Living Our Values of Service

Macy Schepis, the Corporate Director of Compliance for Nobis Rehabilitation Partners, recently embarked on a meaningful mission trip with her 15-year-old son, William. Demonstrating our core value of serving the community.  Macy and William traveled to Acuna, Mexico, where they joined the San Marcos First Presbyterian Church Youth Group to help build a house. Their dedication and hard work are truly inspiring.  Here’s the story of their experience.

Acuna, Mexico, is just across the U.S./Texas border and a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Del Rio, Texas. For this volunteer project, the youth group wanted to do something different, and they decided to engage with Casas Por Cristo to build a house from start to finish for a family in need. In Acuna, a bordering city of Juarez, the typical family makes $60/week, which is barely enough for survival, let alone any money for housing.

Macy said that the larger church community became involved in this, which led to a wonderful experience between generations. Seventeen people aged 7-60+ went on the five-day trip after months of planning and fundraising to contribute over $13,000 to the project. These funds helped provide one-room bunk bed housing for all 17 volunteers. Macy was thrilled the room had air conditioning since the temperature was quite hot. The bathroom facilities were in a separate building from the bunkhouse. 

The local pastor chooses the family who will receive the house and ownership of the land. After a vetting process, the pastor chose a family with two young, adorable children. The father even helped outside of his own job. The family and the local pastor also insisted on feeding the volunteers every day, which they didn't have to do. The warm meals were delicious, and Macy wished she could have their recipes. The hospitality was endearing. 

The volunteers cleared the small property, which was located next to relatives of the family. The foundation was laid, and the structure was built out of wood, chicken wire, and stucco. Each volunteer, no matter age or skill, was helpful in the project. Macy learned she isn't to be trusted with a drill, but with Macy's attention to detail, she was quite good at measuring for the materials. She was thrilled to enjoy this experience with her son, and the project allowed for some special mother-son bonding and the realization of how blessed they are! 

Macy was in awe of the volunteers who exhibited skills she didn't know they had. Some houses with enough funding may include some or all of these features: a bathroom, electricity, and A/C. Macy was thrilled that the church stepped up with funds to facilitate building a house with all of these features. The house is a 3-room house with a living area and two bedrooms. A kitchen is not included, but the family is fortunate to be next door to their former living arrangements with relatives who do have a kitchen. 

Macy says she and her son are ready to do this again. In fact, the youth group volunteers all want to go to Acuna next year, so the plans and fundraising have already been in the works. Next year's trip will also include Macy's ten-year-old son, who is excited to join the team! Thanks, Macy, for living out our core values and serving the community!