The Builders Group returned home safe and sound on Saturday afternoon, April 12th, with a ‘goulash’ of stories. Stories of re-connecting with old friends, making new friends, church services in Slovak, kids practicing their English, painting, painting and more painting, puttying windows, windows and more windows, castles and the countryside, and most importantly of GOD’s LOVE that gives us the energy to put that LOVE into ACTION. We demonstrated to our Slovak brothers and sisters that we come to share the GOOD NEWS of Christ by freely sharing our talents and skills. But the sharing doesn’t end there, as we come away having received much more than we give.

One story that many of us tell over and over is the response from the CCE Elementary School parents, teachers and even some high school students that came in LARGE NUMBERS on ‘volunteer Saturday’. Just a few years ago to get volunteers from the community was unheard of in Slovakia. For this particular Saturday there had been 40-50 adults signed up… but when all the goulash and bread was gone, the count was nearing 150 participants. And the projects that got done were …. WOW… AWESOME!!! As Tomáš and Slávka stated looking back at that day…. ‘we underestimated and were overwhelmed’! What a great problem to have!

Here is a synopsis of the project crews and their work effort of just over 700 person hours:
Office Renovation Crew: Julie and Rich Wendland, David Wigdahl, Don and Marge Severson, Pastor Steve Sampson, Dave Lorenz
Project Plan: Finish removing office furniture and shelving. Remove doors & carpet. Patch walls, repair doors. Paint ceilings and walls (some multiple coats). Install carpeting. Replace furniture and sheving. In just one week, this crew gave the CCE Offices a much needed renovation!

Window Crew: Vicky Lorenz, Linda Thueson, Jim Roth, Tana Isaacson, Mary Gookins, Kathy Damon
Project Plan: 130+ Windows from the Elementary School building were removed, scraped, cleaned, putty’d, painted, and washed. High School students assisted with replacing them in the correct rooms as part of the Saturday Volunteer day.

Classroom Cleanup Crew: Vicky Lorenz, Linda Thueson, Jim Roth, Tana Isaacson, Mary Gookins, Kathy Damon
Project Plan: Windows were replaced over the weekends by local professionals. The Kindergarten rooms new windows were then washed, floors swept and washed, and furniture replaced on the first Monday. The 1st Floor classroom windows had been replaced the 2nd weekend of our stay. This crew then repeated the cleanup in those rooms. Without the help of this crew, the teachers would have been hardpressed to get their classrooms ready for students in just one day.

Soffit/Peak Varnishing Crew: Bob and KJ Bach, Dave Lorenz
Project Plan: Scrape, nail where needed and stain/varnish the soffits of the 100′ long dormitory building. This small crew worked quickly and diligently to complete this large project in record time, despite having to work on scaffolding and also in a lift truck bucket. How did KJ and Dave get the south peak completed in just 4 hours!?

Fence Cleanup and Painting Crew: Don and Marge Severson, Rich Wendland, David Wigdahl, Pastor Steve Sampson, Linda Thueson, Bob Bach, Vicky Lorenz
Project Plan: There always is a fence to paint and repair…. and this year was no exception. The concrete base to the 80′ fence behind the church was scraped & powerwashed. The woven-wire fencing was then steel-brushed and painted ‘Slovak green’ in a matter of a couple of days. The CCE facility custodial staff will be patching the concrete base after our departure. Chalk up yet another Builders Group painted fence!!

We worked hard, we played, we shopped, we strolled through the countryside, we partied, we left our work clothes behind and left a bit ourselves in the lives of CCE staff, students and parents. We are thankful for our health, our safety, and the opportunity to serve our GOD in this ministry. The most important piece of this mission trip is to now share the stories with our friends and family about this ministry and of the importance of it to the God’s Kingdom.

!! TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY !!

KJ Bach