GOSHEN — Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast hard back in 2006. Members of the Eighth Street Mennonite Church in Goshen went to a small Mississippi community to help, and have returned each year since.

Now some members of that Mississippi town are in Goshen to return the favor, in light of what some are calling an economic hurricane in this area.

Twenty-two volunteers from Mississippi are spending the week in Goshen. It's their way of returning a favor — one that began a few years ago.

“We've been down there for four years in a row and now they are responding by coming back up here,” said Pastor Kevin Farmwald of the Eighth Street Mennonite Church. “Things worked out well for them to be here at this time, when there is an economic hurricane of sorts here.”

“We're really grateful for that opportunity,” said Lisa Shelly of Jubilee Mennonite Church in Mississippi. “It’s a blessing that we can do that. We looked forward to continuing to develop that relationship with Eighth Street Mennonite and their community and come to get to know their church as well as the Goshen area community here.”

Those that made the trip from Mississippi say it's the least they could do to repay the kindness of the church members in Goshen.

“We wanted to do a kind of payback to give back to them what they so graciously gave to us,” explained Marvin Floyd of Meridian, Miss.

“I feel like it was a big blessing to us, so we should do the same and return the favor to them,” added William Colton of Meridian.

“We thought it would be nice to come back up,” said Meridian resident Suzanne Opel. “They came down, and they helped us after Hurricane Katrina, and they've been coming like every year since.”

Church members headed home Friday. They say there are still many areas in their home town of Meridian that need repair.