One Snapshot 

This year, our construction teams had the privilege of serving and getting to know nine different families. At these families' homes, we were able to complete 28 different projects. This page highlights just one of the homes where we worked in 2019 (and this story is told with the homeowners' permission and endorsement, for anyone curious). The video, above, was put together by one of the team members and shows the work as it progressed throughout the week. There are also photos of the project below.

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The family who lives at this home is wonderful. They encouraged our teams all week and constantly looked for ways to help. Both parents are loved in the community for the ways they have served and cared for children for years, and it was obvious that they are raising four great daughters. But after they purchased this home, they suffered a devastating loss when a team of burglars broke in and stole virtually everything that wasn't nailed down (and some things that were). They stole windows and doors, appliances, fixtures, tore lighting out of the ceilings, and even took copper wiring out of the walls.

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Our teams were thankful to have the opportunity to step in and provide a bit of help — and to make new friends in the process.

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Two teams worked at the home the entire week. Their first two projects were to add insulated underpinning to the bottom of the home (to help keep the home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer) and to repair exterior walls and install siding. 

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In the middle of the week, two additional teams that had completed jobs on other sites arrived. The combined teams then built platforms and stairs outside of each of the exterior doors. In addition, one team worked on the inside of the home, beginning the process of adding drywall to the kitchen and other places where drywall was missing.

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At the end of the week, the mom wrote this:

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This week has been full of blessings in more ways than I could ever repay. We were blessed to have met some the of greatest people. We saw them go above and beyond to help us, and for that, we are ever grateful. This group of people will forever hold special places in our hearts. Cross-Eyed Builders are truly people sent from above.

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Her words encouraged our teams tremendously. And even as we appreciate her kind words and graciousness, we don't see anything that was done as extraordinary. We know that God made each of us to be a giver. He gave us the ultimate gift when Christ died on the cross for our sins. And since God made us in His image, when we give (in any way — here by giving our time to serve) we are being the people He made us to be.

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So we are thankful. We are thankful for these new friends. We are thankful for the ways they give, in their own community. We are encouraged that we could lend a hand. We are thankful that God allowed us to accomplish as much as we did in a week. We are thankful that there were many other projects happening that same week at eight other homes. And we are so thankful that 107 people from the DC area — and one awesome kid from Kentucky who works with our teams as part of the trip — would give up a week of their lives to serve. Some had to use precious vacation time from work. Students sacrificed a week of their summer vacation.  

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To God be the glory.

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. . . 

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Every project we do, of course, is fairly different — as are the homes and the people we are serving. But hopefully this gives you a good idea of what one of our projects might look like. Here are some photos of the site: