Preparing for Servant Work

Every leader knows that the time you spend in preparing a group for an activity reaps the benefits while you are engaged in the activity. This page offers different resources and thoughts in ways to thoughtfully prepare your group for their time in Western North Carolina.

As you prepare to bring your group here, it is important for you to build a servant mindset before you arrive. Not only will this prepare your group for their upcoming trip, but it will also impact them into adulthood. As we read in Ephesians 4:12 …to equip God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up… serving others is a part of being part of the Kingdom of God.

Ensure your group is ready physically.

This doesn’t mean heading to the weight room with the group but rather ensure that they are ready for the physical demands of the trip. While we are unsure of the physical nature that will be expected of your group, there is the possibility of strenuous / vigorous activity. Help them understand that this won’t be a time to participate by standing on the side-lines and observing. Everyone will need to get involved. Chats with friends can happen later.

Take your group on a 1-mile walk and remind them that it is not a race but rather a time to walk and talk with each other. This can be an opportunity for building relationships.
Maybe set up a 1-day activity with the group prior to coming that is painting, learning how to hit a hammer and not your fingers, or roadside clean up.

Ensure your group is ready practically.

This is especially important if you are bringing youth! When kids leave home for an extended amount of time you will need a detailed packing list. If we leave it up to the kids, you'll have boys carrying bags full of firecrackers, Pokémon cards, and honey buns. Make sure the packing list is known long before it’s time to load the vans. Follow up with them or their parents before the trip because you don’t want something as simple as not having the proper work shoes or clothes to be a distraction from the work you're trying to accomplish for the Kingdom. Some resources that may be helpful: 5 ways to talk about your trip when you return home & How to survive the road trip part of your trip

Clothing and Footwear at Disaster Sites

During the week participants may endure sweat, mud, paint, and more! Participants will typically wear an outfit during service and change into another outfit following afternoon showers. To save on packing space, most participants will wear that same evening outfit to start the next day of service. Participants should bring clothes that they can serve and play hard in, and follow the guidelines below:

We recommend t-shirts to be worn daily. They should have sleeves and cover midriff to protect the body from scrapes, sunburns and bug bites.
Many t-shirts have a variety of slogans, commercial statements, or pictures imprinted on them. Shirts, jackets, or caps that advertise tobacco, beer, or liquor are not allowed. Inappropriate or suggestive pictures, phrases, or letters are not appropriate. Please also choose to not bring any policitally charged items. We are called to serve the people as Jesus hands and feet and not solicit our own beliefs and values.
Plan on wearing long pants or long shorts to work sites.

While at work sites plan to bring:

reusable water bottle
work gloves (can be provided if you do not own any)
sunscreen
hat with a brim
closed-toe shoes

Unless you hear otherwise from LDR Carolinas, tools and materials will be provided. However, if you have tools that you want to bring, you are welcome to, but please make sure they are marked with your name.

We encourage layers of clothing. While summertime temperatures may lend to hot, humid days and service sites, some work you may appreciate long sleeves, and the evenings can be cool. Your housing site and evening activities are air-conditioned with thermostats that are not in our direct control.

Recommended Packing List:

Please write your name on each item of clothing, bedding and towels. Please do not over-pack! Storage space is limited.

Sleeping bag & pillow
2 towels & washcloths
Toiletries: Soap, shampoo, brush, comb, toothpaste & toothbrush
Light jacket/sweatshirt
Raincoat or poncho & headcover
Shoes—2 pairs: sneakers with treads and closed-toe shoes. Closed-toed shoes are a safety requirement for walking around camp and hiking on the trail. Shoes that can get wet and dirty are best. No open toed shoes are allowed at camp except for the pool area.
Sturdy clothes that can get dirty or wet
Flashlight. You may be walking between buildings after dark on footpaths.
Water bottle (refillable)
Insect repellent
Sunblock
Hand sanitizer
Plastic trash bag (for wet/damp clothing)
If you are allowing cellular devices - don't forget power cords.
Camera (optional)
To-go coffee mug (optional)

Ensure your group is ready mentally.

