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8.31.04
From left, Paul Patrick, Kevin Handell, Anna Oates, Ellen Dawson, Adam Lynn, Lindsay Hunt, Kathryn White, Dr. John Carson, Terry McCoy Erskine Volunteers Offer Service in Storm-Wracked Florida Seven Erskine College students, led by the school's president and the campus chaplain, left Thursday afternoon and traveled to Lake Wales, Fla., where they devoted two days to cleanup and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley. "I am pleased that Erskine could be useful in bringing some physical relief to a community that has been devastated by a hurricane," Erskine President Dr. John Carson said. "We have a lot of friends in the Lake Wales area and when they suffer, we suffer." Erskine Chaplain Paul Patrick said the trip was planned in a matter of days. "Dr. Carson had been in contact with Lake Wales ARP Church and some of its members at the Lake Wales Care Center," he said. "He asked me last Friday if I would help put together a hurricane relief team." The group rode to Florida in a rented van, taking with them canned goods from an Erskine food drive that was part of a freshman orientation competition. "These are all going to fall out in Florida," Patrick laughed as he and students tried to fit as many cans as possible into the back of the van. E.B. Kennedy Scholar Lindsay Hunt, a junior from Mooresville, N.C., helped organize the canned food collection contest—which netted some 1,600 cans of food—among the 14 freshman focus groups. "I knew where the food was going and I wanted to see the project to completion by delivering it," she said. "I thought I was coming to Erskine to help the freshmen, but God had a much bigger project planned for me this week." Kevin Handell, a sophomore from Spartanburg, said when he was invited to go to Lake Wales, he "knew immediately" that he wanted to go. "After seeing all the devastation and destruction on the news several weeks ago, I have really not thought about it much," he said. "Going on this trip reminded me that there are still many people in great need." Patrick said the team stayed in church members' homes, with meals provided by the Lake Wales ARP Church and the Red Cross. All the Erskine participants were willing to "work at whatever we are instructed to do, probably picking up limbs, cleaning up yards and streets," he said. Noting that the trip to Florida was "thrown together quickly because of the timing of things," Patrick said the Lake Wales venture was an opportunity to fulfill Erskine's commitment to Christian service. "Everyone involved in this trip was somewhat 'inconvenienced' by the timing," Patrick observed. "My job was to try to find students who were able to take off right before classes started." The volunteers returned to Due West late Saturday, and the fall term began Monday. "Upperclassmen involved in orientation took on additional assignments so that seven students were freed up to go," Carson said. "Chaplain Paul Patrick did a tremendous job of coordinating all the details on such short notice as well as being our chauffeur and guide." "Ministry is often inconvenient, and so are hurricanes," said Patrick before the group's departure. "Students will be challenged to see if they are willing to be inconvenienced for the Gospel." Back on campus Monday, the Erskine volunteers took time to reflect on their Florida journey, which included large doses of hard work and hot weather. "This was one of the most physically demanding trips I’ve ever been on because of the intensity of the work we were doing and the intensity of the heat we were working in," Handell said. "It was also an extremely rewarding trip because we were helping people who had no other way of getting this work done." "Thinking back over the Lake Wales trip, what comes to mind is the joy of Christian brothers and sisters serving together," said Anna Oates, a junior from Danville, Va. "We were able to work with others in service at the Care Center in Lake Wales, which was a neat opportunity because we could so easily minister jointly with a passion to help those in need." Patrick described the Lake Wales Care Center as a non-profit, volunteer-driven interdenominational community ministry. "They minister to their regional area," he said. "They have a food pantry, do physical labor for the needy and serve as a hub for volunteer service." "Jesus backed up His words with His actions, and He calls his followers to do likewise," Carson said. "As followers of Christ, we at Erskine need to identify with those who are in distress." "One of the people we helped was a 75-year-old man who is an active volunteer with the Care Center," Patrick said. "He was going to try to fix his own roof by himself, but the center wanted to help him with it." "The trip was a very humbling experience," said Ellen Dawson, a sophomore from Gainesville, Ga. "It put a lot of things in perspective for us. It was really great to be able to serve those who generally serve others." Patrick said the Erskine group also worked for Camp Sertoma, a camp for the needy that did not have the funds to repair a damaged roof. "I cannot say enough about the students who made the ten-hour trip, engaged in back-breaking work, learned how to be roofers in the broiling Florida sun — all without a single grumble," Carson said. "We even had to beg them to take breaks for water and rest." "It was amazing to realize how the body of Christ reaches across great distances so easily," said Adam Lynn, a junior from Gastonia, N.C. "While we were there showing Christ's love to people by helping them rebuild their roofs and clean up their yards, we were staying in people's homes who welcomed us willingly because we both call Jesus our Lord." "God gives us a unique confirmation of His presence when we engage in acts of service for our brothers and sisters in need," Carson said. "Erskine is much richer for this experience." Other Erskine students who worked in Lake Wales were seniors Terry McCoy of Honea Path and Kathryn White of Columbia. |
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