty, staff, and Lynchburg residents as we join together with community partners to meet local community needs. Choose your serve site and view the schedule here!