After hearing the call for HOPE worldwide volunteers, announced on Sunday at the closing service of International Singles Conference in Dallas, Texas, a couple dozen disciples joined hundreds of disciples from the Dallas Ft Worth Church at the local Red Cross Chapter to serve the evacuees from Hurrican Gustav.

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Upon arrival in late afternoon, a dozen brothers and sisters from the conference were immediately dispatched to help setup a new Red Cross incident headquarters just outside of Fort Worth. The new facility was needed as the existing headquarters coordinating statewide Red Cross relief for the Hurricane Gustav incident was rapidly outgrowing its available space.

The disciples helped the Red Cross Response Technology team setup a network infrastructure, providing vital satellite-based computer communications to coordinate and manage the relief efforts.

Equipment was unloaded, table layouts were drawn, and directions were given. Power cords and data cables were laid out, along with computer switches, a portable network server, and a satellite dish controller. Bathrooms were cleaned, stocked and prepared.

The Red Cross staff will transfer to the new facility in a day or two.

"It was great that we were all in Dallas at that time and had the opportunity to serve," said Mary Alice Lott, a disciple from the Northern Virginia Church of Christ, "I think it brought glory to God."

Thomas Tracey, from the Los Angeles church, said,

"When I heard about the announcement, and I jumped at the opportunity. I changed my flight reservation and arranged for lodging in case I had to stay longer. I'm very grateful for HOPE worldwide building relationships with many national relief agencies, so that disciples can get directly involved in helping out when these disasters occur."

Graham Millar, a former Los Angeles church member who is now with the Denver church, also helped out at the warehouse headquarters setup. His comments:

"It was really faith-strengthening to be a part of that, especially right after the conference, so that we could put our lessons into practice immediately - literally right out the door of the conference. We were putting out faith into action, so that really inspired me and gave me a wonderful message and memory to take back from the conference and share with the people here in Denver."

Thomas Tracey
Singles ministry,

Orange County Region

Los Angeles International Church of Christ

www.laicc.net

More volunteers are needed! Click here for constant updates on the HOPEww website.