As I think about being away from home for a year, I can’t help but think of all the things I will miss. Weddings, graduations, holidays, and countless other life events that will transpire in 11 months. For me, one thing I will miss is Casas trips. Since my first mission trip with Casas por Cristo in March of 2015, I have taken 2 trips every year, all with my friend Eva by my side (and we have gotten our friends Erin and Kailey in on the excitement as well), one during Spring Break and one during winter break. Eva’s dad Kevin went with us on our first December build in Mexico and then his fiancée Leigh Ann and Eva’s brother Travis joined us in 2016. These builds have become a tradition, just like any other holiday celebration. This is a ministry that is dear to my heart and even though I will be traveling and doing mission work in the next year, I will miss my Team Casas build in December and my Spring Break build with friends from Fort Worth.
Casas por Cristo is a ministry that works in Mexico, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. They work with groups that come to these locations to build homes for families in need in one week. At each location, there is a board of local pastors who review applications and choose the families who will receive houses. Each group works with a Casas missionary and spends a week building a house and interacting with the family. My friend Nick who is a Casas missionary always stresses the importance of interacting with the family. The goal is to show the family the love of Jesus not to give them a house. The house is simply the vehicle through which we demonstrate God’s love. Our actions, as people who give up a week of our time to come to a foreign country and work long days for no tangible reward, show the families the love of Jesus even more than the keys to the house they receive at the end of the week. This house is a free gift to them but it is really a symbol of the gift of grace that God freely offers.
I remember the first time I served with Casas in Guatemala and I was nervous that I was not going to be useful. I like to work hard and feel useless if I am not capable of doing something. I am not a physically strong person (my 120 pound frame can barely carry drywall with another person helping me) and I was worried I would just be in the way. God showed me on that first build in Guatemala that I don’t have to be physically strong to be helpful. One of the mottos of Casas is “We all have Something to Give.” We don’t all have the SAME THING to give because we don’t all have the same strengths or skills but we all have SOMETHING. Even though I’m not strong, I can be encouraging to teammates. I can be positive and keep people laughing and smiling even in the blazing hot sun or the early morning December cold (it can get surprisingly cold in Northern Mexico). I can attempt to use my mediocre Spanish to talk to the family until we are all hopelessly confused and just end up smiling at each other. I can show love without ever using a power tool (though I have developed an affinity for them).
As I have continued to serve with Casas, I am always amazed at how the Lord uses me in different ways on every build. I am also amazed at how much I have learned. On my first build, I knew absolutely nothing about construction and now I can actually read the plans and understand what they mean (most of the time). God has called me, 120 pound me, to this construction ministry (proof that God has a sense of humor) not because I am physically strong but because I have strength in Him.
I would encourage anyone who is looking for a mission opportunity to consider putting a group together and going on a Casas trip. Or, if you don’t have a group, sign up for a Team Casas build. This is what Eva’s family and I sign up for each December. It is a trip for individuals or small groups to sign up and be put in groups together with other individuals or small groups. They have these builds at different times during the year at each location. Team Casas builds are a great experience in Christian community and I have made incredible relationships with people I have met on these builds. Fun fact: a lot of people come back every year and you get to continue those relationships. To everyone who I have served alongside during a Team Casas build- thank you for being a blessing to me and encouraging me in my walk with Jesus.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of the missionaries at Casas por Cristo that I have had the opportunity to work under. Jake White and Tyler Miller led my first build in Guatemala. Our team worked with Jake and he was a great leader who helped us tremendously with the physical aspects of building (as we were a small group of mostly college females). That trip made such an impact on me but I was 100% sure that Jake had no idea who I was until I ran into him and he called me by name in Del Rio, Texas the night before we were going to cross the border for our build last December. I have also had the opportunity to work with Scott DeWitt, the Acuña Field Director who runs the Acuña branch of the Mexico ministry. Scott is extremely hard-working and the story of how he came to work for Casas is a true testament to his faith and obedience in Christ. His entire family is involved in the ministry in different capacities and his daughter Madison is so much fun to be around and a huge help on the build site. His wife Jonna is always helping out as well either in the store or helping make sure all the teams are fed. They are truly an incredible family that lives to serve the Lord. David Quiñones and his family also serve with Casas in Acuña. They live in Acuña and David helps deliver supplies, translate, talk to families and basically helps Scott keep everything running. His wife is in charge of all the meal plan food and she is a wonderful cook. Their sons are both involved in the ministry as well and Junior has become a good friend of mine. Finally, my friend Nick is a Casas missionary who works with Scott in Acuña. We met on a build in March 2016 and have been great friends ever since. Nick has a incredible story and the fact that he is even alive today is a testament to God’s healing and love. I cannot thank God enough for all of the people Casas has brought into my life and I pray that these people and this organization continue to be a part of it for many years to come.
