Over fall break one group of ETSU students spent their time in Gulfport, Miss., helping the people who were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The trip was organized by Presbyterian Student Fellowship, who helped ETSU students and friends take down drywall, cut trees and remove debris.
“The trip became ecumenical when the West Main Street Christian Church loaned their van to the effort, and when several ETSU students from the Christian Student Fellowship too joined the trip,” said Jim Kirkpatrick, director of the Presbyterian Student Fellowship.
According to Kirkpatrick, the 20-member team left Johnson City on Friday evening and traveled through the night for the Youth for Christ Teen Center of Gulfport. The plan, he said, called for the group to rest Saturday morning then begin work in the afternoon.
The director said the houses had been flooded, yards were full of debris and buildings had been blown off their foundation.
Kirkpatrick said that the students invited the churches of Holston Presbytery to encourage their members to come and join in the efforts of cleaning up. “As a result, Lewis Songer, a 70-year-old member of Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church, joined with the college students and worked very hard,” he said.
He said that though it had been nearly two months after the storm, the worship service still served as a source of comfort, thanksgiving and inspiration for helping the community.
Kirkpatrick added that the group helped to clear away large pine trees which had nearly fallen on houses.
According to student Nina Fomumbod, the group worked hard and they were pleased that they were able to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Kirkpatrick said that people appreciated all the efforts as they were able to make a change in their lives. “We were most impressed with the amount of appreciation shown by the residents of Gulfport as they repeatedly thanked us and joyfully joined us in our work,” he said.
The volunteer group thanked the churches, which loaned their vans, the people who supplied the money, especially the Holston Presbytery which underwrote the whole project.
“Though none of us had personally experienced such a loss we were impressed by the hope that the hurricane victims had, and the spirit with which they were recovering,” Kirkpatrick said.
He said that while in Gulfport the group saw many church vans going up and down the streets. “Nearly every person we spoke to praised the church for their help saying that the bulk of the recovery was being born by the people of God.”
Kirkpatrick said that that the whole group returned to Johnson City Monday evening happily exhausted and joyfully sore.

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