Mormon Helping Hands in Minot

Brett had the opportunity to be part of the Mormon Helping Hands Project in Minot this weekend. He carpooled out west with several men from our ward on Friday evening and came back Sunday night at 9 pm. They slept in tents on the Church grounds and worked all day Saturday. They had a short Sacrament Meeting on Sunday morning and went back out to help. What hard workers! They helped rip out the entire inside of a couple of houses all the way down to the studs. So many house have been completely ruined by the flood waters. It's so sad! It was a great opportunity to serve and looks like they'll probably go out again another weekend or two as well. We pray that those in Minot will know how much people are thinking of them during this difficult time.
Here's a few articles and pictures that share some of the things they did while they were out there.

1st... from a Blog of a Member that lives out there.

"Many of you may not be aware of what the Mormon Helping Hands are. Well, they are just that. Mormons who put on a yellow tee-shirt and do service! Simple as that. We don't have to have the tee-shirt, but the tee-shirt just makes it official.

The church feels very strongly about being involved in the community and in serving. In times of disaster, the church comes out full force. This post is just to showcase some of the things that are going on here during our Minot flood disaster. The church as an official entity has sent truckloads of supplies and they have asked a couple who is experienced in organizing disaster relief/cleanup efforts to come here and help us get organized. The church building is now a place to receive/distribute supplies, to take orders of members and nonmembers who need help, a campground for out of town volunteers, and more.

There are teams of people in charge of going into the homes and assessing what needs to be done and making a list of needed supplies-which is called a work order, there are teams of workers, there are teams that direct the work teams where to go first, next, etc., and it's just a whole lot of teamwork. The church sends us the official Mormon Helping Hands tee-shirts, but it is we as members of the church that are the work force. It is the people of our own community (as well as volunteers from around the area that are coming in) that make up the Mormon Helping Hands. We are here to help not only our members, but the rest of the community in the effort to clean up and recover from this flood.
{A few ladies from Minot built 5 outdoor showers in the Church parking lot for the workers- see pictures] Not too shabby for outdoor showers. They are tapped into the water from inside, so the first showerers get warm water. There are also stations set up to wash boots and gloves and such outside without mucking up the inside of the church.}
...So there you have it. We have people from Bismarck, Fargo, Rapid City, and other places, even some Canadians. The missionaries have come in full force also. We have teams out seven days a week. We have many work orders, and will keep it up until the work is all done. There has been much progress made, but the end is far from in sight.
Just keep cleaning, just keep cleaning..."

Next... from the Minot Daily News:

Here to help others:

Mormon Helping Hands crews want to get the job done

July 23, 2011

by Loretta Johnson - Religion Editor (ljohnson@minotdailynews.com) ,

Minot Daily News

The numbers are unimportant; the reason they are in Minot is important.
Many volunteers have come to the Minot area to help others get their lives back to some semblance of order. Among the volunteers is a group with a strong desire to help the Mormon Helping Hands. These volunteers, dressed in their trademark yellow T-shirts, can be found giving needed service in Minot, throughout the United States and in countries throughout the world. The program, which was established in 1998, gives people with strong desire to serve others an organized opportunity to do so.
Supply master Mike Kelly, of Minot, said as calls from the community come in, work orders are written up and teams of six to eight people are sent to sites to help.
The home of Mark Hodges is flooded but he showed up to help others. "We are here to help everybody out," Hodges said. "When the team gets to the site everybody takes an area and everybody works together to get the work done one area at a time. We tear down walls, anything and everything down to the studs."
There are no specific jobs for each person. "We just work together to get the job done," Hodges added.
"Anybody can come in or call for assistance, no matter what faith they are," Kelly said. "We are here to serve the community. If people have a need they should stop by and we'll give them what we can. Our guys that are out there are carrying food boxes, they're carrying cleaning kits and they are carrying hygiene kits."
Shop vacs, fans, generators and sump pumps can be checked out for use at no cost but people must come to the church at 2025-9th St. NW to get them so we know who has responsibility for that piece of equipment, Kelly said. Rubber gloves, utility knives and face masks, cleaning kits and containers of food also are available for people who need them.
The volunteers won't take money and they won't take donations. The Mormon Helping Hands program is sponsored through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Humanitarian Fund.
People who would like to volunteer and help the Morman Helping Hands may email Ludlow at mnl618@hotmail.com.

"We are one of the very first responders. We are here organized and ready to go," Neil Ludlow (coordinator) said, "and we'll be here until we've helped as many people as we can. We are happy to be here and happy to do whatever we can to help relieve the pain and suffering these people feel."