Teens seek to change the world by improving homes of poor families

DALLAS—Manual labor in the Texas heat isn’t the typical summer activity many teen-agers would choose. However, 254 Christian students volunteered to minister to low-income North Texas residents by renovating their homes free of charge.

“It shows that we love Jesus and … (demonstrates) compassion to come over and help an elderly person and fix their house,” said Tyler Allen, 17, of San Angelo. “It shows the neighbors around that we love God.”

World Changers allows junior high, high school and college students to travel across the nation, stopping in 85 cities and participating in 97 projects. Students work in conjunction with local churches, government agencies and Baptist associations.

Volunteer teams paint, install vinyl siding and make repairs requested by homeowners as a means of spreading the gospel, Allen said.

The students also put a personal touch on the repairs based on homeowners’ wishes.

“It’s really good here, because they get to pick all the colors and paint and how they want everything done. We’re going to do it just like that,” said Lindsay Snyder, 16, of San Angelo. “They get to pick everything that they want, and we will do it for them.”

Sean Edwards, project coordinator for Dallas and Waco, praised the willingness and excitement of the teenagers who volunteered to travel long distances and work long hours in the summer heat.

The teenagers “are doing a great job. They’re all willing to learn. They do it like you tell them to do it, not like they want to do it. They work hard, and they really do a good job,” Edwards said.

Snyder believes improving a person’s living condition is an important form of ministry.

“Some people are attached to their houses. This lady has been living here for 20 years, and she has been widowed in this house. Her husband painted it for her, and she has a lot of attachment to this house,” Snyder said.

Students pitch in on a World Changers house-painting project in Dallas.

Students view World Changers as a beneficial stepping-stone into future missions activities.

“I think World Changers is a good way to get started in the mission field, because it’s mainly for youth and it helps get them in the mindset for a mission trip,” said Chelsea Andrews, 14, of Wynne, Ark. “I think it helps to show what we do on mission trips and if you want to go on a mission or not.”

While World Changers involves some projects in Canada and Mexico, the ministry’s primary focus is within the United States.

“Many churches raise thousands of dollars to go far, far away to share the gospel. There’s such a great need right here in our own hometown, on our street. There’s hundreds of churches in Dallas, and yet there’s so many people we meet every summer doing this who don’t know Christ, and there’s so many kids that we meet in the neighborhoods that don’t know Christ,” Edwards said. “International missions are very, very important, but there may be a greater need here in the U.S.”

World Changers presents teenagers opportunities to change the conditions of local areas that may go unnoticed.

“Although there are a lot of needs (overseas), I think there really a lot of needs here, right in front of our face, that we need to look at,” Snyder said. “Even though it’s good to go to those places, too, it’s good to just start out in your own neighborhoods and help the people here. There are just so many needs everywhere that we need to help out our brothers and sisters here in America.”