When Mark and Theriesa Hubers took their family to Juarez, Mexico, for two months earlier this year, it wasn’t for a vacation. It was a chance to involve all their children in crosscultural service.
The six children, who range from junior high to college age, all took part—some for the whole trip, others for a shorter time. Other family members and friends also joined the project at various times.
The Hubers, who are members of Community Christian Reformed Church in Roselawn, Ind., served with Life Challenge. Mark prepared projects for work teams and did maintenance. The teenagers played with neighborhood children and helped with a weekly Children’s Bible Club. Theriesa helped teach English to adults and cooked for staff and teams.
One special project was a 20- by 15-foot (6- by 4.5-meter) mural showing God’s hand reaching down and a rainbow of handprints of children, neighbors, and volunteers reaching up. It provides a symbol of hope for the community. Other projects included painting, hanging doors, trimming windows, and transforming unused space into a community food pantry.
The Hubers served with Christian Reformed World Missions in Liberia for two years shortly after their marriage. They both felt a pull to explore serving in the mission field again, and they wanted their children to experience meeting the needs of others in a crosscultural setting.
Theriesa says, “For our family, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from God of molding, shaping, and changing. I hope it translates into having a worldview of Christianity that transcends cultures.”
About the Author
Ruth Moblard DeYoung, a former Banner news correspondent and teacher, writes children's books. She is a member of Hope Christian Reformed Church in Oak Forest, Ill.
