Sunday and Friday had the team going to busy areas of Juarez to distribute close to 2,000 Spanish Bibles and Children’s story books

In the fall of 2020, Faith Lutheran Church from Pierre, South Dakota was one of the few servant event mission teams who made the trip to Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM), dedicating their funding and labor to building a house in Kilometro 30 for a young man who was paralyzed from the waist down due to a hit-and-run.

Three sisters learned about stripping electrical wire from first-timer, Rawley

“We’re continuously working on raising awareness of what YLM does and how they help people serve,” Dennis and Carolyn shared towards the end of their 2020 mission week, “We’re usually a small team, but we want to bring more people.  This kind of service to others really changes lives.”

God’s answer to their prayer resulted in a team of 23 arriving the last Saturday of May this year.  They worked hard in the previous months to raise funds to build two houses in Kilometro 30 and host a 3-day Vacation Bible School at a nearby community center, as well as distribute close to 2,000 Spanish New Testament Bibles and children’s Bible story books.  They also brought new children size sandals, shorts, and t-shirts to give away to the children at Kilometro 30.

Nine year old Shawnie painting trim alongside first-timer, Cheryl

Over thirty kids showed up Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for Vacation Bible School.  With a couple of the college-aged young women able to speak Spanish, the VBS team put together story skits, crafts, and games, followed by lunch.  On Thursday, they brought coolers with close to 300 water balloons, filled and ready to go.  The adults took a break and joined the kids, teens, and young adults in a rousing water balloon war.

“I remember Dennis sharing with me how much he and Carolyn desired to have more people join them on their next YLM trip,” Luz Soto, one of the Servant Event Facilitators, shared with the 23 members of the Faith team at the end of the week, “I prayed for them –for their marriage, their family, their church, and to bring more people to YLM so they can experience the way God moves mountains out here in the borderland.”

Not new to mission trips, but certainly new to YLM, Shannon shared throughout the week how great it was to have her entire family, including her nine-year-old daughter, serve through YLM.

“We’ve never been able to go as an entire family to mission trips before,” Shannon explained as she mudded drywall seams, “Either my husband or I had to stay home with our youngest because of age restrictions.  It’s a blessing to be able to have all of my family serving together.”

Over 300 water balloons were used on Thursday after the last Vacation Bible School story and crafts were done, with over 30 kids attending throughout the 3 days

Shannon shared at the end of the week, along with the other members of the team, how mission trips like these is what brings families together, “Trips to Disneyland are great, but this is truly what helps families bond and grow together.”

The Faith team was comprised of two entire families, two sets of sisters, and six individuals, one of them Malia, a high school graduate who had served in mission trips into Mexico before, “I’ve never helped build a house from the ground up, so this was an awesome learning experience.”

The adults ensured to teach the younger team members how to safely use power tools, splice electrical wire, install insulation, put up sheetrock, and other building skills, while the younger ones, like Shawnie, taught the adults how to make friendships despite language barriers and the joy of sharing the love of Jesus through stories and games.

What a beautiful snapshot of God’s family, called to love and serve God and others with joy and kindness!