PHILLIPS – More than 70 missionaries from Pennsylvania continued a community assistance project in western Maine, keeping a commitment to help others despite a highway accident that injured five members of the group.

“It’s been pretty hard. I’m trying to stay strong and trying to keep focused on this work, because we really want to get the job done,” said Meredith Nicholson, 15, whose 17-year-old brother, Phil, was among the injured.

Despite temperatures that topped out in the 90s, Meredith Nicholson was hard at work Thursday, building a railing on a ramp connected to a trailer in Phillips. She and the others in the United Methodist Economic Ministry have been working at seven sites in Avon, Freeman, Phillips and Strong.

Five missionaries were injured Tuesday when the car in which they were riding collided with a logging truck at the intersection of Routes 4 and 145 in Strong.

The most seriously injured was the driver, Catherine Rubinow, 28, of Easton, Pa., who police said had run a stop sign. Her condition was upgraded to serious Friday at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Rubinow’s four passengers were seriously injured and are improving.

The missionaries, most of them teen-agers from United Methodist churches in Yardley and Newtown, Pa., have relied on faith, each other and the Mainers who have reached out to help them deal with the tragedy.

The young people put roofs on trailers, built decks, tore off paneling and ripped out insulation. Pride was evident in each of them, even the rookies.

“I love meeting new people,” said Eric Jaber, 14. “And I love that my sister has been talking about mission things since I was a kid. You get a real good sense of self-satisfaction, and it’s really fun, too.”

The missionaries have drawn support from people in Farmington and Franklin County, said team leader Michael Gordon.

“I think the group is doing pretty well,” Gordon said. “We’re worried about folks still in the hospital and their families, but we’ve pulled together as a group.”