A mission team of 10, sponsored by PHUMC, worked on relief kits at the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) Sager-Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana, November 4-9. Team members also worked on community projects - housing rehabilitation, Boys & Girls Club, food pantry for families in need. Team members were Madeline Floyd (captain), Allen Bird, Deborah Moore, Roselyn Stanley, Cathy Spivey, Martha Clark, Beth Martindale, Dewey Glasscock, Mary Lou Martin (from NLR), Scharmel Roussel.

Last year, Sager-Brown shipped kits worth more than $4 million nationally and nearly $4 million internationally to disaster areas. A total of 3,073 volunteers worked at the depot, providing 43,535 volunteer hours in 2006. Kits went to areas in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma, Maryland, Hawaii and even Dumas, Arkansas. Kits also went to Liberia, Armenia, Haiti, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Sudan.

Kits come in truckloads to Sager-Brown from United Methodist churches all over the United States. Donations through One Great Hour of Sharing support disaster relief.

“The thing that impressed me most was the staff’s ability to respond to disasters all over the world while staying focused on educating those of us who volunteer at the local level,” said Roselyn. “I liked working with volunteers from Texas who have been volunteering at Sager-Brown for years.”

“I enjoyed the fellowship and experience of working elbow-to-elbow with other mission-minded people with a common goal,” Mary Lou said. “Hearing of the flexibility and competency in handling the magnitude of relief efforts impressed me.”

“I will never forget the people who made the trip fun, productive and interesting,” Deborah said.

“The experience made me feel more connected to a goal reached by small contributions generated by a high volume of dedicated people,” another team member said. “I will never forget the wonderful people, the mission work, the fun times and Mexican train dominoes!”

“Seeing two 18-wheeler trucks arrive from Iowa, completely filled with supplies” was a highlight for another volunteer.

The group also enjoyed local Cajun food, a swamp tour, a tour of the Tabasco factory, and other tourist sites.

A mission team from PHUMC goes to UMCOR every year. To participate, contact Cindy Burns at church. Our goal in 2012 is to send 100 PHUMC mission team members, the year of our church’s 100th birthday. For more information on the Sager-Brown Depot, go to www.sagerbrown.org

See photographs from the 2007 mission trip in the Photo Gallery.