In February 2025, a team of 17 people from Family of Christ Lutheran Church of Ham Lake, Minnesota, embarked on a mission trip that went beyond a house-build. This group, ranging from eight-year-old Chloe to 83-year-old Rick, journeyed to Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) in El Paso, Texas. Their mission was clear: to serve, to build, and most importantly, to transform lives through eternal connections.

YLM has long been a source of support in the borderland, partnering with mission-churches on both sides of the border to provide, human relief to people in need, serving with love, giving mercy, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is here, in the shadow of both physical and spiritual challenges, the Servant Event mission team spent their week of service. Though their main goal was to build a new home for Gustavo, Arisbeth, and their two-year-old son Angel, the team embraced opportunities to do more, blessing San Pablo Lutheran Church, which is located on the YLM campus.

As the days passed, it became evident this mission trip was more than just about framing walls and painting siding. While the tangible task of building a home was important, the deeper purpose of the mission lay in the relationships being built—relationships with the family, with the community, with each other, and most crucially, with God.

Each day, as the team worked on the house, they took time to connect with Gustavo and Arisbeth. The team members were encouraged to build a bridge of hope and faith with this family of three, to make time to talk with Gustavo and Arisbeth and play with Angel. They took moments to pray with them, and share words of encouragement, reminding them they were not alone. The team, from youngest to oldest, constantly encouraged Gustavo and Arisbeth, in many different ways, to seek God together, urging them to teach Angel how to love and fear the Lord.

For the team, being part of these conversations and seeing how they impacted Gustavo and Arisbeth, confirmed the work they did was not just about building a shelter, but about coming together to build up this small family, pouring into them and inspiring a desire to seek God. With each prayer and each word of Scripture, seeds of faith were planted, and prayers for a relationship with God to flourish in the hearts of Gustavo, Arisbeth, and Angel were offered up by all of them.

This spiritual aspect of the trip was felt deeply by these short-term missionaries. Whether it was a seasoned adult or a young child, each member of the team had their own personal moments of connection with the family, from impromptu street soccer games, to laughter at smeared paint. Their time spent together, bringing in Gustavo and Arisbeth to be part of the process, resulted in growing faith, with the young ones offering to pray out loud and teenagers leading devotion time.

The construction of the house was completed within four days, giving the team a day of culture through a visit to the Mexico Market in downtown Cd. Juarez, as well as time to complete some campus projects, among them the flooring for San Pablo’s new church offices. However, it was the conversations, the prayers, and the encouragement which built something eternal. Gustavo and Arisbeth’s hearts were open to the Gospel, and the team’s deep love and support helped them take steps toward a stronger, Christ-centered family life.

As the mission trip came to an end, the work was not finished. Yes, the house was built, but more importantly, the foundation of faith had been laid. The relationships formed during that week are not bound by time or place. They are eternal. Through God’s grace, lives were changed—not just for a moment, but for eternity.

In the end, it was clear this trip was more than a construction project. It was about building the Kingdom of God, one heart at a time. And the team from Family of Christ Lutheran Church left knowing their work was just the beginning of a new chapter for Gustavo, Arisbeth, and Angel—one where God’s love will continue to grow and flourish for generations to come.

Are you interested in experiencing God’s transforming love and grace through a YLM Servant Event Mission Trip? Call us at (915) 858-2588 or send an email to luz.soto@ylm.org to request more information on how you and your church can come face to face with God’s love for His children!