For years, St. Paul Lutheran Church from Mt. Prospect, IL, has been a dedicated partner of Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM), serving families on the outskirts of El Paso, TX. Their ongoing efforts have included repairing homes, building porches, renovating bathrooms, and more. This year, they welcomed a new team—Trinity Lutheran Church of Crown Point, IN—on their first Servant Event trip to YLM, where both teams worked together to make a big impact on the community.

The project for the week focused on replacing the roof and adding closets to the children’s room of Rafael and Claudia’s home. With eighteen eager volunteers from both churches, the teams set to work with determination and enthusiasm. The cooperation between the two groups created an atmosphere of shared purpose and accomplishment.

On the first day of the project, several women and young girls from both teams returned to YLM’s campus after lunch to help with a special task: deep cleaning YLM’s kitchen in preparation for an upcoming wedding. They scrubbed window blinds, cleaned windowsills, wiped down baseboards, and tackled every nook and cranny they could find. Their work made the space shine, and their willingness to take on this job demonstrated the spirit of service that defined the entire trip.

The second day saw the teams split into two main groups. One group worked hard to replace the flat roof on Rafael and Claudia’s home. They installed new plywood, replaced some rafters, and secured metal sheeting, all essential tasks to ensure the family would have a secure, weatherproof roof. Meanwhile, another group focused on adding closets to the children’s bedrooms, as well as helping with the bathroom Rafael was renovating.

In the afternoon, a few women from both teams returned to YLM to paint the patched walls of San Pablo Lutheran Church, contributing to the overall upkeep of the mission’s facilities. This added project highlighted the teams’ flexibility and commitment to the broader mission of YLM.

Throughout the week, the teams also tackled various other projects on the YLM campus. They worked on concrete and paint repairs to the exterior walls of Building #2, installed a new door frame for YLM’s tool shed, as well as replacing and painting soffits on Building #14. Additionally, they took on deep cleaning tasks in Building #2 and handled various smaller repairs around the campus.

By the end of the week, St. Paul and Trinity had achieved more than what they had planned. Their combined efforts not only completed the home repairs for Rafael and Claudia but also brought joy and excitement to the families and staff at YLM. Their hard work served as a reminder of the power of working as the Body of Christ and the lasting impact of service, bringing both practical help and a sense of community to everyone involved.

Are you interested in bringing a Servant Event Mission Team to YLM? Call us at (915) 858-2588 or send an email to luz.soto@ylm.org for more information!