My phone was blaring at me to wake up at 4 in the morning. I had just fell asleep three hours prior; I was not in the mood. I arrived at my good friend Joseph’s house, nearly dying of exhaustion, and we got started on our long drive to Rockport.

I realized on our way there that we had just planned this trip three days prior, I honestly was just worrying about my homework for most of the ride. I periodically looked outside and saw the trees get droopier and saw more debris. By the time we made it to the coast I had seen what looked a scene from a freak storm movie. Entire houses and their foundations in ruin along with people sitting outside their houses and cleaning whatever they can.

To put it in a nutshell, we worked with a organization called Operation Blessings where, if you wanted to just show up and work, you could just show up and work. After adorning ourselves in their branded t-shirts, we nearly got lost try to get to our first house. This nice old lady kindly asked us to help her move the tens of trees that completely blocked access to her house and broke the bridge leading to her doorstep.

I thought this was going to be impossible. I’m small and I’m in theatre, I didn’t think I was the right guy for the job. But as I found through picking up branches and saw down trees in the way of people’s homes I realized that God had brought me there not to just give my service but to start a tradition of servitude within my group. Yes, I know it sounds cheesy, but I had to find something good out of this hurricane, no matter how small.

The one moment I can remember clearly is after we had fixed the bridge to the old lady’s house, the other workers, who had probably seen people do what we did all the time, stopped what they were doing and just clapped and cheered. How was that so amazing?

On the way back Joseph and the other guys talked while I just sat in awe of how much we had helped with in eight hours: three houses and one grateful family. I guess it just goes to show that a last minute trip can turn into something you’ll never forget. We made a difference no matter how small it seemed to us, those 8 hours were invaluable to those we helped get started on moving back into their homes.