February 12, 2001
In the Valley, these real Texans do winter work
___By Scott Collins
___Buckner News Service
___MISSION--It's winter, and the Rio Grande Valley is filled with recreational vehicles of every size and shape. Trailer parks are bursting with Winter Texans who make the Valley home this time of year to escape the snow and cold up north.
___On the far side of Mission, 25 RVs are backed end-to-end. Electrical cords and sewerhookups snake between the vehicles, connecting the campers in a maze of makeshift ingenuity.
TEXAS BAPTIST MEN member Jess Murdock of Mineola cuts a piece of trim with a miter saw during work performed by the group's special projects unit at the Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home in Mission. He and his wife, Shirley, were among 50 volunteers working on the project.
___Like the thousands of others who have descended on the Valley, these RVs belong to a group of retirees who are living in temporary homes.
___But unlike most Winter Texans, these retirees are not here for rest and relaxation. These are real Texans, from places like Mount Pleasant, Huffman, Dilley and Mineola. They've come wearing overalls and carrying hammers and saws.
___In just three weeks, 25 volunteers with the special projects unit of Texas Baptist Men have gutted and rebuilt the recreation building at Buckner Children and Family Services' Rio Grande Children's Home.
___For these volunteers, the work is all part of their motto: "Building Together to the Glory of God."
___"This is God's calling," said lead carpenter and foreman Jerry Dill. "I can't preach, and I can't sing, but I can do this."
___This is the fourth Buckner project Dill has helped with through Texas Baptist Men. The Mount Pleasant native has traveled to Romania twice with Buckner Orphan Care International, and he was part of a team that remodeled a building at Rio Grande Children's Home in 1999.
___Like Dill, Reagan McDonald is a veteran of Buckner projects. He has worked in Romania twice alongside Dill and says the joy of working with fellow Christians is what keeps him coming back.
___"I just love this work," McDonald explained. "I feel close to the Lord when I'm working because I'm around Christian people. This is my family."
___Gene Stapp, coordinator of special projects for Texas Baptist Men, estimates the work of the volunteers translates to a savings of between $50,000 and $60,000 in labor costs for the children's home.
___The finished product provides a 19-station computer lab, sewing room, remodeled kitchen and an open room for recreation and Bible studies for the children. The building will enhance the home's 4-H program.
___Wives of the builders volunteered to help girls at the children's home with their dress sewing project for 4-H, and some of the women worked in the children's home's thrift store.
___
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