Hello from Texas! It’s officially the morning of Day 2 and we’re getting ready to head out for the day. Here’s a quick video from yesterday telling you a little bit about what we’ll be doing while we’re here! Stay tuned for more videos and photos from our trip throughout the week!
Due to some technical difficulties we weren’t able to post the final day blog from Mexico, but I still wanted to share it with you guys!
On our last day at the canal we had planned on doing some touch up painting on the house, but arrived to find that the people at the canal had finished it up themselves during the night! The house turned out beautiful and everyone was so happy to see it go up, especially Reyna and her family. We decided to treat the entire community to a good old fashoned American Lunch and broke out the friers and Grill for hot dogs, cheese burgers and french fries (with chili and baked beans!). It was a huge hit and the everyone showed up to eat and play together for the afternoon.
Earl sent the kids on a mission to collect all of the trash in the community at a quarter a bag with the promise of a prize for the person who brought back the most full bags and within an hour we had a mountain of trash bags and a much cleaner community! On top of that Pastor Rick decided to buy a prize for the person who had kept the cleanest house in the community and gave it to a crying and grateful family (he gave them a tv with a batter and converter for their home).
After lunch we had a great church service where Pastor Rick preached to the community on how they should be loving neighbors to each other and how they should all be showing each other the love of Christ in how they help each other out. It was a powerful message with a full alter call at the end.
The last thing that we were able to do before heading back to Texas was to pray over Reyna and her family in their new home and to commission the home. The entire community came by and we had a powerful prayer time as people wrote blessings and bible verses on the walls of the new home. It was an amazing trip that touched many lives and left a family with their first real house to live in.
Thanks for following along and check back soon as we’re heading to Galveston Texas soon for the next BrickThink trip! Don’t forget to check out the OnCall Blog for a recap of what they did on our last day in Mexico!
Today the team continued work on the house at the Canal. The early risers made it out to the canal first and got to work right away closing in the sides of the attic and installing the windows. They were just about finished when the rest of the team got there.
As soon as the final touches were put on the house construction the painting began. The first coat of Kills went up and then the team started with the pink (chosen by the family!). Tomorrow the the final touches will be put on the paint job before dedicating the house.
I also made it over to the orphanage where the team went a few days ago to help with some small jobs and just to play with and love the girls there. I’ve included a few pictures of some of the orphans with today’s painting photos.
Please check out the OnCall team’s work today on the OnCall Blog as well!
Today was a busy day for the team at the canal here in Mexico. A small crew got up at 7:00am and headed on into Reynosa to get started early on the house construction. Over the past few days the foundation was laid and the wall frames raised. When we arrived this morning the team went straight to work putting the walls on and building the rafters for the attic. A team of dedicated locals joined in the fun and helped with the construction.
Reyna and her son George watch as the construction on while the team builds them a new house
A little bit later the rest of the team joined us and helped to speed up the construction as well as spread out around the community playing with kids and visiting families.
By the end of the day the walls were up, the rafters built and the roofing put on the house as well as the porch (which was also constructed today!). Reyna and her son George were hanging around watching all day and everyone was exited to see the happiness on their faces as they watched their new home go up in front of their eyes.
Tomorrow the final touches will go on the house and then the painting begins! We’ll also have our two nurses doing some medical screenings and treatments tomorrow so check the OnCall Blog for updates.
We finished the day off by visiting a refugee camp in Reynosa where about 160 refugees are living and being cared for. Many of the refugees were traveling north in search of better lives when they often run out of money and a place to go by the time the reach Reynosa. The team took a few minutes to tour the facilities and to pray for Hector, the director of the ministry. Stay tuned for more updates soon!
Here’s a little video of our most recent trip:
We build shelters for those in need around the world. Whether it be building homes, churches, bridges, or helping with disaster relief, we like to get our hands and feet dirty in a very real way. The heart of BrickThink is to serve others in a practical way while having a willingness to do whatever is required. This year some of the places we’ll be traveling to are Mexico, Texas, Philippines, Scotland, and The Netherlands.
Come join us if you’re a man or woman, young or old, skilled or unskilled.