On Monday, July 5th, fourteen brave St Matthiasites boarded a plane for El Paso, setting out to build a home for a needy family across the border in Juarez, Mexico. El Paso is the home of Gateway Mission Training Center, the agency that organized the project and made it possible.

St Matthias' mission team included members of the parish's Youth Group along with "Youth Group Grads" (college-aged parishioners) and a number of adults.

Beginning with a concrete slab (see upper right photo), the Team constructed a 450-square-foot home in four days of blood, sweat, and tears. (We're not kidding about the blood! Just ask EYC sponsor Wade Wiles, whose fall from the roof required a trip back across the border for stitches!) 

Though the labor was demanding--especially for these fourteen folks who had never worked construction--the payoff was big. At the end of the week, Fr Houk and the Team handed over the keys of the new house to Reyna Luna Chagolla, allowing her, her two sons (Arturo and Ismael), and her two grandchildren (Guadalupe and Arturo) to move out of the cardboard and tar-paper structure that they had been living in. 

On Sunday, July 25th, at 9:00am, the Juarez Team will present a report to the parish with personal reflections on this life-changing experience. You don't want to miss it!


The Team

Connie Burton	Lauri Brian
Brandon "The Chef" Conley	Don "The Con Man" Conley
Isaac "The Dark Horse" Fuller	Fr Houk (a.k.a. H+)
Ashley "Action" Jackson	Michael Neinast
Megan Turnbull	Todd "McSkiving" Luckey
Austin Marr	Dixie Marr
Tommye Marr	Wade "Desert Eagle" Wiles

More Photos

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