For many Clear Creek students fall break week was an opportunity to catch up on homework or to spend time with family, but some students spent fall break serving outside Houston, Texas, with a ministry called “Just The Crumbs.” Six students and their families took the 17-hour trip from Kentucky to Texas to rebuild a house for a family whose home was badly damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Two weeks before their trip, the wife of one team member, Marsha Woodrum, was in Texas and helped tear out sheetrock in the family’s home. Student Michael Woodrum, Marsha’s husband, and their son, Blake, went to Texas to continue the work Marsha’s team started.

“We took a van load of people, a 24-foot trailer of supplies, another 16-foot trailer and then two more came down in a semi-trailer,” said Woodrum. “We felt led to go back to this home. Eleven people live there.”

Freshman students Caleb Goodwin and Mackenzie Fister went on the trip instead of visiting family. “I just feel like it was where God wanted me,” said Fister.

Husband and wife Terry and Brandy Burtchell went on the trip with their two sons, Chance, 16, and Seth, 10. The Burtchells are from Texas and all four plan to go into ministry.

“We sheet rocked a 3,400-square foot house, even some of the ceiling sheetrock was missing,” said Brandy Burtchell. The water in the house was so high the family took refuge in their attic while waiting for relief.

Seth Burtchell enjoyed his first mission trip, particularly getting the chance to help a family with their house. “It was awesome. We worked on the house. Put drywall up, hung doors, put a bathtub in,” said Seth.

Shamma Lorredan, from Haiti, helped lead worship for the team’s devotions, and for him, the trip was very personal.

“I went to help with building homes and restoring,” said Lorredan. “After the earthquake we experienced in my homeland, I’ve seen a lot of people who came to Haiti to help us out. I’m always looking for an opportunity to give help back.”

We are grateful for the work ethic of our students as they followed God’s call to Texas to share the gospel through their service.

—By Leah Simpkins, media and publications assistant