The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Before Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana on Aug. 29, Rev. Drew Sutton, leader of the 600-member First United Methodist Church in Hammond, Louisiana, decided to relocate his young family to Baton Rouge.
Before he went to bed that night around 10:30 p.m., they still had power and he wondered if the worst was over. When he checked Facebook around 4 a.m., however, “I just saw people posting everywhere like this is the worst night of our lives,” Rev. Sutton recalled to Church Newsroom.
Hurricane Ida blasted ashore the Louisiana coast with sustained winds up to 150 mph — downing trees, crushing homes and causing power outages for more than a million people.
Rev. Sutton, however, was one of many Louisiana residents who were served by thousands of Latter-day Saint volunteers in yellow shirts over the weekend.
Volunteers brought in chain saws, rakes and track loaders to begin clearing the grounds of his church. Joining with their Methodist friends, many hands made quick work.
“The way people are showing up and responding, knowing the need is great, it’s been phenomenal … seeing that level of commitment just reflects the life of the Church and the belief that God is in the midst of this storm, no matter how bad it has gotten and how bad it looks,” said Rev. Sutton.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
