A team of men from Hillside traveled to Mexico recently to spend a weekend serving with one of our global partners, Kingdom Builders Ministry. Though the group normally consists of 18-20, this trip consisted of eight men, all with hearts eager to pour out into the local community through some physical construction and labor.One of those men, Justin Bird, had helped lead a team to Mexico before and was excited to be a part of this group. He shared some insight into what this trip looked like and the beautiful work God did and continues to do through this ministry.

The house built over this particular weekend was built up on a hill and not accessible by vehicle like homes normally are. Because of this, the volunteers had to go up a ramp about four flights high in order to get supplies and materials to the site. Justin said that this element added to the team and the effort put in. “Everyone worked hard and shared the effort to get the materials up the hill by hand,” he said. “It was hard, but worth it.”

Kingdom Builders has a list of people in their community that have needs to be met, and for this particular home, the family chosen to receive this house was a single mother. Over the course of the weekend, the children participated in the building of their new home and got to be a part of the special dedication ceremony at the end.According to Justin, Kingdom Builders deserves all the credit for the amazing week they are doing in Mexico.

“Us Hillsiders can show up and do the ‘easy’ work, and get the glory in a way, but they are doing the hard work, day-in-and-day-out,” he said. “They are doing the work of investing in these communities and people.”

One of the defining moments of the weekend was the ceremony at the end, when the mother received the keys to her new home. As the home was being built, key scriptures and prayers were written on plywood, so the family members walked around, read the messages and were prayed for. One of their main verses for the home was Jeremiah 29:11:

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

For Justin, he hopes this family, and anyone, recognizes that though it’s important to have a firm foundation for your home, it’s more important to have a firm foundation in the Lord.

“The home is a beautiful gift, indeed, but it is pales in comparison to the gift we receive in salvation through Jesus,” he said.

According to Justin, your prayers and support makes a huge difference in the ministry of Kingdom Builders. CLICK HERE to donate and support the organization.