ELPC has participated in the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts since it hit the East Coast three years ago. Since then, 21 ELPC members and friends have undertaken four, week-long mission trips to Point Pleasant, N.J.
In October, nine people from the ELPC community joined with others from the Lend a Hand Foundation on a final mission trip to assist with the residential recovery effort. Over the course of the week, the volunteers provided more than 700 hours of work at five residences in need of repair and restoration.
The hours offered are important in that communities are granted FEMA funds for every volunteer hour, but the hours mean even more to homeowners and communities who are grateful that others understand they are still struggling for a sense of normalcy. The repair and restoration is not just to physical structures, however. Hearts and minds are repaired, the love of God is shared, and hope is restored.
While this may have been ELPC’s final trip to Point Pleasant, our work and faith relationship with Lend a Hand Foundation and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance will continue.