Hundreds of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worked over the Oct. 17-18 weekend to clean up debris and repair damage after Hurricane Isaias slammed into the Florida coast the weekend before.
In Pensacola, Florida, Latter-day Saints volunteers from seven stakes in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida provided nearly 9,800 hours of community service to those in need after the natural disaster, according to a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Elder Kurt F. Scherer, an Area Seventy in the Church’s United States Southeast Area, said nearly 700 volunteers were anxiously engaged in the efforts.
“To watch the effectiveness of the emergency response operations center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in caring for those in need — was a manifestation of how the light of Jesus Christ guides us in caring for those in need,” he said.
Elder R. Wade Litchfield, an Area Seventy, spoke of how wonderful it is to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ “with members who are ready to go out and serve others.”
“There is an added measure of the Savior’s power and His love available to us in times of our greatest needs,” he said. “He truly does draw near unto those who draw near unto Him.”
Danielle Rogers, a volunteer from Pensacola, said she visited people impacted in their homes and listened to their experiences.
“I was reminded that sometimes the greatest impact of service isn’t necessarily the work being done, but the love and relief people feel when someone shows up for them,” she said.
Dulcie Barbaree was one the people who was helped by volunteers. Despite the hurricane’s impact on her home, she said her family has been blessed.
“I admit at times my faith is on shaky ground, but after what I’ve witnessed these past 48 hours, God certainly shows up,” she said. “Thank you to the amazing Church of Jesus Christ.”
Volunteer Brad Trussell, second counselor in the Hattiesburg Mississippi Stake presidency, said each time he has the opportunity to participate in a service project, his testimony of the blessings that come from serving others grows stronger.
“I know that Jesus Christ loves each of us and that through service, we can be instruments in His hands to uplift and bless the lives of others,” he said. “I know that as we do so, we are blessed just as much as those we serve.”
Hurricane Isaias
The Associated Press reports at least four deaths were linked to Isaias, including two people who were killed when trees fell onto homes in Florida and Alabama.
Isaias came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane Friday, Oct. 9, near Destin, Florida.
The storm left nearly 900,000 people without power, mostly in Florida and Alabama, within hours of landfall. The storm’s winds blew the roof off the Pensacola hotel and caused damage at the city’s airport.