Some members of your group may know more about our disaster area than others. Spend some time so that they learn a little more about the actual disaster and some of the science behind what happened.

It’s also important that they understand their role as a servant on this trip. Have conversations about how you are coming here to be God’s hands and not save the people who live here but rather walk alongside them and learn their stories. Keep an open mind about the service site and project you’ll be assigned.

Prepare the group to be working in a disaster area and help them understand the importance of the following:

Follow directions. If you have been asked to do something a certain way, do it that way. You may not know why, but I am sure there is a reason. Show respect by doing it their way.
You are not a savior. You are only expected to do what you can do. Compassion moves us to action but it is not our responsibility to save anyone. We are there to provide the assistance someone needs to be able to take the next steps on their own two feet.
Never make a promise you can’t keep.
Be a sponge and take it all in. Listen. Pray for the people. Keep a journal. Use new lenses to view the world.

I have created a YouTube playlist here. Please consider viewing before sharing with your group to ensure that the material is a good match for your group.

To help your group understand that one small video or story they hear does not represent the entirety of the disaster, you can show Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk: The danger of a single story.

This Old House Season 47 "Carolina Comeback" follows 3 different home sites that were impacted by Helene and offers some great explanations of the storm merged well with the family's stories.

A few written pieces for your knowledge as well:

National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Helene 100+ page report completed on the storm and it’s weather-related impact on all the areas hit by the storm including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
NovusWay article Water Mark based on one group’s experience at Lutheridge Summer 2025
North Carolina Synod Story of Ministry: 971 Volunteers, 16,800 Hours, Countless Blessings.

Ensure your group is ready spiritually.

Taking time before your trip … Or even on the way here … to engage in conversations with your group about the God-work you will be engaged in helps to create a servant trip and not just any other volunteer work trip. Rooting the work in what God is doing through us creates a shared experience in how to live out our baptismal promise to serve all people. Some ideas and suggestions on how to prepare your group follow.

Unit 2 - boundless creation - ELCA Resources

This curriculum was created to be used with the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering. The following are some suggestions on adapting it to use with your group while reflecting on your upcoming servant trip:

Do these activities and devotions with your group outdoors in creation.
God created our world and is in nature wherever we look. Did God then cause the storm and destruction we see? That’s a big question. Rather than spending time here, reframe it as the destruction was an act of Nature. God is in the work that we are doing to repair it.
Acknowledge the original people of the land where you live. Learn about how these people lived in peace with God’s creation. Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land
The creation liturgy for Western North Carolina would include:
- rivers, mountain gorges, waterfalls
- the most variety of tree and plant life in the US
- honeybees, black bears, white-tailed deer, eastern elk, river otters, bobcats, coyotes, salamanders, trout, turkey, white squirrels…Meet Our Animals - WNC Nature Center
- The indigenous people of: Miccosukee, Catawba, Cherokee East, and Yuci tribes.

View before and after pictures from the storm. Notice what is unchanged. Consider where/what the destruction created space for new to come up.

North Carolina, Florida before and after Hurricane Helene: See photos

Dig into the story of Mt. St. Helens that erupted in 1980 and the regrowth since:

World of Change: Devastation and Recovery at Mt. St. Helens

Vegetation regrowth after the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption

Additional stories you can choose from around caring for creation The Creation Care Alliance of WNC: Creation Care Alliance

Together We Triumph: Youth Response to Disaster

Resource put together by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and United Methodist Church. Contains 5 - 1 hour sessions that can help prepare youth for a servant trip dealing with disasters. Together We Triumph: Leader Manual & Together We Triumph: Student Guide

God is in Control

Reflect as a group on Jeremiah 29:11 What Jeremiah 29:11 Means (The Most Misunderstood Verse In The Bible)There are difficulties and troubles for the people here, but God is still in control and can see the larger picture and we can have faith and hope in a God even when things seem hopeless. The people of Appalachia are strong and proud people with an unshakeable faith in a God that will provide.

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