Houston Hurricane Response Volunteer Team: Joyful in Their Work and Play

June 23, 2018Here's the story of just one of our great volunteer teams in Houston!

From Jeff Davis, OPC Site Coordinator in Houston:

I was blessed to spend time in Houston, June 9-16, 2018, with the team of 37 volunteers from the Dutton URC Youth Group in Caledonia, Michigan. They proved to be very well organized and joyful in their work and play time. Each one displayed a humble spirit that shows the love of Christ in all they do.

Three team members - Kevin, Brad, and Dan - drove a truck and trailer down (1,250 miles, straight through) with supplies, food, and personal belongings. Inside the trailer they packed two chest freezers with a lot of food their church donated. I get the impression this youth group trip is strongly supported by the members of the Dutton URC. The rest of the team (34) flew into Dallas, rented three vans, and drove to Houston.

The team worshiped at Cornerstone OPC Sunday morning. I had the pleasure of spending Sunday afternoon with them, sharing a meal and fellowship. They brought two gas grills with them to cook their food (excellent idea). Sunday night, at the Community Church where we lodged them, they watched a live stream of the Dutton evening service. Wednesday evening I shared another meal with the team and stayed for their devotions... I had a great time!  

I'd like to give a special thank-you to Becky for her efforts in taking the lead to organize and execute the team trip and for coordinating with Peggy Sumpter and Gloria Davis the details behind the scenes.  Becky was also the one who stayed behind at the Community Church each day, with her three younger children,cleaning, organizing, and preparing the evening meal. GREAT JOB, Becky!

Also, I'm very thankful for the four team leaders (Art, Phil, Dan, and Mindy) who oversaw the various job sites. Without them, the work would not have gone so well: 

Friday, the entire team enjoyed a "day away" at Lake Houston, where they rented a boat and jet skis, swam, and had a picnic. Saturday, the team headed home at 5:00 am. 

June 11-14: Sample of Work Accomplished at Six Work Sites

Home #1:

• Finished installing drywall in the garage
• Trimmed trees
• Cleaned and tilled the front yard to prep for seeding
• Seeded
• Hauled two trailers of rubbish and yard waste to the landfill
• Cleaned gutters

Home #2:

• Yard work
• Installed drywall in guest bathroom
• Installed a dishwasher
• Built a gate for the driveway

Home #3:

• Sanding and mudding to prep for texturing
• Repaired the AC
• Finished texturing the house
• Repaired a water leak
• Dug/cleaned out the pool
• Began priming the walls

Home #4: 

• Installed exterior and interior doors and door trim
• Installed baseboard

Home #5:

• Painted baseboards

Cornerstone OPC property:

1. Painted second coat on both church bathrooms
2. Finished pews (three-step process)
3. Painted second coat on outdoor railings
4. Touched up paint in the sanctuary
5. Deep cleaned bathrooms in classrooms and fellowship hall
6. Washed walls in classrooms and painted
7. Steam cleaned carpets two times in classrooms
8. Final stained six doors for church
9. Hung bathroom doors in classroom building
10. Fixed paint on exterior doors of fellowship hall and classrooms
11. Primed and started double door frame
12. Cleaned and painted the closers for church doors
13. Spent hours cleaning up the paint on floors
14. Cleaned and painted two outdoor benches
15. Re-painted th­e bronze on the exter­ior sign
16. Mowed grass, trimmed hedges, cut brush, and loaded to dumpster
17. Cleaned entire green house
18. Steam cleaned carpets (four rooms) green house
19. Painted six closets in green house
20. Deep cleaned kitchen and two bathrooms in green house
21. Stripped backdoor of green house and painted
22. Washed all the windows in the green house
23. Repaired roof leak on the green house

Video provided by Site Coordinator, Jeff Davis:

https://vimeo.com/276657672