The Mountain Sky Conference Early Response Team departed for Fort Myers, Florida on November 13, 2022, and returned eight days later after working hard on helping recovery efforts after Hurricane Ian ripped through the Gulf of Mexico causing unimaginable destruction. The team included Phil Merta of Bozeman UMC, MT; Ian & Linda Wilson of St. Andrew, Highlands Ranch, CO; and Ronny Villanueva of Hope UMC, Greenwood Village, CO. Team leader Linda Wilson shares, “Our trip to Fort Myers, Florida was amazing. We had a mixed team of four from Mountain Sky and three from Minnesota. We were also joined by two from North Carolina and one from South Carolina.
The UMCOR ERT training we receive is so important because it allows for blended teams. We all know the goal is to show the folks we work with that the church cares. Secondary is the physical home recovery.
We worked on six homes and met various homeowners. All of them were so grateful for our presence. Each team member spent time chatting with them and we still got our work done. Meeting the homeowners helps the team understand why we are there.
Each house was a different challenge. We mucked and gutted a home that had not been started and completed homes where other teams had worked. One house had termites and the structure was compromised, so we helped shore it up for our and the homeowner's safety. Other homes had debris in the yards we cleared.
We are grateful for the church that hosted us. They provided a safe environment that actually had showers.”
Would you like to learn more about how you can become involved with the MSC Early Response Team? Visit the
Mountain Sky Conference ERT webpage or contact ERT Coordinator, Jim Robison-Cox at
jim.robisoncox@gmail.com.
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