KAPOLEI — Garrett Shon, Reuben Colleado and Eddie Marquez were prepared to travel to Sri Lanka last month to assist in the Indian Ocean tsunami recovery, but political unrest in that country canceled their effort.

Then came the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

"We wanted to be active players, to give something more than money to help," said the 46-year-old Shon, one of Hope Chapel Kapolei's associate pastors.

"... It's about fulfilling something for God, to give hope to people faced with a situation of hopelessness."

The trio from Hope Chapel Kapolei get their chance when they become part of a seven-man volunteer team from their Kapolei congregation leaving tomorrow for Jackson, Miss., to assist IMPACT Ministries, a nonprofit group that includes Hope Chapel in Hawai'i, with its relief efforts through Oct. 4.

J.D. Smith, senior pastor of Charlotte (N.C.) Metro Church and chairman of IMPACT Ministries, plans to send the Hawai'i group to one of 50 front-line locations around southern Mississippi's coastline, most likely to Bay St. Louis, Biloxi or Pearlington.

IMPACT Ministries is using at least 2,000 volunteers and may need more. "You look at two towns like Waveland and Bay St. Louis, where a lot of people are coming back (since Katrina) and finding there's nothing left," Smith said. "You don't see a lot of people around ... but when we pull up with a (food) truck, they just show up. A lot of them are sleeping in tents on the beaches."

Mike Gayer Jr., David Hess, Randy Shiroma, Wayne Porter, Colleado, Marquez and Shon are either using vacation or leave without pay for this mission. Donations from the congregation of about 700, which holds its services at Kapolei High School, will cover about half the cost; each team member pays the rest.

"After Hurricane Iniki, a contractor hired me to go to Kaua'i to build walls and I saw the devastation there, so I can imagine what the people there are going through," said Colleado, 57, a city bus driver and Kapolei resident who knows mason work. "I feel for them."

Marquez, 37, of Kapolei is an independent paramedical examiner.

"I'm just going as an able body and I'll do whatever they need me to do," Marquez said. "I've always wanted to go to a disaster area and help out."

Gayer, 29, of 'Ewa Beach, is a skills trainer of special-needs students at Stevenson Middle School. "I have friends and family who would go but can't so I'm going," Gayer said.

Hess, 45, of Kapolei, works at Tony Volkswagen's service department. "I grew up on the Big Island in Kona and we always built houses so I know about carpentry, electrical wiring and plumbing," he said. "And I can fix cars. I thought about giving money but I didn't feel like it was fulfilling enough."

Porter, 42, moved to Kapolei from Pennsylvania a year ago and is a telecommunication lineman. His employer, Hawaiian Telcom, gave him $500 for expenses.

"I have my own equipment I could bring," Porter said.

Shiroma, 42, of 'Ewa Beach works in marketing for Kama'aina Kids. "When I see pictures on TV, I know it'll be a blessing to be there helping," he said.

It's not advisable for individuals to travel to the disaster area and try to volunteer help on their own, said Coralie Chun Matayoshi, chief executive officer of the Hawai'i chapter of the American Red Cross.

"We encourage people to volunteer and the best way to do it is through the local chapter of the American Red Cross," said Matayoshi. "We'll train them and deploy them knowing their skills will be applied to their appropriate purpose for being there."

Matayoshi said there are about 30 Red Cross volunteers from Hawai'i working for Katrina relief in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.