A team of 39 people from Rolling Hills Baptist Church recently returned from a mission trip to the hill country of Guatemala, where they constructed two houses for families there.
During the week-long trip, the team traveled each morning from San Raymundo to their respective build sites, worked on construction throughout the day, and returned to San Raymundo each night for dinner and rest.
At the end of the week, two families that were living in tin shacks with dirt floors had solid homes with concrete floors, wooden walls and a sturdy tin roof.
Said Macaria Patzanes, a grandmother raising two grandchildren and recipient of one of the houses, “One of the greatest impacts the house has had on me and my family is our health.”
Prior to receiving their new home, the family experienced frequent sickness and other health issues due to their primitive living conditions. They lived and slept on dirt floors, and the dwelling flooded whenever it rained.
In the new home Macaria’s health, and that of her two grandchildren, Jose and Luis, has improved dramatically.
Macaria said, “I feel very happy and blessed for what you all did. Our lives have been greatly impacted and we’ll continue to pray for you all.”
Frank Mercer, pastor of Rolling Hills, said he always returns from these trips feeling more blessed than those that received a house.
“I feel especially blessed that our church, as small as it is, has members that continue to support the needs of others in such a big way.” Mercer said. “Almost half of our church went on this mission trip and overcame many obstacles, including a stomach virus that took out half of the team in the middle of the build week. Our church exists to serve Jesus by serving others. These two houses are tangible examples of how we try to live our lives every day.”
The build was conducted in partnership with Casas por Cristo (www.casasporcristo.org), a ministry based in El Paso, Texas, that partners with local churches and volunteer teams from around the U.S. and Canada to build homes for families living in poverty in San Raimundo, as well as Juarez and Acuña, México, and the Dominican Republic. They rely on the labor and resources of full time staff missionaries, local pastors and community leaders, and volunteers from across North America.
San Raymundo, Guatemala, is a municipality of around 30,000 people of both Spanish and Mayan heritage. In addition to agriculture, the manufacture fireworks of various types serves as an additional source of income.
This was the eighth and ninth house completed by Rolling Hills — five in Juarez, Mexico; one in Acuna, Mexico; and three in Guatemala.
Rolling Hills Baptist Church worships on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at the NCG Cinemas at Fischer Crossings, 55 Fischer Crossings Blvd., Sharpsburg.
For more information on Rolling Hills, visit http://WheresTheSteeple.org.
Members of Rolling Hills Baptist Church gather in front of the home they built for Macaria Patzanes (seated in middle) and her grandchildren, surrounded by friends and neighbors. Photo/Special.
