Rio Grande Valley Families Receive Homes Originally Built by Churches

While many use their Spring Break to vacation, members of the Coppell-based Valley Ranch Baptist Church and three other DFW and Houston churches chose to help non-profit, Buckner International build a home for three Rio Grande Valley families as part of their remote home build model.

The Juarez’ are one of the three recipient families. They are served by the Buckner Family Hope Center® at Peñitas, a local Buckner program. The Juarez family qualified for the home after completing required classes and family coaching at the Family Hope Center.
“I am very happy,” said Rosaura Juarez, mother of the recipient family. “I am thankful for God’s provision and everyone who made this happen.”

For more than 15 years, churches from all over Texas have traveled with Buckner to the Rio Grande Valley to build homes for families in the community. Years ago, First Baptist Church in Lufkin had the idea to build a house remotely and have it transported to the Rio Grande Valley as a way to involve members who could not travel. When the pandemic began and travel was not possible, this method became a useful way for churches to continue serving the community. This year, Valley Ranch Baptist Church was one of the churches who spent their spring break in the South Texas heat assembling and continuing construction on the new homes.

The home is in its preliminary stages of construction. All work to date has been completed by Valley Ranch Baptist Church volunteers, First Baptist Church of Garland volunteers, and Buckner Missions staff. Construction on the home began in the church’s parking lot, where it was framed by members over a six-week period. It was then transported to Peñitas, where it was reassembled and will be completed. The final additions will be completed by the homeowners, friends and family of the homeowners, and other community volunteers. Construction on the home is expected to be completed and ready for move-in in about 4 or 5 months.

The other homes were built by Texas churches; Stonebriar Community Church, from Frisco, and University Baptist Church, from Houston. Construction on these homes also began at their respective churches’ locations and were transported to Peñitas for completion.

“There is a lot that goes into this process, from the family doing their due diligence to qualify for the home, to finding collaborating churches to come alongside us,” said Gabriel Flores, manager of missions and humanitarian aid for Buckner Rio Grande Valley. “We put in all this effort because we know the impact a home can have on families for generations.”
As the three home builds progressed throughout the week other church members, including many youths, helped Buckner serve the community with a “Vacation Bible School” hosted at the Family Hope Center. During the day they interacted with Peñitas children using recreational activities, songs, and Bible stories. This allowed parents to go to work without worrying about the cost of childcare.

Buckner also hosted events in the evening to facilitate the churches fellowshipping with the community, such as “A Taste of Peñitas” held on Tuesday. The event was catered by local Peñitas businesses started by Family Hope Center clients.

“We wanted to get our entire congregation involved in this project, not just those with the ability to come over Spring Break,” said Arthur Mendes, adult pastor at Valley Ranch Baptist Church, “It is in our church’s DNA to serve people, and this is a great opportunity for us to do that together.”

Home constructions are one of the many way programs designed to protect children, strengthen families, and transform generations. Programs include the Buckner Family Hope Center at Peñitas, foster care and adoption services, the Buckner Rio Grande Children’s Home, and the Buckner Family and Youth Success (FAYS) program.

Visit Buckner.org/Rio-Grande-Valley to learn more or get involved.