LIVERMORE FALLS — Chanda Rackliff wanted to help residents in an area struck by a tornado this past spring. That desire turned into building a house for an Alabama woman and her family.

Rackliff of East Dixfield, one of three leaders of the Emmanuel Assembly of God Church’s Riptide Youth Ministry, said after she saw the movie with the youth group and read the book “Soul Surfer,” she knew she had to do something to help others. The story, about a teenage surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack but never lost her faith and returned to competitive surfing, inspired her.

“I felt so inspired. I felt God needed me to go Alabama to help,” Rackliff said. She took a couple of days to think about it and approached church Pastor Gary Pierson and asked, “What can we do?”

Pierson said he reached out to colleagues in Alabama and the mission to the town of Phil Campbell developed from there. They planned to help build a single-story house for Jennifer Rupley, whose husband of several years died from a medical condition two weeks before the April 27 tornado devastated the small town and destroyed her family residence and vehicle. She had taken refuge in her sport utility vehicle with some family members, and the tornado hit the vehicle and flipped it several times with them in it.

Rackliff and her husband, Blaine Rackliff, another leader of the youth ministry, went into action with fellow church members and organized the trip. They raised nearly $14,000 between their church members and members of different churches around the area, along with other donations for the trip and materials.

“People were very generous,” Pierson said.

In late June, 16 people in the mission group that included a mix of teenagers and adults from around the area, were on their way south for the two-and-a-half day drive.

Once they arrived, they worked hard and long days through the hot weather to build the three-bedroom house frame, Pierson said. They decked over the floor, set trusses and roofed the single-story house, Pierson said.

The group left in early July and another crew came in to do electrical and plumbing work.

The group from Maine wanted to do something to help, Pastor Brian Scott of Alabama said. He has been a friend of Rupley’s for many years and helped organize the project from his end.

They had an idea to build a house.

They got here, stayed a week and built a home, he said.

“This was a real big blessing,” Scott said.

Three other groups from Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina have also pitched in to help. The house is nearly done, he said.

“They are putting in the flooring this week,” Scott said.

Chanda Rackliff said Rupley is not the kind of person to look for handouts.

It was very humbling for her, Rackliff said.

The Livermore Falls group felt a sense of accomplishment when they left the state, she said.

“We really didn’t know if we would be able to build a house,” Rackliff said. “We only had five days to do it. We were so glad we were able to get our part done.”

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