Just in time for the rainy season, 20 families—including Maria Luna’s—moved into new, water-tight homes in Empalme de Boaco, Nicaragua on May 30.  Luna and her two sons moved into a home funded by faculty, staff and students thousands of miles away at Pacific Union College (PUC) in Angwin, California.

The PUC community got involved in the project when Jake Schiedeman, a 1990 graduate of the Seventh-day Adventist-owned PUC returned to his alma mater to speak about his experience volunteering in Nicaragua. He talked about leading a project to build a baseball field, public park, water tower, and now a housing development. He also shared how important service has become in his life and showed a moving video about the Nicaragua project and the people who have become so important to his life.

After Scheideman spoke senior pastor Tim Mitchell took the microphone and invited the students to get involved. The PUC students, faculty and staff followed his lead, and by the end of the service $7,861 in pledges had been collected. Donations continued to come in, and on April 6, the PUC community raised $8,388 to build a house.

At the end of May, Jake led a group of donors and volunteers to visit Nicaragua and inaugurate the 20 new homes, bringing the total number of families living in new homes to 42 (65 homes are planned for this project).

Scheideman said that everyone was excited to be moving in before the rainy season started. “The rain is what kills poor people,” he continued. “They were all so excited to have a real roof for the first time. Now they won’t have to worry about mud under the bed in the morning or rain coming through the plastic.”

The PUC house is now home for 28-year-old Maria Luna, a street vendor, and her two sons who are eight and five.

Scheideman said the contributions from PUC have made him more passionate about service. “I was proud that my school got involved like that, and it really convinced me of the power of just doing something,” Schiedeman said. “I looked around at the church that day and saw more than a thousand faces—educated faces. As educated Americans we have a responsibility to do something in the world.”