CNN Young Wonders

For seven years Justin Churchman has been building homes with Casas por Cristo.  At the age of 13 he earned his Eagle Scout Award by organizing his own team to build a home.  His enthusiasm for building homes in Juárez didn't stop there.  As a young man, his goal was to complete his 18th home by his 18th birthday, and he did just that.  It has been remarkable to watch a young local El Pasoan take ownership of such a large undertaking and lead others to serve where so many refuse to go.

This Sunday he is being honored for his work with Casas por Cristo over the years. In collaboration with CNN Heroes, he along with five other recipients have been awarded the title of Young Wonders.  Because of Justin's work, a positive spotlight will be shown in an area where only negative media has come from for so long.  CNN sent a crew out to Juárez, México to capture a Casas por Cristo build and the lives of the families living there.

Although we know that this Young Wonders piece will only be a small part of the CNN Heroes program this Sunday, we hope and pray that it will bring, if only for a moment, a voice to the voiceless and a positive national spotlight on a city that continues to thrive throughout so much adversity.

It was an honor and a privilege to stand in the dirt streets of Juárez, México with CNN; to have them interview Modesta (a mother that makes bread in a small Casas home) and ask her about her life and listen to her story.  Modesta will never see this story aired, but we pray that the right people will.  We hope that this will open the eyes of people around the world to those living in poverty right across the United States border.  We pray that it will encourage others to come and serve the countless families just like Modesta's.  These are the people that we love and serve daily.  We want the world to know them too.