Sierra Service Project 08

The 4th of July fireworks had barely died down when 7 youth and 4 adults from FUMC piled into vans at the Stony Point campus. Their two-day journey would take them to the northern Nevada-Oregon border, to the tiny town of McDermitt, Nevada. Their goal: do home repair work for members of the Paiute and Shoshone tribes who live on the reservation.

On Sunday, July 6, our FUMC group was welcomed to the Sierra Service Project site by a friendly, energetic staff. FUMC youth met other teens from southern California (Redondo Beach and Anaheim) and from the Foothills UMC in Cameron Park. Within hours, youth who had not previously known each other were becoming fast friends.

During the week, our FUMC youth were dispersed into all the many work teams. The type of work was varied. Some of our teens dug post holes and poured concrete. Others sanded and painted houses. Two of the teams built wheelchair ramps, and the youth on those teams were sawing wood, drilling holes, and pounding nails.

More important than the physical construction which was occurring was the spiritual building that was happening in the lives of the youth. Each work team led an evening worship service centered on the theme, “Fueled by Hope, and Driven by Love.” The sharing that took place within the circle of community was a powerful reminder that God is most revealed when we share our lives in service to others.

As our team drove home across the high desert, and thought about the icy winter in that place, they knew that six homes would be a little bit warmer, a little bit drier, and a little bit safer because of the time they spent there.