Local teens attend FCA mission trip

Mickey Starling, ECB Publishing, Inc.

Many kids spend their summer vacation goofing off, sleeping or staring into electronic screens until their eyes bleed, while others look for ways to meet a need. Eight area students from Aucilla Christian Academy and five adults went on their annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes missions trip from Sunday, June 17 through Saturday, June 23. This year, the group headed to Houston, TX. to assist in the repairing of homes that were damaged from flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in August of 2017.
Upon arrival, the youth were put into teams that worked on about 30 homes that suffered extreme damage from the historic flooding. “This was a really neat experience,” said Monticello resident Abigail Morgan, who attended the trip. “From the outside, the houses looked great, but on the inside, they were horrible.” Some families were living upstairs in their homes while the bottom floors were being renovated. Others were less fortunate, losing their homes and all valuables to flood damage. “We built really great bonds with the families we worked with,” said Morgan, who noted other signs of devastation in Houston. “We saw bridges that still had wood and debris on them from being under water. It was incredible that the water got that high.”
While serving in Houston, the group stayed at the Chinese Baptist Church, a large, multi-cultural church that had plenty of space for lodging. These young missionaries certainly needed the rest after spending much of their days doing repairs, putting up drywall, sanding and painting walls and whatever else was needed. “It was an amazing trip,” said Greenville local Chloe Reams. “Usually, we have a few fun days, but we knew going in that this trip would be different. We were focused on service, and it was very fulfilling.”
Students participating in this worthwhile venture were: Reams, Morgan, Brian Campbell, Summer Dee, Camryn Grant, Hunter Hughes, Katie James and Taylor Walker. Adults serving on the trip were: J.D. James, Mitchell Morgan, Amanda Sapp, Tonya Roberts and driver Arlene Young.