The night before Hurricane Irene struck the town of Pompton Lakes, NJ, families were completely unaware of the damage it would cause and hoped to be able to weather the storm at home. The following morning of August 28, 2011, Irene unleashed her fury on the state of New Jersey, leaving residents with no choice but to evacuate their homes, taking only loved ones and barely escaping with necessities.
Irene particularly devastated the neighborhood of Pompton Lakes leaving it in unprecedented damages—with some houses getting more than 8 feet of water from the swollen Pompton River.
Seeing the damages after returning to their homes, families were overwhelmed by the amount of damage the storm did to their property: floors had to be ripped up, walls needed to to be knocked down, homes had to be abandoned and mementos of precious childhoods and family vacations were ruined.
Homeowners worried where they would get the manpower to clean up and restore what was their once pristine homes. Although residents suffered physical and emotional pains in the aftermath of the hurricane, no help was in sight to alleviate the mounting struggles of this catastrophe.
Finally, to the residents’ consolation, a multitude of volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God showed up at their doors. Instead of water, now Pompton Lakes became flooded with more than 300 volunteers who went to provide disaster relief over the 2011 Labor Day Weekend.
Members went house to house encouraging distraught residents with smiles and coaxing them to take a rest while they took care of the intense labor necessary to gut entire houses. Residents said they were not able to genuinely laugh since the tragedy, but with the help of the Church of God members, they could now feel a sense of hope for the future.
Pompton Lakes Mayor Kathleen Cole even shed tears of gratitude and appreciation as she thanked the volunteers for their time and hard work. Pompton Lakes resident, Frank Alosevic, wrote to the Church of God, “With you, I felt like a human being again… I saw over 100 young and strong come together to help people like us and never ask for anything: young faces, different faces, beautiful faces, all with smiles. I saw what I never imagine existed anymore, people of all walks of life working together in a brotherly and sisterly fashion… let your loved ones know you are changing other people’s lives for the better.”
Volunteers from the Church of God worked arduously for three days to help families with work that, as many described, would have taken them weeks and even months to finish on their own. When the time to depart arrived, residents thanked the volunteer group from the bottom of their hearts—genuinely appreciating the assistance they never thought they would have received.
It's because all the members of our church have joyful mind which comes from the example of Heavenly Mother.
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