A few weeks ago Maria Proctor, a local business owner and volunteer with Fostering Bulloch’s 7th Mile Farm, reached out to Builders for Christ on a whim and invited them to come to Statesboro. Builders for Christ is an Atlanta-based Christian mission organization that coordinates large building projects, as mission projects, all over the southeast. Think “Extreme Home Makeover” type event where they build an entire house in a week. Instead, they complete their projects in four weeks.
They typically build churches but Proctor was asking them to help finish building out the cabins at 7th mile. These cabins are the final step in housing T.R.A.C. camp, which she leads, at the farm and a host of other youth camps at the facility managed by Chis Yaughn. T.R.A.C. is an annual two week camp for Foster Children in our area.
Builders for Christ Accept 7th Mile Project – Community Steps Up
Bobby and Becky Lunceford, the husband and wife team who voluntarily run the mission, accepted Maria’s invitation and came for a visit. After an hour touring the grounds, hearing Chris’s story and seeing the opportunity, they were sold on helping. Little did Maria and Chris know that their primary summer project had fallen through the day before Maria called and they were actively looking for a place to send their mission teams.
Local donors had contributed the funds to cover the materials to build the four cabins. Each of the four are in different stages of construction. Chris has been struggling to get them built and has simply needed more skilled labor to get them completed.
Bobby and Becky not only committed to help finish the cabins, but they also pledged to build the main dining facility for the camp also. The dining hall was a dream project that was not even on the radar.
In a matter of a few weeks, Chris, Maria and Jeanne Anne Marsh, another faithful supporter of Chris’s projects, have pulled off nothing short of a miracle in getting everything in place for the first mission team to arrive this Sunday night.
If you follow Chris on social media, you have seen his calls for help and also witnessed how local businesses and individuals have again stepped up in extraordinary ways to support Chris and this project.
“Thank you Lord for this amazing, and crazy testimony your knitting together and for the lives that will be changed for years to come” said Chris Yaughn. “I ask for each of you to please pray for Fostering Bulloch’s 7th mile partnership with Builders for Christ “The Master’s Builders”. From the beginning we’ve been chasing a timeline that 100% does not work in the natural. However, we are one or two more big breaks away from God showing us, once again, that He will get done what He wants. He will continue to use us in ways that are impossible to imagine. But the problem is, we can’t see those breaks from our perspective. So we are left to struggle through the grind, and trust Him.”
Because of Builders for Christ showing up, what Chris thought would be another year or two away has been extremely accelerated. They have a goal to make a run at completing every major dream of the 7th Mile a reality this summer!!
Meet Bobby and Becky Lundsford
Rather than trying to share with you the moving story of how God led the Lundsford’s to lead this ministry, you can hear it directly from them. This video is from the Builders For Christ website. You can visit their site, or their Facebook group, to learn more about them and their ministry.
What Happens Next
Beginning on Sunday night, June 1st, the first team of approximately 60 volunteers will begin arriving at the 7th mile. This crew is the framing crew and will focus on getting the dining hall started next week.
The second team will work July 6th – 10th and will include Sheetrock volunteers.
The final week, August 10th – 14th will be the finishing team.
All together, they will work for three total weeks but it will not be successive weeks.
The Mission Team’s typical daily schedule:
6:00 AM Breakfast
6:30 AM Devotional
7:00 AM Start work and Crew Chief Meeting
12:00 PM Lunch
12:45 PM Devotional
1:15 PM Return to Work
6:00 PM Supper
6:45 PM Devotional
7:30 PM Activity complete for the day
More Help Needed
There are still a ton of needs to help see this project through to completion. Here are a few immediate needs:
- One big need is mechanical rough in which consists primarily of electrical rough in. A large commercial electrical contractor who could step up and help would be a huge blessing.
- Funding – they have raised raised about 15% of the total funds needed to complete the dining hall. This is enough to cover materials for week one. They need much more help with financial donations and donations of supplies and materials to take full advantage of this mission team and see this dream become a reality.
- They also need local volunteers to help coordinate and accommodate the volunteers who are visiting our community. Many for the very first time.
To help please call or text Chris Yaughn at 912-690-2498
To make a financial contribution click here.
Follow the Build on Facebook
Here are a few of Chris’s posts so you can get a feel of how fast this project has moved.
