Instead of staying home or vacationing for spring break, more than 50 middle and high school students from First Baptist Church Bryan, First Baptist Church Hearne and Holy Cross Christian Academy in Burleson traveled to Kerr County to assist with Texans on Mission Rebuild efforts following July’s flash floods. A week later, students from Hurst and Ardmore, Oklahoma, spent their spring break in San Marcos with Revive San Marcos, serving at a halfway house and leading after-school programs for neighborhood children.
Rebuilding in Kerr County
As part of TXM’s largest rebuild efforts, Revive Kerrville gave students the opportunity to serve those affected by the floods by building porches and fences, installing flooring, planting trees and painting walls, bunkhouses and fences.
Mikey Osborne, TXM discipleship and outreach coordinator, said Revive Kerrville went beyond rebuilding homes and learning how to use tools.
“The Revive experiences are about way more than just kids coming, serving and completing a task,” Osborne said. “Discipleship is woven throughout the entire process. We give them tools and resources to start preparing their hearts and their minds to serve while they're on mission, and then when they're here, we actually put them in the mission field.”
Students stayed at Trinity Baptist Church, which has been housing Texans on Mission volunteers since July. Ryan Welch, TXM missions and discipleship coordinator, said the partnership between Trinity and TXM — along with the volunteer shower and feeding teams — made it possible for students to participate.
“I think it's always amazing to see the homeowners and how encouraged they are by our presence,” Welch said. “When they see teams consistently showing up week after week to help them, that makes a huge impact. And I truly believe it really is a demonstration of the gospel as we go into this community.”
On the ground
Students were split into six groups to assist with various rebuilding, repair and cleanup projects in the area.
College Station freshman Luka Brown was among 29 students painting the interior of bunkhouses at Camp La Junta in Hunt, an all-boys summer camp that sits on the Guadalupe River. With campers scheduled to return in April, Brown said he admires the owners’ determination to rebuild and reopen.
“After reading the articles and seeing what happened, I wanted to be able to give them some light through everything they're going through,” Brown said.
College Station junior Cooper Korbe said their group prepared the bunkhouses for painting by taping and priming surfaces before using brushes and rollers to coat walls, doorframes and window ledges. As they worked, white specks of paint collected on their hair, hands and overalls.
“People built these houses, put years into them and it's gone in one night,” Korbe said. “Having all that swept away, it really shows you that disaster is everywhere, and it's why our life here on earth is temporary.”
Across the river, Bryan sophomore Luke Odeski worked with three other students at a property in Hunt, building a fence and planting trees for a homeowner whose house was swept away in the flood, killing the homeowner’s son and one of his friends. Volunteers also built a bench from some of the flood debris in memory of the two.
As Odeski raked leaves and hauled debris in wheelbarrows, he said the work felt heavy, but meaningful.
“It’s a lot more real when you can see it,” Odeski said. “You're helping people who lost their friends and their family.”
Farther down the road, a group worked on rebuilding a front porch for a homeowner in Ingram. The team rebalanced and releveled trusses, installed flooring and support posts and added railings.
Lovelady junior Brock Russo said even though the river sits about a half a mile away, floodwaters still reached the property.
“It looks fine when you just look at the city of Kerrville,” Russo said. “But when you come a little out of the boundaries, this is a place that still has an air of devastation about it.”
Russo said the students also heard testimony from people involved in the immediate cleanup efforts during a lunch stop near Camp Mystic. He said it put their work into perspective and reminded them of how impactful their help is.
While their work was fulfilling, he said, it certainly wasn’t easy.
“The first day we had a bunch of hang ups — a lot of things we had to rethink and rework,” Russo said. “But that was possibly the best time of fellowship we had on site, the time we had to help figure things out. We got to pray together more, learn more about each other and the paths we took to get here.”
Jaxson Potter, a youth leader with Bryan First Baptist Church, said he was proud of the students’ commitment and effort throughout the trip.
“If you don't want to be here, I would promise you that Jesus didn't want to be on the cross, right?” Potter said. “But he said, ‘Not my will, Your will be done.’ This is a time to say, ‘Jesus, I love you more than my spring break. I love you more than the beach. … and I want to show others that love I have for you.’”
Serving in San Marcos
The following week in San Marcos, students from Hurst and Ardmore, Oklahoma, focused on yardwork at a halfway house called The Horton House and led after-school “Backyard Bible Clubs” for neighborhood children.
Welch said they are even working on converting a barn into a church for the men at The Horton House.
“We at Texans on Mission believe in equipping the next generation, and we get to see that with these Revive opportunities,” Welch said. “Even just yesterday, talking with some of the homeowners, they were just so encouraged to see middle schoolers and high schoolers give up their spring break to come here and to serve the people in San Marcos.”
Together with his team, Ardmore, Oklahoma, senior Brandon Williford cleared away branches, overgrown weeds and debris from the The Horton House property. Williford said he could have stayed home for spring break, but instead felt inspired to serve.
“It's better to come out here and do the Lord's work instead,” Williford said.
Hurst seventh grader Jackson Boschert, who was also doing yardwork, said he found that serving is beneficial not only to those living at The Horton House, but also to himself.
“I really want to experience things and help people,” Boschert said. “So if I can help, that always makes me feel better … it just changes your perspective.”
Joe Boschert, Jackson’s father, said the group was able to remove eight to nine tons of branches and trash from the property over two days.
Kyle Pettey, who runs The Horton House, said his main mission is to give recovering addicts a place to rest each night. He said the students’ work made a significant impact.
“I know this is God’s will,” Pettey said. “I’m blown away. I’m speechless.”
