On August 29th, 2005, one of history's most destructive hurricanes struck the Gulf Coast of North American, leaving lives and homes in complete disarray. Hurricane Katrina reached the coast and left her mark.

On July 19th, 2008 a team of handpicked junior high students from Calvary Chapel Montebello traveled to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi to clean homes, share God's love and put into order what Katrina left behind. Much like Katrina, the team reached the coast and left their mark. But this mark helped erase what Katrina left behind.

Steve Moreno, junior high leader and trip overseer, succinctly stated: "Eight months of prayer, fundraising, planning and preparation led to a lifetime of memories and tangibly seeing what God is doing in Mississippi." The nine-day missions trip included a weeklong Vacation Bible School for neighborhood children, which included crafts, games, worship songs, and bible studies taught by the junior high students. Even the local fire department joined in the festivities by creating a waterworks show. To end the week of fun, CCM provided a barbeque for the all the children, their families, and yes, the firefighters.

But the trip was not just fun and games. The small but mighty crew, cleaned out Katrina victim's homes, cleaned bathrooms, scrubbed Quonset huts and raked rocks in the church parking lot. "Every where we went, we constantly were shown gratitude. 'Thank y'all' was what everyone kept telling us! It was super fun," remembered Kayla Perez, 13.

Before the trip came to an end, Pastor Frank and "Baby" (Frank's wife, Terri), planned fun outings for the group which included "gigging" (catching flounder at midnight), visiting the local swamp and organizing time with friends from the church.

When asked about the trip, Steve said, "Love is what we shared. God's love for His people bound us together and made us one family, one body, serving one God."

For more information about Calvary Chapel Bay St. Louis, click here.

Click here for slideshow.