Doesn't everyone do it this way? A college student:

• wants to go on a mission trip.

• googles to find a company taking mission trips.

• settles on GO InterNational, a non-profit organization based in Wilmore, Kentucky.

• travels with them to Bogata, Columbia.

• graduates from Iowa State with a degree in architecture.

• starts building houses in Central America with a fellow architect.

 Trust me. Everyone doesn't do that. It takes someone special like John Graham, who is grounded in faith and committed to helping others.

 

John's GO mission trip was four years ago, and his original team helped at feeding centers, as well as with construction and preaching. Cristian Reyes, a friend and fellow architecture major, had been on a mission trip to El Salvador and approached John about the idea of building houses for the needy. Together, they established Communities By Faith, a non-profit Christian organization founded on the principle that everyone should have a decent place to live.

 

The group works with GO and went to Nicaragua last June and built two houses costing $4,500 each in Masaya and Managua. "We use a company that manufacturers precast concrete houses, and ideally, the entire process should take 10 days," John explained. "However, we had some unexpected delays. With a carpenter, other locals and the families all working, we finished in about three weeks.

 

"Originally, our plan was to build houses for 20 different families. We work with a pastor in Nicaragua who knows the needs of the people there, so we aren't involved in the selection process. But, we found in the beginning that no one knew us, and we didn't have the credibility to secure enough donations for all the homes. However, now that we've completed two houses, we anticipate it will be easier in the future.

 

"We're still sticking with the same dream of 20 houses," he said. John admits that he's not sure where all this will lead, but they're having a fantastic time working with GO and helping others.

 

What a wonderful way to fulfill Christ's Great Commission.

 

 

   

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