When Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida in 1992 I went down with my parents to help clean up our property that had not sold before our move. Many opportunities for service were presented in the time we were there as well. Lots of opportunities! The devastation was expansive and severe. Hurricane Katrina might have made it look pretty wimpy but it was no less real to those people at that time. Just as the flood victims of the Midwest suffered devastating losses last month.
Recently, Chris was able to spend a Saturday helping a couple of families tear their houses apart down to the frame work so they could start over. Everything in their house had to be gutted. Everything! I was a little jealous because while is hard, back breaking labor there is obvious results for your time and energy. My service, staying home and taking care of the kids so he could go, didn't seem as rewarding.
Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I like to do things that give me instant gratification too! Loading the dishwasher rather than unloading it. Eating chocolate. Vacuuming up crumbs rather than doing it because it has been awhile. Doing a physical act of service where you see the results. I love that! It doesn't get much better than instant gratification combined with service!
One of the volunteers is a general contractor. His financial estimates for the work they did equal huge financial savings for the people they were able to help. Cheap demolition, such as they did, could go for $25/hour. The day Chris went there were 70 people from our stake that worked for about 8 hours-that's $14,000! All of the stakes combined, on just that day, probably saved people $30,000. If you include the previous weekend and the hundreds of people who helped over two days it runs the total up to $150,000!
It is just a rough estimate, but how amazing to be part of such amazing service!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Service
Posted by Leah at 8:51 AM
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3 comments:
We all spend a lot of time doing small yet essential service. But everyone should get to do some of the big things every once in a while. It seems especially satisfying to me when many hands combine, as you are describing, and great tasks that would be otherwise impossible are accomplished! It would be nice to do some of this without waiting for a disaster.
So true, so true!
That is so great that your husband got to help out... and alas, your work is equally as important!! Loved seeing the pics of your parents with the boys on their road trip stop! So fun!!
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