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This spring, a 16-member team from Spring Road Christian Church in Lanett, Alabama, traveled to rural Guatemala to build a home for a local family—but they returned with something far more lasting: perspective, gratitude and a deepened sense of community.

The group partnered with Casas por Cristo, a faith-based nonprofit whose mission is to “open the door for local pastors and churches to share the love of Jesus Christ by serving.” Casas por Cristo translates to “Houses for Christ.” The organization builds homes for families in need in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and two locations in Mexico. Spring Road has now participated in over 20 builds with them; the last three being in Guatemala.

“We choose the country,” said the church’s worship leader, Michael Blackburn, who led this year’s trip for the first time. “Then Casas por Cristo partners with a pastor in the area who knows of a family in need.”

Guatemala was chosen for its safety and accessibility. “Our goal was to make it kind of like a family-oriented trip open for everyone,” Blackburn explained. “You can walk around and check out the city. Guatemala felt like that was the best way we could do that.”

The mission group flew out on a Sunday and returned the following Friday. Construction took place over three days. The remaining time was spent on excursions and experiencing the culture.

The cost of building materials was built into the church’s annual missions budget which the congregation had been giving to all year. Individual team members raised funds for their travel and accommodations.

Building the house was only part of the mission.

“Yes, we’re there to build a house, but we’re predominantly there to build a relationship with the family and share the love of Christ,” Blackburn shared. “We work side by side with the family, who often live just next door. They’re with us throughout the process and help as much or as little as they want to. Sometimes even members of their community would walk up and start helping. It’s a really cool thing.”

Communication presented one of the group’s biggest challenges. Most of the Guatemalan families speak only Spanish, while the visiting group speaks English. Fortunately, their missionary partner of three years, Briar Grotts, acted as a translator, facilitator and construction guide. “He’s with us the whole week,” Blackburn noted.

The mission group consisted of members with varying backgrounds. “We had everyone from high school students to retirees. One of our guys, Randall Aikens, worked for over 40 years in construction, but we also had high schoolers who had never picked up a hammer,” Blackburn said. “Everyone’s welcome as long as you can swing a hammer.”

Reflecting on the trip, Blackburn shared a powerful moment with the family they served. “We asked the father where he would go if he could visit anywhere in the United States. He looked at us and said, ‘I mean this with no disrespect, I wouldn’t go anywhere. I have everything I need right here.’ I think there’s a lot we could learn from that.”

When asked how he felt the experience impacted him, Blackburn shared: “I would say that I’ve realized that the secret to a fulfilling and content life is not found within how much we have, but in the quality of the things and relationships that we do have, the key thing is our relationship with Jesus. It was so sobering and eye-opening to go down there and to see how little these people have, but how rich their lives are.”

Looking ahead, the church is open to returning to Guatemala or exploring new mission fields. “We’re going to meet with our missions team to go over this trip and see where we want to go next year,” Blackburn said.

For anyone in the community interested in getting involved, Spring Road Christian Church welcomes everyone. “We’re all about inviting people to live with Jesus,” Blackburn said. “So everyone is welcome.”

Spring Road Christian Church is located at 1729 Spring Road, Lanett, Alabama, or you can visit www.springroad.church.

For more information on Casas por Cristo, visit https://casasporcristo.org.