El Paso Servant Event 2010

Dear Friend,
We would like to express our gratitude once again for your prayers and support as we travelled to El Paso, TX and crossed into Juárez, Mexico to build a house for a couple, and let you know what we were able to accomplish. We worked with and stayed at Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso, TX during the week.
On the Friday before leaving, the group met at Martin Luther Chapel for a commissioning service along with groups going to Phoenix, AZ and Galveston, TX. Afterwards we all went out to dinner and went home to finish packing for the week ahead.
Saturday morning we left Martin Luther Chapel around 6:30 am to head to Detroit Metro Airport. From there we flew to Dallas, TX where we had a short layover before flying to El Paso. In El Paso, we were greeted by Chris and Erin who would be working with us throughout the week. That evening, we went out to dinner and then had our first group Bible study.
On Sunday, we attended the English service at Ysleta before crossing into Mexico to go to church at Sin Paredes. After church we ate lunch with the congregation and played soccer with many of the children. James Bowlby enjoyed having being a jungle gym for the children. Later, we went to the Mexican market to barter for souvenirs.
Monday marked our first day of construction in Juárez. We were building a house for a couple whose house had been washed away a while back. They had been living with family in a house that leaked when it rained. We started from a cement slab foundation and began by framing the walls of the house nailing siding onto the walls. Due to the incredible wind, Abbi VanSickle and Andy Barrus helped hold up the two longer walls as the other two walls were being made and put into place.
On Tuesday we began by nailing rafters into place as Michele Buchanan displayed her power tool prowess with the circular saw. Plywood was nailed to the rafters on the roof while Chris Willner became the “Drill Master” for the drywall. Hanna Miller put her electrician skills to use by wiring the outlets and overhead lights in the house.
Wednesday was roofing day. Maxwell Mianecki and Andy Priest worked together applying tar to the roof. By lunchtime, the roof was done. On the inside, Sara Murawa used her engineering skills to make precision drywall cuts in order to finish drywalling the inside.
Thursday was our final day of work in Mexico. Finishing touches were added to the house as Melissa Bunge worked on spackling and sanding the drywall and Jimmy McPike helped install the front door and add trim around the door and windows. Once we were done with the house, we presented the couple with a quilt donated by St. John’s Lutheran Church in Midland, MI and the keys to their new home as Holly Balentine translated for the group.
On Friday, we traveled to White Sand’s National Monument where we hiked, jumped off dunes, and held our final group Bible study. After seeing the sunset, we headed back to Cici’s Pizza where James won the eating contest with 26 points. Very early the next morning we left El Paso and returned home to Michigan.
Thank you for your support and prayers before and during our trip. Without you, this amazing experience would not have been possible. Thank you for being a blessing in our lives as well as the people we helped in Mexico.

God’s blessings and much thanks,
Abbi VanSickle and Andy Barrus – The Leaders

Melissa Bunge, Hanna Miller, Michele Buchanan, Maxwell Mianecki, Holly Balentine, Sara Murawa, Andy Priest, Jimmy McPike, James Bowlby, Chris Willner