Arrival In Franklinton, LA

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!
Our group departed from EMCRC on Friday afternoon at approximately 4:30 pm and drove through the night through some very intense thunder and lightning, wind, and pouring rain to reach our final destination this morning at about 8:30 am local time. We were all very thankful to have arrived safely!

We are staying at Trinity Baptist Church here in Franklinton, and have received a very warm welcome from Pastor Stan. To see where we are staying and learn a bit about the church, click on this link: http://www.trinityfranklinton.com/ This is also the same church that the youth group stayed with two years ago, so for some of us it is great coming back to a familiar place!

We have 32 people in our group traveling with four minivans and one car. Our group includes Randy and Mary Bouman, Hannah and Josh Damsteegt, Stacie Haveman, Mary and Matt Lynema, Chris Paufler, Ann Smit, Ashley, Angie, Bruce, Sue, and Ben Tiemeyer, Andrew, Megan, Jason and Kathy Westendorp, Josh Balkema, Brooke Wolthuis, Alex, April, Leah, Jenna, Don, Dan, Gerda and Dean Wubben, Aneta Peterson and Erin VanDusen. Doug and Mary VanDerMeulen have joined us here too, coming from Arizona. As of this writing, all have arrived safely~ praise the Lord!

The organization we will be working through is called WEROC (Washington Parish Emergency Recovery On going Cadre). The parish (like a county) is located about an hour North of New Orleans. The focus is still on the repair and rebuilding of homes of the most vulnerable members of the parish. Washington Parish is a poor rural parish and, as in most of the cases WEROC has served, the common variable has been lack of income. Now, five years after the hurricane those with the means and knowledge to help themselves have done so and have returned to their normal lives, but to the elderly and/or disabled living on a fixed income and those living at or below the poverty level, the aftermath of the hurricane is not over.

We will be posting pictures later tonight and tomorrow-- thanks again for all your support, whether it has been financial or through prayer. Praying each of you have a blessed and meaninful Easter celebration. To God Be The Glory!