v
B
Students Whitney Johnson
rewton-Parker College
(
s
left) and Crystal Maddox
tile from a home ravaged by
crape and sweep up floor
H
during the Brewton-Parker
urricane Katrina in August
i
Baptist Collegiate Ministries
m
Pascagoula, Miss., area
ission trip to the
d
Jan. 3-7.
“They opened their house
to us if we need to wash
Y
:

N
I
C
O
L
E

M
A
T
H
I
S
a
our hands or get a drink,”
T
O

B
said Scott, adding that the
couple had evacuated for
P
H
O
Camille but stayed to ride
out Katrina. “On the last
day it was cold, and she
of
l
chocolate, and we were
fered to make hot
going back to get our
lunch and she said, ‘Y
i
O

B
Y
:

L
E
A
N
N
E

S
C
O
T
T
can bring it over here.’ We
ou
went trying to help
S
a
P
H
O
T
everyone else and they
L
E

M
A
T
H
I
retarded children ages 20 to 24 had lived
were helping us.”
and been displaced to a Federal Emergency
Management Agency trailer.
The students worked from 7 or 8 a.m. until
about 5 p.m. and stayed busy in the
“W
evenings with worship services on two
P
H
O
T
O

B
Y
:

N
I
C
O
just went everywhere,” Bailey said. “The
e opened the walls and bugs and spiders
evenings and rest time other nights.
enjoyed a concert by the
They
smell was horrible.”
Choir one evening.
African Children’s
BAPTIST COLLEGIATE MINISTRIES AT BREWTON-PARKER
“They were the epitomé of the poor
Mississippi family,” W
, rural
In all, the Brewton-Parker students were
tore through the floor and you could just see
allace added. “We
able to of
the experience had a downside, it was that
fer aid to 11 families in need. And if
Reaches out
the ground.”
it was over.
LeAnn Scott, a junior from Fitzgerald, spoke
of a happier situation as part of the same
“For the families we worked for
accomplished quite a bit, and they made
, I think we
in
group as Bailey.
us feel like we did,” W
“A
were very appreciative. But in the larger
allace said. “They
before and didn’t finish, so when we came
group had gone to a lady’s house the day
scheme of things, when you look at
everything as a whole, you feel like you
M
Vidalia
embers of the Baptist Collegiate Ministries
(BCM) at Brewton-Parker College took time
she said, ‘I thought you’d be too busy
made just a small dent.”
a local citizen who needed yard work done around
Saturday, Sept. 2 to lend a helping hand to
Scott, who had been on one of the trips to
,’” said
his home. By pulling weeds and putting down pine
Fort Ogden.
“The people were so grateful that we were
straw around young trees, BCM students made it
there to do whatever they needed us to do,”
their mission, as part of their local outreach, to
“People would look at her house and not
Bailey said.
make the V
help, mostly insurance people, but we broke
an early start Saturday
idalia yard a beautiful place again. After
up the tile in her kitchen and wrapped up her
“It doesn’t look like you did anything,” Scott
Bethany New and Jamie Metter pulled weeds and
, students Joanie Morgan,
breakables. She was happy and surprised
said, “but you know you put something in
Omie Scott, Erin Bower and Jessica Groover put
and said we could come back any time.”
their hearts.”
down pieces of newspaper around young trees to
Since so much is left to do, another BCM
block future weeds. Students also laid straw around
The entire group spent their final two days at
team from Brewton-Parker will return to the
the trees, and moved large, fallen tree limbs and
the home of a couple with a toddler and a
Gulf Coast in March during spring break.
branches into a burn pile. Other participating
baby soon coming, and Scott said they had
students were Stephen Sweezey
suffered water 23 inches high in their house.
“
Steven Dresen, Michael Baskin and Joey
, Michael Crosby
Scott said of the residents. “But most of the
Some of them are kind of depressed,”
The campus minister at Brewton-Parker
T
,
, Glenn
omazin.
“It was almost gutted, but we took out tile,
people said, ‘W
W
tubs, sinks, nails and put in insulation,” she
said. “Then we looked over across the
to push on.’”
e have hope. We just have
Overall, students agreed they enjoyed serving and
allace, was also on hand offering his support.
street and saw a couple who were raking
helping others, and were proud to accomplish
leaves in their yard and said they had
something that might seem quite small to most but
finished their rebuilding.
is much bigger to the recipient. (Photo and story by
haven’t taken a day off.’
They said, ‘We
Nicole Mathis/BPC News & Public Information staf
writer)
f
THE LAMP FALL 2006 5
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