Familiar Strangers in Newton, Texas

When the volunteers at the Newton, Texas RV project went to lunch together on the first weekend at the project, another patron came up to them with some questions. She told the group that she comes to Smitty’s Barbeque, the restaurant they were at, every Sunday and had noticed other MDS volunteers coming for lunch a while ago. She wondered why she had not seen any volunteers around for a while.

The January crew chatted with the woman and assured her that volunteers would be working in Newton through April so she would see volunteers around more in the coming months. MDS was back to build houses and the community was noticing!

As January rolled into February and March and April, the RV crew put hundreds of hours into repairing floors, drywall, cabinets, and plumbing. They also continued to build relationships in and around Newton. The group visited the United Methodist Church of the Pines, The River Church in Merryville, First Baptist in Newton, and Jasper Cowboy Church, sharing about the work happening in Newton, connecting over pancake breakfasts and fellowship meals and soup cook-offs, and witnessing baptisms and dedications.

The crew found their way to local restaurants too: El Viejo Tony, Stu’s Grill, Cajun Joe’s, and, of course, back to Smitty’s Barbeque again. They built relationships with each other as they worked to prepare each home for its eager homeowners. Every step of the way, the group was getting work done at the project site while also making time to see and know the town around them. The people of Newton knew and remembered MDS volunteers, and the Newton RV crew made sure to return the favor.

by Alicia Hertzler