The Buckner Family Hope Center® at Peñitas in the Rio Grande Valley and the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) of Texas have sustained a partnership for over a decade that has benefited 11 hardworking families with homes of their own. Through that partnership, women from all over the state have volunteered to be a part of WMU’s effort to support Buckner families in the Valley.
 
Through the Mary Hill Davis Offering, WMU funds over 86 ministries in Texas, other states in the U.S., and Mexico. Every year, WMU sends teams of women to the Valley to help build a home. 
 
“These are passionate, hard-working and loving women who give their time and resources to help other families,” said Marisol Sandoval, office manager and missional lifestyle strategist for preschool, children, youth and young adults at WMU of Texas.
 
Sandoval highlighted how the women participating in this home-build are perfect examples of how knowing Christ leads people to action and to service. 
 
“Because we love Jesus, we want to go help those that have a need and thanks to the Mary Hill Davis Offering, we are able to get there and get to work right away,” Sandoval added.
 
The volunteers work to build a home provided through the Buckner Healthy Housing program, which provides home builds and physical support to families as a supplement to the work done through family coaching and resources available at the Family Hope Center.
 
While this collaboration to build homes began over a decade ago and the ways the homes have been built have adapted, the dedication of the volunteers has stayed consistent.
 
“What hasn’t changed over the years is the hard work and commitment every group of women pours out as they build these homes,” said Gabriel Flores, Buckner manager of missions and humanitarian aid in the Rio Grande Valley.
 
Each family goes through a rigorous process to apply and qualify for a new home. First, they receive family coaching through the Family Hope Center. Once they graduate from the coaching program, families are eligible to apply for the home build process through Healthy Housing.

Meet Olga Espiricueta and her husband, Mario Antonio Zuñiga, who were the recent recipients of the latest WMU/Buckner build, in the latest Buckner Today.