Mission group lends helping hands in Panther Valley
SHERI RYAN/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS Making their second visit to the Panther Valley area and St. John Slovak Lutheran Church in Lansford are members of the A.R.K. Missions team, who spent the week doing various home improvement projects for area residents. They are, kneeling, Blake Bindus, 14; first row, from left, Jackson Eaves, 15; Kylie Holmes, 12; Linda Hollenbeck, 15; and Jordan Eaves, 12; and second row, team leaders Rick Lawrence, Bob Galandak and Mary Ann Galandak. Robbie Lawrence, not pictured, also helped for several days but returned home due to illness.
While most young people are busy enjoying their summer vacation, six youth from St. Luke's Lutheran Church in New Windsor, Maryland, gave up a week of their summer to come to Pennsylvania and make a difference in the lives of some Panther Valley residents.
Bob and Mary Ann Galandak, along with Rick Lawrence and the youth from the A.R.K. Mission team, made their second visit in the past three years to St. John Slovak Lutheran Church to assist members of the congregation, their friends or families with various projects they would not otherwise be able to accomplish due to physical or financial constraints.
A.R.K. stands for Acts of Random Kindness, and all of the kids on the team couldn't be happier to lend a helping hand to their new friends.
The A.R.K. Mission team arrived Sunday and has been spending their nights sleeping on cots and inflatable mattresses in the basement of the church.
Their days, however, have been spent working very hard scraping, painting, power washing and whatever else comes along.
Some kids painted for seven hours in a day.
When asked why they participated in these projects when they could be back home relaxing, 15-year-old Linda Hollenbeck said, "I do it for God, and his son, Jesus. It is an enjoyable thing. I would rather do this.
"Helping people out makes you feel good, and you expect nothing in return," she added.
This was Hollenbeck's second year on the team.
When speaking about all of the painting she has been doing, Hollenbeck noted that it caused her to have pain in her shoulder, but she kept going because, "It's for the people. I've got to do this."
Three-year veteran Jackson Eaves, also 15, stated that he enjoys meeting new people and helping out the community and utilized his A.R.K. Mission trip to help accumulate 75 hours of community service that is needed to graduate.
The teens all said they enjoyed working together to help others.
Mary Ann Galandak hoped that the team members would come away from this experience with many memories, a sense of camaraderie and pride in that "What was once crumbling, now looks fresh."
The youth enjoyed some time at Mauch Chunk Lake where they had a barbecue and will have the opportunity to visit the #9 Coal Mine on Friday before their return trip home.
Galandak felt it was important to mix some fun and educational experiences in with all of the hard work the teens have been doing.
"Many may never get to go into a mine to see what mine life was like," Galandak said.
The A.R.K. Missions team makes one mission trip each summer and has also been to Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
