Over a dozen St. Paul members traveled to Port Arthur, TX in May to continue with on-going hurricane relief projects.  Below is the testimony of member, Joel Lewallen.

I was indeed blessed and encouraged by the trip.  I decided to do the trip after talking w/ Jerre Yoder at the St. Paul Serve Fair, and I'm glad I went.  The trip was a great opportunity to get to know some folks at St. Paul that I see most Sundays, but never really knew.  It was neat to work along side with, have meals with and play dominos in the evening with some great and faithful St. Paul people over the course of a weekend. Mike Brechbuhl from the Summit and I shared a ride to and from Port Arthur and I enjoyed meeting and getting to know him as well - turned out we both had daughters being confirmed this year. 

Jerre Yoder did an incredible job in having everything set to make the most of the short time we were there. He arrived a few days early to get the job scoped out. He had a plan, materials and tools ready to go. Zulma was also wonderful as she had some great meals ready for us at noon and evening, and to her surprise - also prepared meals for many of the other guests at the Shepherd's Inn.

It was humbling to see the condition of the house and the community of Port Arthur - there's a lot of work to do.  It was also humbling to stay at the Shepherds Inn and see the many families that are in town to see their loved ones that are incarcerated in the many surrounding prisons. I had to wonder what those kids were going through, the things they see and how the situations are explained to them.

The trip also encouraged me to get more involved in St. Paul service opportunties, and I'd be happy to join the Port Arthur crew again.

See pictures of the trip here.