As we get closer to June 15-18, we are gaining clarity as to the ever-changing needs in Western North Carolina.
Our Summer Mission Trip for High School Youth and Adults will be linked to the areas around Mars Hill and Marshall, along the French Broad River.
We will depart the St. John’s parking lot at 4:00 pm on Sunday, June 15th. We will have dinner together before settling into our lodging quarters provided by Mars Hill Baptist Church. We will work with the Project Coordinators each day, Monday – Wednesday. Our breakfast and lunch preparations will be provided, and we will eat dinner together at one of the local restaurants in Mars Hill to support their local economy. We will return on Wednesday night.
Marshall is a community that was destroyed by flood waters more than twenty feet above flood stage. Homes were washed down the river. Our work will focus on that area, but needs are literally new each day. One couple awakened to their roof falling in three weeks ago from latent storm damage. Another family arrived home to discover a tree had fallen through their bedrooms.
We have some adults who are staying the entire time (Sunday – Wednesday) and some who are only able to work one day. Mars Hill is a two-hour and thirty minutes’ drive from Charlotte. If you have a day or two and want to join with our work crews, you will be welcomed to join the St. John’s effort.
To let us know that you plan to be part of the crew, please contact Amanda at amorrison@sjcharlotte.org or at 704.333.5428, ext. 0.
This trip will get us started with practical connections in the area. Since last October, we have responded to hurricane response needs. We have been diligent to reply directly to known needs through trusted resource providers rather than just dumping finances into funding sources where abuse and fraud were possible. Thus far, we have sent funds and needed items of food and clothing. Our group will be taking packs of food for backpacks that will be distributed through a summer camper program for children in the Mars Hill area. As we begin to put our hands to work and encourage the people in that region, we will hear stories and see sights that are truly heartbreaking. In coming months, we will be able to collaborate with Park Road Baptist Church to construct a new home for a schoolteacher in Marshall. Other partnerships may be possible in the years ahead. Thank you for all you are doing for victims of Hurricane Helene.