Liberty University to send team to Texas for Hurricane Beryl cleanup

Ten Liberty University students and two leaders will travel to Angleton, Texas, Aug. 11-17 to assist Samaritan’s Purse in responding to the destruction left by Hurricane Beryl last month. The trip is being sponsored by LU Serve Now, Liberty’s disaster and crisis response initiative.

Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. On July 8, the storm made landfall in southeast Texas as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm. Bery is responsible for the deaths of at least 36 people in Texas alone, and it caused widespread power outages for over 2 million homes and businesses in the state. Angleton is about 20 miles from the Gulf of Mexico coastline.

The trip will be a summer break finale for the students, who will return to campus just in time for classes to start Aug. 19. In Texas, the team will help Samaritan’s Purse with various cleanup initiatives, such as removing debris and tarping roofs, and will also visit with individuals whose properties were damaged by the storms to minister to their spiritual and emotional needs.

“I’m so grateful for these students and their willingness to cut their summer break a bit short to go and serve others in need,” said Chad Nelson, senior director for LU Serve. “They’re a microcosm of the tremendous student body we have at Liberty. The support we receive from other departments to make a trip like this happen is such a blessing. The Office of Residence Life has given permission to these students to move into their dorm rooms early in order to be on this trip, and LU Send provides significant support in the logistics of these trips.”

Senior John Cimba, who competes on the Liberty’s ACHA D1 Men’s Hockey team, said he decided to participate in the trip because of his past experiences traveling with LU Serve Now to Washington, Ukraine, and Poland. He said making new friends and maturing in his faith have been two highlights.

“I’m excited to go to Texas. I was fortunate to be placed on the trip where I know multiple people from either school or past trips,” Cimba said. “It’s long days and tiring; however, seeing how God moves through me, my team, and the local community is so rewarding. I love serving others, so when I got the call to ask if I wanted to go, I instantly knew I wanted to.”

He said he appreciates the emphasis Liberty places on serving communities recovering from disasters.

“Attending and representing Liberty is an honor. As Christians, we are called to serve others, and Liberty, a university with a high emphasis on that, forces us as students to step out of our comfort zone and serve others through the love of Christ.”

The trip marks a longstanding partnership between the university and Samaritan’s Purse for disaster relief. Most recently, during the 2023-24 academic year, Liberty sent five teams to join Samaritan’s Purse in providing humanitarian aid. The efforts included two trips to Lahaina, Hawaii, for wildfire cleanup; Perry, Fla., in response to Hurricane Idalia; Jackson, Ky., to rebuild after floods there in 2022; and Mayfield, Ky., to rebuild after tornadoes hit the city in December 2021.

Liberty students interested in participating in future LU Serve Now trips and other service opportunities can visit Liberty.edu/LUServe for more information and to apply.

The ongoing success of LU Serve Now is largely due to the contributions of generous donors. Visit the Serve Now portal to support future trips.

LU Serve Now seeks to build the best culture of preparedness, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to capably assist in catastrophic disasters and community development. The initiative is part of Liberty’s LU Serve Office, which exists to Train Champions for Christ by providing engaging educational and ministry experiences for students. This is accomplished through intentional partnerships with organizations that embrace and support Liberty’s mission and purpose. LU Serve provides meaningful service opportunities locally and abroad, including domestic and international humanitarian aid and disaster relief trips. For more information, email luserve@liberty.edu.