The men worked fast on day one to get the house framed, while the women painted the panels a beautiful ocean blue

After having to reschedule their trip three times, five members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison, NE arrived on Saturday, later to be joined by seven members of Faith Lutheran Church in Branson, MO. Their last combined mission trip was in 2019 and they were excited to get back into the joy of building houses families can turn into a home.

Sarah and Judy worked together to measure out and cut insulation for the inside of the house

Miguel, along with his wife Susana and their two children, were the recipients of the Trinity/Faith house, and the joy of what God was giving to them through these missionaries was evident every morning the team arrived at their little hillside lot.

With several years of experience in building these two-room houses, and the Servant Event Projects Facilitator’s growing knowledge, the team had the walls, rafters, and roof plywood up by the end of the first day. By Wednesday morning, the wiring had been completed, majority of the insulation was done, and sheetrock started going up.

Laura and Emily looked through the shopping list for housewarming gifts for the family

“I enjoy coming on these trips,” Verlyn, the leader of the Trinity group, shared during a water break, “I mostly sit due to my job, so it’s satisfying to work with my hands and see what we can accomplish together.”

Not only did this team build the little two-room house, but they shared the generosity of both their congregations by purchasing home-warming gifts for this family of five. On Thursday, all the ladies of the team stayed behind and spent their morning shopping for towels, curtains and rods, floor mats, a nice-smelling candle, and other necessary items. These gifts were presented to the team after the house blessing took place, with both Susana and Miguel ready to move in with the next few days.

Miguel and Susana provided delicious meals for the team’s lunch hour break

“The timing on this house being built was perfect,” Susana shared on Wednesday morning while holding her little baby boy, “The owner of the one we’re renting has asked us to move out within a week, as he found someone else willing to pay more than we do. We’re grateful to have a house we can make into our home.”

Caleb, at 17, spent time kicking a ball while discussing anime with several of Miguel’s nephews

With Miguel’s brothers living in the same property lot, Susana and Miguel will have access to a kitchen and a bathroom while they work to add on to their little house. Thanks to the housewarming gifts the team provided for the family, they are well on their way to making their little blue house into a long-term home.

Since some of Miguel’s brothers and nephews spoke English, there were many conversations. Also, Miguel and Susana prepared delicious food for the team’s lunch, provided water and sodas, and set out chairs in the shade for them to take breaks. The members of this team experienced gratitude and love in the tangible ways of food, conversation, and consideration as they shared God’s love through the tangible act of building a house. The two-church team made sure to set their dates for the 2022 year before leaving Saturday morning, all of them exhausted but blessed to have been able to love on Miguel, Susana, their children, and all the other family members they met throughout the week.

Call us at (915) 858-2588 or email luz.soto@ylm.org to get more information on how you can bring down a Servant Event team for a week to help provide a home for a family in Juarez.  Don’t have a team?  Give us a call to ask about the 2022 Mix-n-Match Servant Event Week!