"I Thought I Saw Angels"

The Bible says Jesus was a carpenter.

Under a sweltering Georgia sky this week, about 75 teenagers put that idea into practice — swinging hammers, sealing roofs and building wheelchair ramps for Douglas County residents who could not do the work themselves.

For Peggy Miller, the sight was almost heavenly.

“I thought I saw angels,” Miller said as teens finished installing a new wheelchair ramp at her Forestdale Lane home.

“Teenagers doing the work of Jesus, being the hands and feet — it’s just been amazing,” added her daughter, Beth Ferrer.

The teens traveled from churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas and Ohio as part of a seven-day mission trip coordinated by TEAMeffort and hosted by Bright Star United Methodist Church. Another group completed projects in Douglas County last week, and a third arrives Sunday.

Headquartered in Orange Park, Florida, TEAMeffort organizes youth mission trips throughout the Southeast and Puerto Rico. The organization provides projects, tools, materials, site leadership, meals and programming, allowing church volunteers to focus on mentoring students.

The teens sleep and spend downtime in Bright Star’s gymnasium. Each morning begins with breakfast prepared by local churches. From Monday through Wednesday, crews head to job sites at 9 a.m. and work until midafternoon. Thursdays are shortened to allow fellowship among the different church groups.

By Friday, the work gives way to recreation, with trips planned to metro Atlanta attractions such as Six Flags Over Georgia, the Georgia Aquarium and the King Center.

Local contractor Matt Holloway, a former Bright Star youth minister, has managed the Douglas County projects for a decade. He estimates the teams have built about 100 wheelchair ramps and completed hundreds of repairs during that time.

Holloway’s phone number reached Ferrer through what she describes as a chance encounter at the grocery store. As she explained her mother’s frequent dialysis trips and mentioned the rotting front steps at Miller’s home, the conversation stopped her friend in her tracks.

“She said, ‘God wanted me to talk to you,’” Ferrer recalled.

Within days, a crew was scheduled.

“They’ve been amazing,” Ferrer said. “They prayed over my mom before dialysis. They worked hard, even in the rain.”

At Miller’s home, the team arrived early and removed the old, deteriorating front steps while she was out. When Miller returned, the entrance was gone.

That didn’t slow them down.

“A bunch of them picked up my wheelchair and put it on the porch,” Miller said.

One teen stayed close, offering reassurance throughout the process.

“She kept saying, ‘It’s going to be OK. We’ve got you,’” Miller said.

Benson Avenue resident Paul Fisher had a similar experience. Teens built a new ramp at his home and sealed his roof. Fisher and his wife both live with diabetes, and the condition has severely affected his eyesight.

“It means a lot because I can’t see to do it,” Fisher said. “I’m nearly totally blind.”

Asked whether the ramp was a blessing, Fisher didn’t hesitate.

“In every way you can think of,” he said. “I couldn’t afford this. I’m on a fixed income.”

Organizers say the impact goes both ways.

“We do this to show God’s love to people who need help,” said Laurie Cruse, a chaperone from Hillsdale Methodist Church in Advance, North Carolina.

Cruse made the trip with her 16-year-old son, Jackson.

“There’s no electronics, no phones on site,” she said. “Just hammers, nails and saws. That’s our music.”

Twelve-year-old Langdon Key led the crew sealing Fisher’s roof. The homeowners’ reactions, he said, are reward enough.

“It was amazing to see the look on her face when she saw her brand-new ramp,” he said of Miller.

The trip also offers space for reflection.

“I just want to get closer to God by helping others,” said Will Weaver, 12. “It makes me happy to see how we can change people’s lives.”

He paused, then smiled.

“And I’ve gotten more handy.”

For Jackson Cruse, now on his third mission trip, the meaning is simple.

“The best part is seeing how happy people are,” he said. “Those smiles at the end — that’s what makes it worth it.”