Remembering & Reaching Out: Week of June 6th-13th

This week was dedicated to the memory of the beloved Don Lupe Celaya and the service of his surviving family. It was especially important for the group from Our Father Lutheran Church of Denver, Colorado. Serving the same week last summer, the group had finished a day of working closely with Lupe when he died shortly after the group returned stateside for the day. Working this week helped the last year’s group members to overcome grief by reaching out to Don Lupe’s youngest son, Nelson, and his wife and two young daughters.

Sunday set the stage for the work week with a church service at Santisima Trinidad that was dedicated to the memory of Lupe. Following the service church members and some Colorado guests were all given a chance to enjoy burritos and sodas with all the funds benefiting Don Lupe’s wife, Josefina. This service was a reminder to the group for the real reason for their work: service to those in need.

The build itself could be considered “non-traditional” for YLM as it was a little higher up in the air than normal. Nelson was in desperate need of a second story addition to his home. With two growing girls it was time to get his family out of sleeping in the living room and into two new bedrooms that the Our Father group was able to provide. The project was in good hands under the supervision of four knowledgeable men from the Our Father congregation. With the assistance of two eager teens, a special guest from New Mexico, and YLM board member Carol Hill, the job of framing, roofing, and dry walling was completed to double the living space of the home.

As with every Ysleta Lutheran Mission project, it was a labor of love. This one just included an extra dose of love that was left behind in the form of written dedications to Don Lupe on the 2” by 4” studs. Enclosed with drywall, the messages will forever remain in Nelson’s home, just as his father Don Lupe, will forever remain in the hearts of every single person whose life he touched.