“So many people had pots and pans scattered around their homes because their roofs couldn’t take all the rain,” said Ben Tarpley, founder of Hammers and Hearts, a disaster-recovery organization in Florida that partners with World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS).

Ken and Vera Intveld are two of many volunteers who are helping restore homes that have been affected by a disaster through World Renew DRS. The Intveld’s not only volunteer for several weeks at a time as a couple, they also coordinate an annual, group missions trip for their church, University Reformed Church of East Lansing, Michigan. This year the Intveld’s family, friends, and 15 college students are participating in the congregation’s March service trip. “While in Florida this winter, we fixed a leaky roof for one woman who was waiting for an organ transplant,” the Intveld’s said. “We ran into her daughter in the store who told us, ‘For the first time in a long while, the roof didn’t leak when it rained last night! We could never have gotten it fixed without your help.’”

World Renew DRS partners with local recovery groups throughout North America like Hammers and Hearts. Through these partnerships, people who have been affected the most by a disaster get the help they need. Groups from churches, schools, families, and businesses that volunteer with World Renew DRS bring the love of Christ to communities that are struggling to recover from a disaster by answering God’s call to serve others.

“Each time we volunteer, we feel God tug at our hearts, saying, ‘I want you. Are you willing to serve?’ Volunteering is our ‘Here I am Lord, send me’ response. Helping a woman who needs an organ transplant or others like her–that is God’s call for us,” Inveltd’s said. “As long as we are able, it’s a worthwhile and rewarding way to spend our retirement.” 

This spring and summer, there are many people who need help to rebuild their homes. 

If you are interested in coordinating a group trip with World Renew DRS, please see “Planning A Short Term Mission Trip” and contact our office for more details.