Helping hands continue at the Jersey shore.

Looking at the statistics on the NJ Mormon helping hands FB page it looks like volunteers have provided at least 196,882 hours of service, and the numbers are going to continue to increase...at least until the end of the year.

Last Sunday we had at least 50 members from our church drive up to North Jersey to help the people in Tuckerton. There was so much debris to clean up. Temperatures were cold, but from what my husband told me everyone was hardworking, and effortless.

My eldest daughter Alexandra & Sister Nichols working hard.  

There were four different houses in the area, and here is my better half holding a section of the floor so that they could cut it in half to clear it away.  

This is one of the houses before they tore it down.

Here it is after they tore it down with the roof on the ground finishing up so that they can clear it away.

In this photo shows the backside of where my better half was cutting down the floor. This was such a mess, and a lot of work to be done in clearing it out.

The finishing touches of clearing it out...

WOW! It's amazing what so many helping hands can do in a matter of hours! They totally cleaned it up!

So many youth came from other wards in the stake, and they all got their hands working. I think the smile on their faces proved that waking up at 6am is all for a good reason...to serve.

Most of the youth have come more than once to help, and I know that it was humbling for them to see what happens after a hurricane. It is always wonderful to see so many youth volunteer...including our girls!

Having seen these pictures that my better half took, and me not being there brought tears to my eyes. Not because I wasn't there to help, but because of the memories that I have when I endured Hurricane Allen. 

These images are so similar to the devastation that the Padre Island in Texas endured back in 1980. Although I was 10 years old when it happened I will always remember the aftermath, and how that taught me to be grateful for life. 

Grateful because we were without power for more than a week, and having our neighbors helping each other out by clearing off trees from our porch, and helping us out with meals is something that will always be etched in my mind as a young girl. 

Being a member of the church today in which so many hands have helped our fellow man makes me extremely grateful, and lucky to be a part of the Lord's work. 

It is a wonderful country we live in when that unity ties us as one. 

a ragged flag that still waves-picture via Sister Nichols

We are Jersey strong, and God bless the hands that help America!