Greendale Community Church (United Church of Christ)

The Rio Grande Valley of South Texas is among the poorest and most underprivileged locations in the country. It also has one of the highest rates of congenital disabilities. Countless families struggle to provide food and shelter for their children while attending to the advanced physical needs of their child’s chronic illnesses that typically worsen over time.

Greendale Community Church, located in Greendale, Wisconsin, has sponsored an annual mission trip to the Rio Grande Valley since 2000. We build houses for low-income families with physically challenged children. We work with a very compassionate healthcare/social services professional in San Benito, Texas who identifies a needy family for us every year. Because all of the family’s financial resources are expended upon their sick children, there is little money left for housing. By providing a modest, well-built approximately 1000-square-foot home, we provide economic stability for families that are facing huge challenges.

On our next trip (early 2024), we will build a house for a family whose young adult daughter, Jessica, has a congenital condition called arthrogryposis. This disease describes a variety of conditions involving multiple joint contractures. A contracture is a condition where the range of motion of a joint is limited. It may be unable to fully or partially extend or bend. In most cases, both the arms and legs are involved. Physical therapy is a big part of an arthrogryposis patient’s life, as the loss of mobility can lead to muscle deterioration. Treatments also include casts and surgeries. There is no known cause of arthrogryposis, but experts suspect environmental and genetic causes. Patients may also have other underlying neurological conditions or connective tissue disorders. Currently, Jessica can walk about 30 feet, but she has a motorized wheelchair.

Greendale Community Church has had 20 years of successful mission trips, however, they have been interrupted by COVID. We are eager to return to the Rio Grande Valley and resume the work of bringing hope to people’s lives. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, construction material costs have skyrocketed (some materials like concrete have risen by as much as 100%). Poor economic conditions, high material costs and scarce skilled labor all result in an inability to foresee a home on undeveloped land soon.

Greendale Community Church is contributing $36,000 to this project through a generous benefactor, and we currently have ten committed construction volunteers for early 2024. We have a very needy family identified, and they have a vacant lot for us to build a small house on. We will need additional donations to cover the full expenses of construction materials as well as hiring local contract labor for some electrical, HVAC, plumbing and concrete work.

Our volunteers must raise $24,000 more by September 2023 to make this mission trip happen.

Please know that your contribution will change the lives of a family, and bring hope to a courageous young lady and her mother. Thank you for your compassion and generosity!