Steve Tybor, who founded and leads Eight Days, told AFN the ministry plans at least one major rebuilding trip every year but it has not decided on a destination for 2026.
Eight Days of Hope began in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, when Tybor and a few friends headed to South Mississippi to help hurricane victims.
Now in its 20th year, Eight Days has expanded into four arms of the ministry: a rapid response team, home rebuilding, a mass feeding unit, and building homes for victims of sex trafficking.
Tybor recently announced the ministry plans to double in size over the next three years.
"God has been moving through this ministry,” he told AFN. “It's been fun just to watch, to have a seat at the table, of watching Him move."
In the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, Eight Days has led 63,000 volunteers and done about $96 million of work, all in the name of helping others in the name of Jesus.
After a natural disaster, Eight Days depends on volunteers with all skill sets to help disaster victims recover. The ministry provides food and lodging, and disaster victims get to witness volunteers help them recover from a terrible situation.
Eight Days welcomes new volunteers with an online registration, or new volunteers can join the next disaster relief mission by texting the word "hope" to the number 86373.
"With disaster work, we could deploy another 25 times this year or we could deploy 40 times. You just don't know," Tybor said.
