Justin Rhodes took a video as Hurricane Helene threatened to wash away his family's home and farm. A river raged by, tearing apart everything in its path. The video shows you how terrifying that disaster was. The Rhodes family had built a farm that was a beautiful permaculture dream come true. But they never could have expected that a monster hurricane would hit it.

Hurricane Helene was unlike any other hurricane, dumping 40 trillion gallons of rain water (the equivalent of all the water in Lake Tahoe) on the southeast.

The mudslides and floods around Black Mountain, North Carolina were especially devastating. Over 100 people died. 121,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. FEMA was not much help. And now, in the aftermath, the question is, "how will the church respond?"

The good news is that the church is responding. Beginning this month and continuing on through the summer, thousands of volunteers are coming to Black Mountain to help. Adventures in Missions has partnered with Excel to establish a mission base in the hardest hit area. Each week up to 150 volunteers (most of them being youth groups) will come and help rebuild homes.

The base includes a 12,000 square foot warehouse that will store the lumber and hardware needed. Also on the base are an air-conditioned dormitory, shower trailers and a dining hall. Redland Baptist Church from Derwood, Maryland is a good example of a church committed to making a difference. When they heard about the plans for the base, they organized a group to come down and help build it.

The Redland volunteers were forerunners showing us how good it is to be able to make a difference. So far close to 2,000 volunteers have signed up. And there is space for a few more groups.

Adventures has set the objective of restoring three of the hardest hit communities, putting 500 families back in their homes. What an inspiration to see God move through the Church to bring hope to those who have only known desperation. And it's not too late - you can join them! More info here.