Twenty-six youth and adults traveled to the heart of Appalachia as this summer’s mission trip led us to West Virginia. Our goal was simple: to help relieve those whose homes had been destroyed by the torrential flooding of the past years and to offer our services to help in the rebuilding of homes and communities in the small town of Montgomery.

Poverty in the mountain state

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and West Virginia Ministry of Advocacy & Work Camps

From chaos to hope

Although our work was dirty, intense and tiring, all of our youth performed outstandingly as we served two different sites in the community. The first home was dedicated to reconstructing the interior of the home after years of leaks and water damage. This was accomplished by replacing walls and ceilings, and plenty of spackling and painting. The second home’s project was a result of flood damage, as the goal was to replace several rotted out floors throughout the house, as well as replace a damaged back porch. After a week of hard work and many newly learned skills, there was much progress made and many projects successfully completed!

This year's mission team