By Rosalee Mohney | Photos by Andy O’Donnell, Jesse N. Love, et. al.

Now fully-funded, volunteers are needed to help rebuild remaining homes for victims of Washington Wildfires.

Funding for the completion of the Rebuild: Up from the Ashes Project in Okanogan country is now fully secured! This wonderful news was recently announced and should be celebrated across the PNW Conference to acknowledge all who have contributed to this success. Much has been accomplished!

Now that the challenge of funding is lessened, much remains to be done! The large and important task of rebuilding homes remains for people devastated by the wildfires of recent years. In 2018, we will see the completion of the Rebuild and your help is needed!

In November 2016, a laity immersion team visited Pateros to learn more about the progress of the Rebuild movement. Read more about their trip, here.

Dozens of volunteers have given thousands of hours towards the Rebuild. In 2017 alone, 14 teams of 128 volunteers donated 4,228 hours building homes – they poured foundations, built decks, installed bathtubs, laid flooring, and put on roofs! They each did what was necessary to complete a home for a deserving family. These teams came from across the Conference and several teams made multiple trips because they ‘just wanted to help!’ Each team comes back awed by what they have seen and accomplished, whether it be for 3 days or 10 days. They are grateful to have had the experience of being a part of The Pacific Northwest Conference’s UMVIM network.

 

Laity visited homes that were in progress, leaving messages of faith and love as each family worked through rebuilding their lives after the wildfires.

If you and your church family would like to form a team to help build these homes, the time and talents of the volunteers will be appreciated beyond measure. Every team reports that it is the most rewarding thing they have done and they want to go back. Each team has been awed by what has been accomplished and they have a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be a servant of God through vital mission work.

READ MORE REBUILD: UP FROM THE ASHES STORIES


Questions? Comments? Please contact Rosalee Mohney, the Wildfires UMVIM Coordinator if you and your church would like to form a team to complete the rebuilding of homes in Okanogan County – rmohney@comcast.net or 206-354-0657.

Leave a Reply