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Rebuilding Houston: The Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

At a Glance

  • Reports from Relief Teams — Testimonies from relief volunteers, staff, and victims.

  • Current Needs — How to Join a Relief Trip or to Donate to the Relief Fund.

  • Thank you for Giving — Financial impact of current gifts, what donations will continue to go toward.


 

On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey’s Category 4 storm brought an entire year’s worth of rain to regions of Texas, devastating the lives of millions of people living in the Houston Area and up through to Louisiana. In the aftermath, Adventures is responding by sending out teams as we travel to Texas to minister to the victims of this tragic event.

Officials expected recovery efforts to take years and millions of dollars, and so far, it’s looking like these claims are panning out to be true.

 

Photo: Adventures in Missions Relief Team, Houston, TX

 

Adventures’ Disaster Relief has been on the ground since early September.

Volunteer Teams have stripped out houses of debris including ruined, mold covered walls and are beginning to rebuild homes.

Steve Dupree, Senior Leader at Adventures in Missions, has been leading Adventures’ team operations in Houston. He gives us an overview of Adventures’ primary purpose during relief trips.

“There are many largely funded relief programs who are best at first responding to the needs of disasters. But the goal of our relief teams is of more of a 2nd response in nature; to find those who aren’t getting any outside help from other resources. So many people are without insurance and feel helpless. We see this as an opportunity to practically show the love of Jesus to those who might otherwise fall through the cracks of the system.”

 

Photo: Steve Dupree, leading in prayer with Relief Team, October 2017 

 

Mission Volunteer Jaclyn from Colorado joined the Adventures’ relief team in early October. She said, “I have done a few missions overseas, but never anything at home. It was really heavy on my heart to help my country.”

Another volunteer, Lauren from Charlotte, NC says “I’ve been a part of Hurricanes before, and seen the disaster, so I just really wanted to be apart of helping our country and getting everybody back in order. I’d never been apart of a mission trip before, and just really wanted to do that.”

 

Adventures in Missions has partnered with StoneBridge Church in The Woodlands, Texas, which has been the base of operations, situated 30 miles north of downtown Houston. StoneBridge has utilized their building to provide lodging, meals, and ministry preparation for our participants before going out into the community.

Adventures is also in partnership with Twelve-2 Missions, Dream Center Gulf Coast, and Lakewood Church to start a new project called “Rebuild Houston.”

Together, they will muck out more homes, let the houses dry out so there is no mold, and then go one step further to rebuild these homes. This is the area of need that has become more prevalent during the first few weeks of serving in Houston. 

Steve Dupree says, “Being able to build relationships with people is key to our ministry here. We look forward to spending time with the people here, getting to know them. We want to do more than just fix their homes.” 

 

Adventures in Missions wants to see people fully restored, both their homes as well as their hearts. Fulfilling practical needs gives an open door to sharing the gospel of Jesus with those who feel like they’ve lost all hope.

 

Holly Ranken of the Dream Center has been assisting Adventures in Missions on the ground. Ranken interviewed Liz, a victim of Hurricane Harvey, as she shares her story while an Adventures in Missions Relief Team works on cleaning out her home.  

Liz left her home during the Hurricane. She took a boat over to Lakewood church who was set up as a shelter for flood victims, and has been staying at different places ever since, whether it be a family member or a shelter. The hardest part was losing everything, including her dog. While it’s been hard, she says, “we’re just busy getting our life back.”

Adventures in Missions’ teams have mucked out her house, and they are now reseeding the grass in her front yard, which became a mud pit as all her furniture and belongings covered it in the aftermath of the storm. They are letting the inside of her house dry out before beginning the rebuilding process.

 

Throughout all relief efforts, Adventures in Missions’ goal is to shine the light of Christ in the devastated neighborhoods, bringing life and hope to the victims who desperately need it.

 

Photo: Holly Ranken, top left, and other Adventures in Missions’ relief volunteers praying with hurricane victims as they clean out and rebuild their home. 

 

Holly Ranken continues to report live on facebook throughout relief trips. The need is still great. She says, “We need more volunteers.”

 


 

Current Needs:

 

  • Relief Volunteers: Adventures in Missions continues to mobilize relief teams, and has recently added more trips throughout the end of the year. Their partnership with 12-2 Missions, Gulf Coast Dream Center, and Lakewood Church continues to grow stronger as the evidently huge need to rebuild Houston remains. Visit adventures.org/response to sign up for a Relief Trip. While trip costs are offset by the Adventures in Missions Relief Fund, current trip cost covers the minimal volunteer costs during the trip.

  • Donations to Relief Fund: If you want to support the victims of the storm financially, all donations to the Disaster Relief fund go directly to assist with disaster relief.

 


 

Thank you for giving to the Hurricane Relief Fund:

Adventures has currently raised $10,880 toward Hurricane Harvey Relief. $8,220 has already gone directly toward supplies to clean out and rebuild houses, including basic needs for victims of flooding. To date, Adventures has sent over 70 relief volunteers to clean out homes of those who don’t have insurance and cannot afford to pay for the work to be done.

The more money we raise, the more homes we can rebuild. Join us as we seek out those who have no way to get help and still are in need of hope and restoration.

 

To stay up to date on Harvey Relief Efforts, visit adventures.org/response or follow Adventures in Missions on Facebook.

 Photo Credit // Johnfrank Dieguez