CHill on a Mission: And So the Summer Begins

The first group of the summer came from Peace with Christ in Aurora, Colorado. They were originally going to Joplin to help with tornado relief, but the leader received an email saying they did not need any volunteers other than skilled construction labor, so she called us at YLM. It was great for me, because the leader Donna, did her DCE internship at my home church (Our Father) when I was a senior in high school. It was a reunion of sorts.

They arrived late on Tuesday night, and hit the ground running on Tuesday morning. The plan was to build a home for the Gonzalez family in Sparks, and add on to the trailer of the Saucedo family. YLM had helped the Saucedo family in the past with a new roof over their trailer, and now we have the honor of helping this family expand their living area. The two sons (16,& 18) from the Gonzalez family helped YLM several years ago by volunteering with groups as we did our work in Sparks with the grant from LCMS.

El Paso had great weather for the weeks leading up to the event, and of course what happens the minute the group arrives to start work? It gets really hot!!. You had to be careful at the Saucedo site, because you never knew when someone was going to dump a cup of cold water over your head. There were a couple instances where some people got a little overheated, but some cold water, gatorade, and a break in the air conditioning helped bring them back to normal.

Each day, the families made lunch for their teams, and even over a week later, some of us are still talking about the amazing food. Down time included a trip to Whataburger (the leader is originally from Texas and had to have one), a trip to the pool, and of course, runs to walmart. Evenings saw bible study, devotions, team time, and wiffle ball or kickball games in the parking lot. After a long and tiring, yet fun and rewarding week, the families were presented with their newly constructed homes or additions. Future groups will continue on both these job sites, so stay tuned for updates to both families and their projects. The group took me in and accepted me as one of their own, and made me realize why I love what I do so much. I thank them for getting my summer off to a wonderful start. Have a great weekend, another busy week coming up for us at YLM.