Sam Garza Research Paper

The missionary group Making People Aware of Christ (MPACT) brought their group of more than 350 missionaries, consisting of middle school and high school age volunteers along with adults in leadership roles to Elgin last week, to help area residents with a variety of work that they needed done; and they did it at no cost to the residents.

“Whatever the people ask for, we try to get for them,” said Sam Garza, one of the MPACT adult supervisors, and youth director from Llano.

And while residents received help with projects such as yard work, major landscaping projects, house painting, tree removal, and carpentry projects, the kids that volunteered for the work gained much as well.

“Kids come in and they work, and they don’t get a lot of sleep at night, by their own choice because they stay up talking. But you know, they come out and give everything they’ve got every day,” said Garza. “It changes the kid’s lives. Some of them have never held a paint brush. It leaves an impact on their lives, not just the people that they are doing it for.”

He has served as a youth volunteer, a college aid, a team leader, a youth director, and last year he was a host.

Elgin residents gained much from the experience. Recipients of MPACT’s services had major projects completed at their homes that they may not have otherwise been able to complete for a number of reasons including insufficient manpower, or lack of funds.

“It’s just miraculous what they are doing,” said Ann Helgeson, who had MPACT paint the exterior of her home. MPACT found other projects to do while they were at Helgeson’s residence, and were more than happy to tackle them with her permission. Mowing and weeding her yard, removing a limb that threatened to breach her metal roof, and even mending her porch were all projects that MPACT completed with pleasure and