Wednesday, a Day of Dedication

Wednesday we went to Walmart to buy things for the family because we had finished the house the day before and we just needed to get some essentials like clothes, food and toys for the family. These simple things that we get to enjoy every day, others simply don’t have. Picking out clothes for all the people in the family just made me so happy!  They don’t often get new thing’s, especially clothes, so it made me happy to think that these kids who were around my age had new clothes that they could feel good in. After this we met up with the rest of the groups and we had so many carts just full of stuff to give and I kept thinking in the back of my mind how much this means to them and how I would feel if I was in their shoes. 

We then went to the worksite and I was one of the few people who got to stay and decorate the house and help carry in all the furniture. This really made me think about how privileged we are in the US. As I put together new pieces of furniture and put away the new clothing and toys into the dresser, I stopped to think about how we have all been through different types of challenges, but it could always be worse and that’s the mindset you should always keep. I thought about how I never saw this family upset despite everything that they struggle with every single day. 

They are so grateful for what they have even when they don’t have much. I loved being able to make this house a home for this family and comfortable for them, I also really enjoyed connecting with the daughters (14,16 & 1 ) and getting to know their story. 

After we finished decorating we had the house dedication. During this we got to speak to the family about how impacting it was for all of us and how we were so happy to be able to give them a house. We then prayed and then I got to give the keys to the family. I started to tear up as I walked towards the family as I could see in their face just how happy they were and how relieved they looked. This is something they had only dreamed of and now it was a reality. I gave the family a big hug and they just kept thanking me so much for making this their reality. Moments like this is what made this trip so amazing and impactful. 

After this we went out to feed the rest of their community.  These people were just so grateful for a necessity; food. I loved meeting new families and hearing new stories as we prayed for them. After this we went over to the other worksite to keep building the community center. Here their was a little girl who was only 3 years old and I had really connected with her the day before.  As I was walking up she came running out of her house waving and yelling “hola!” Even though she couldn’t understand me and I couldn’t understand her we had a sense of love that we shared. I enjoyed being able to give her toys and treats and watching the smile on her face. This day was one of my favorite days. ~ Kayleigh Powell

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Dedicating the house and working with the community today was life changing. I will never forget the joy of the family's faces as they entered their long awaited home. 
I had the privilege of being able to share a children's bible with them and pray over their family. It made my heart sad that they mainly wanted prayer for protection. This home was going to grant them this safety. Our team worked diligently to be able to provide this for them and I was so happy to see the outcome of that. 
We also got to feed the community and hand out support to them. Watching as students were able to love on them and pray over the families was so beautiful to see. The impact we are making is small but so good. I think we were able to fully convey God's love over them. It was such a joy to be blessed doing God's work and I will not forget what a great day it was. Alicia Durfee