World Changers – Making a Difference in Owensboro

I heard about World Changers several years ago when they first came to Owensboro. Today after contacting those in charge I was invited to come and see for myself what these young people and the adults who volunteer to go with them are all about.

If you go to the World Changers website, you will see that it is a mission experience for high school and college students. Young people pay between $250 and $300 to travel to a new town, many times in a different state or country. They then work for a week repairing homes of those in need. They also help spread the word about the Christian Faith.

The living conditions are not plush, those working in Owensboro this week are living at Apollo High School, sleeping on the gym floor. Meals are provided by some area churches or the program. All transportation is provided but not alway in a air conditioned vehicle.

Wednesday morning the young workers and their adult counterparts were up early, beginning the work day around 7am. I arrived at the worksite on Hathaway around 9:30. The house was getting a new roof complete with whirlybird exhaust turbines. Since this was a skilled job and required climbing and working on a roof only High School Seniors, College age students and adults were working. Everyone was working together to get the job done. The home belongs to a single Mom who could not afford the repairs needed.

Next was a house on Tremont where a group of World Changer Students and their experienced adult leaders were busy working on a front deck/wheelchair ramp. In the next 24 hours they plan to have the ramp/deck finished and also redo the windows and paint the trim.

The adults didn't all seemed to have some kind of construction background and you had to marvel at  their faith. After all in the construction industry this is  busy time of the year. Thes folks are taking a week off  to help others.

World Changers provide the labor and the City of Owensboro pays for the supplies. Last winter the city asked for applicants who needed help with their homes. The city verified the need and the qualifications of each applicant and sent the final list to World Changers. Jobs are selected according to the skills and amount  of available labor, the time required to do the jobs and the need.

At Tremont St. one of the adults struck up a conversation with some neighborhood kids. "I told them if they could bring their friends here around 2pm, I would have popsicles for all of em. I work with kids in my home church and they love popsicles. I hope to have a minute or two to share the "good news" with these young folks. You never know one or two may not have a church home. "

At around 10:30 some neighborhood children came by the site to see if the promise of a cool treat was real. One by one all the adult and student workers walked over to say hello to the small but growing group of locals. I was not close enough to hear what was being said but I certainly heard some laughter and saw a lot of smiles.

If you are interested in learning more about World Changers or want to volunteer just go to their website. You can also find out more from the folks at the Daviess-Mclean Baptist Association. I hope to have a representative on the air tomorrow morning at around 6:45am to tell us more. That interview will be posted on the 1490womi.com website.