Team From Lubbock Spreads Christmas Cheer All the Way to New York

"This can't be in America, we have ways to protect that." Thomas said.

Dr. John Thomas knows first hand what the victims of Hurricane Sandy are going through.

"From the seashore for as far as the eye could see restricted, restricted, condemned, restricted, condemned," Thomas said. "The entire way the water came up and I was not prepared for it."

Thomas is the founder of Operation Hope-a non profit organization here in Lubbock.

He took a team up to New York last week to help clean up some of the destruction.

"You know Katrina was a little different because people in Louisiana were expecting somebody else to help," Thomas said. "But New Yorkers are tough you know and they were like neighbors helping neighbors. They were out their working people had already gone back to work they were not waiting for somebody else to come and help."

Thomas and his team were able to help clean out homes destroyed by flood water.

"The houses that we worked on had four feet of water in the basement," Thomas said. "We had to wear a mask and haz-mat clothes because it was completely molded out. You think a little fungus, a little mold on your bread was bad, when your whole wall is black, used to be white, it's very different."

Dustin Hudgons is a member of Operation Hope, who not only went on his first mission trip, it was his first trip to New York.

"When we got there we pretty much just hit the ground running," Hudgons said.

Hudgons said his first job was to put together bicycles they were giving away to local children.

"The first one was pretty hard because we didn't know what we were doing," Hudgons said. "They were just like 'Here is the bikes, put them together.' So we got it figured out and after that bike they pretty much came together and we were able to finish them up pretty quickly."

Thomas said the work was worth the trouble once he saw the faces of some very grateful parents.  

"They go if this hadn't happened my kids would have nothing for this Christmas."
Most of all Thomas said he is happy he was able to help.

"It's such a great blessing to bless our fellow Americans," Thomas said. 'So it was just very humbling that we from Lubbock could help make a difference."