190 Numerous trips to Louisiana and Kentucky for natural disaster relief were funded by College Church of Christ. The group of students who participated in these trips changed each time they went, but their goal was always to relieve and provide help to the community. Freshman Mario Meija said that the trip over fall break was his first time volunteering with this group, and he would definitely go again. “We went to the Lothair Church of Christ, and they were really welcoming and kind,” Meija said. “They were happy we went to help the community. On Sunday we went to church, and they gave us a Bible.” The team of 11 went to Hazard, Kentucky where they separated into two groups. Meija and his group helped replace concrete sheets in the basement of the church. The other group went to a local’s house to help reinstall drywall, insulation and floor, where Meija later joined. He said that helping out the individuals at their home was the most worthwhile part of the trip. “She would not have been able to do the installation for herself,” Meija said. “Winter is coming, and she needed to have her house in the best condition so she wouldn’t suffer from the cold.” Junior Emily Justice helped lead the trips to Louisiana last year. “Since we went so many times after that, we still have a relationship with them,” Justice said. WHAT A College Church of Christ helps fund trips to Louisiana and Kentucky for disaster relief. The relationships formed between Justice’s team members from Searcy and the church in Louisiana was the most impactful part of the trip for her. In 2021, sophomore Joshua Mellor saw an announcement in chapel about a trip to Louisiana to help with flood relief. Throughout the year he went to Louisiana eight times. He went on to help plan and lead the trips to places in eastern Kentucky that were impacted by flooding. Mellor said that they went to Kentucky for the second time over fall break. Mellor said that they first found a location that would benefit from their help. He then contacted a local church to get connected into helping the community. For trips longer than seven hours away, they stayed at least two days. Typically, they left on a Thursday afternoon and returned Sunday morning after church. Mellor said that most of the time, they were asked to help gut a house or put up sheetrock. “We go wherever disaster is,” Mellor said. “We contact the church in that location and we ask, “What can we do to help?’” Written by: Camille White relief
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