LULING — Over the last three weekends more than 13,000 Mormon Helping Hand volunteers have come to help those impacted by recent flooding.

Thirty of these volunteers came from the Luling congregation and many more from surrounding parishes.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organizes the Mormon Helping Hands but not all volunteers are members of the church. Volunteers traveled from 13 states to help offer relief to those in need. In total these volunteers put in over 218,500 hours of work cleaning out homes and providing aid to those in need.

Volunteers met in 4 different gathering spots near the flood areas to form companies of 10-12 people, pick up work orders, gather supplies, and head out to work. Many of the volunteers including the ones from our area went up multiple weekends spending their Saturdays and Sundays serving.

Michael Albretsen of Luling said helping those who have lost everything reminds him of what is really important — family, God, and the relationships he shares with others.

Among the volunteers with Mormon Helping Hands was 2008 American Idol runner up David Archuleta, who came down Sept. 3 and 4.