Twenty-one students and four adults from the Becker area will travel to Ensenada, MX in July to help build a home for a needy family and to share the Gospel.
But they could use the public’s help.
It costs each student $1,275 to participate in the week-long mission which covers their flight, their hotel accommodations and their food. They also have to raise nearly $8,000 to pay for the supplies and furnishings for the house.
The students are members of a youth group associated with the Becker EV Christian Church in Becker. Pastor Chris Salvevold has previously led a group of students to Tijuana for a similar project and hopes this group of kids gets an experience they’ll remember for a lifetime.
“The first three or so days down there the kids will be learning ministry tools such as drama, puppetry, vacation Bible school, crafts and so on and at the end of the week, they’ll spend two days or so building a house for a needy family,” said the pastor.
One of the team leaders is student Elishua Crocker, who is the only youngster who participated in the last mission trip.
“The last one we went on we had a training camp in Los Angeles for four or five days, then drove to Tijuana and built a house for a family in three days,” Crocker said. “We had some money left over so we were able to take the family shopping for food, toys and furnishings.”
The students also got the chance to relax and have fun towards the end of their trip.
“We were able to go to an orphanage and hang out with a bunch of really cool kids for a day,” said Crocker. “That was really fun and rewarding.”
The house the kids will build is a standard 16’x20’ home with a wall splitting the house in two. On one side is the living/bedroom quarters and the other the kitchen and dining area. The students will be working with a ministry called Youth With a Mission (YWAM) who have experienced builders and workers the kids learn from.
Salvevold says YWAM has a rigorous application process for the families interested in having a home built and the family must purchase the land the home is constructed on. The total cost to build such a home is $6,250 but the team needs an additional $1,500 or more to help pay for a bed, a kitchen table with chairs, a propane stove and kitchen utensils.
Salvevold’s students have been busy trying to raise funds for their trip and have “gotten their feet wet”
participating in many area charity programs. Some participated in a fast, some packaged food for the hungry and hurting, some packed food for Backpack Buddies, some painted homes and stained decks, some raked and mowed lawns or shoveled driveways and sidewalks and some collected items for the local food shelf.
All this has helped the kids see the needs in the world and want to play a part in helping the unfortunate in their own special way. None of the students participating have ever been on an international mission trip
.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like in another country,” said 15-year-old student Emily Krogstad. “It’ll be interesting to see how little they have compared to us and learn what we in the U.S. take for granted.”
Some of the students have a little experience in construction while others will rely on the aid of the professionals when the home construction begins.
“I’m really excited and looking forward (to the trip),” says 15-year-old Johnny Crocker, younger brother of Elishua. “I think it’ll be really fun. I think I’m pretty handy because I’ve done some construction in the past.”
Another handyman is Joe Gudim, a 17-year-old who has some experience as a carpenter.
“I feel I can help build this house and I’m looking forward to it,” he says. “I’m especially looking forward to spreading the gospel to people and sharing stories.”
Joe’s younger sister, 14-year-old Lori, is also making the trip in July.
“I’m really excited to build this house and then to see the faces on the family when it’s done,” she said. “I’m thinking this experience will help grow my relationship with Christ.”
Some of the students, who may not feel so handy when it comes to construction, don’t allow that aspect of the trip to suppress their goals.
“”I’m really open to what God has in store for me and I’m ready to do what he places in my heart,” says 16-year-old Emily Skelton. “I’m ready for anything.”
15-year-olds Max Becker and Dan Tollefson said they are looking forward to seeing what it’s like in a foreign country and hopes God uses them in a special way.
Sixteen-year-old Amanda Brown says she might be painting or something since she doesn’t have much construction experience but hopes her mouth will be the tool she uses to aid the family and those around her.
“I think I can bring good conversation to the village in telling them about God,” she said.
Caleb Dee, 15, agrees.
“I’ve never been on a mission trip like this and I’m most excited to help the people and see how God wants to use me,” he said.
15-year-old Max Salvevold, son of Pastor Chris, knows this experience doesn’t come along everyday and plans to do all he can to make the trip unforgettable.
“I want to go down there and see with my own eyes the suffering these people are going through and see how God pulls this all together,” he said. “I want to be someone who makes a difference in the life of a needy family.”
The team will fly to San Diego July 6 and be picked up by the team from YWAM. The hotel they’ll be staying at in Ensenada is a donated building that is far from being “plush”. They’ll have interpretors along for the trip but Pastor Chris is not too worried about the language barrier.
“Most of these students have a rudimentary grasp of the Spanish language,” he said. “Besides, God always finds a way to get His word out.”
The student team consists of Joseph Gudim, Amanda Brown, Lori Gudim, Emily Skelton, Johnny Crocker, Danny Tollefson, Emily Krogstad, Caleb Dee, Max Salvevold, Max Becker, Logan Anderson, Dawson Brown, Josh Drury, Caleb Foster, Austin Harms, Abby Hendrickson, Steven Jundt, Rachel Lukkarila, Maggie Smith, Emma Stone and Erik Tungland.
The four adults chaperoning are Chris Salvevold, Barbara Tollefson, Elishua Crocker and Lowell Hendrickson.
To help with the fundraising, contact Chris Salvevold at 763-244-4957 or cbefc@izoom.net.
