OUR 2026 MISSION TRIP TO WEST VIRGINIA W/ HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
There’s nothing better than piling into the van together and heading off on an adventure. From July 5–10, that adventure took 25 of us to Ronceverte, West Virginia, where our students partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for families in need — and to lend a hand at the local Habitat ReStore.
BUILDING MORE THAN A HOUSE
Our days were spent hard at work across two different build sites. Students put up wall studs and sheeting, and worked through half of the trusses on one of the houses — work the local crew honestly never expected a group of students to be able to tackle in the time that we were there. Seeing our kids rise to that challenge, and watching the pride on their faces as they realized what they were capable of, was one of the best parts of the week.
We owe a lot of that to Donnie and Dave, our worksite leaders. Between the two of them, they brought decades of experience, no shortage of personality, and accents so thick some of our students had to ask for a few things to be repeated more than once. They were patient teachers and even better company, and by the end of the week it felt like they’d become part of the VYN family.
Beyond the framing work, our students also spent time painting, organizing materials, and making run after run to the dump to help clear the site — the less glamorous work that makes a build possible, and work our students never once complained about.
Rest, Water, and a Little Bit of Fun
When the work day ended, the fun began. Evenings were spent swimming and playing in the river, and nights were filled with games in the gym at the local church facility that generously hosted us for the week — the same place we called home each night.
Somewhere along the way, all the boys on the trip committed — fully and inexplicably — to a thick Italian/New York accent that stuck for the entire week. Nobody quite remembers how it started, but it never stopped.
By the end of the trip, the group had truly become a family. At our final night’s pizza dinner, the students jokingly assigned each other roles as different members of that “family,” a bit that had the whole team laughing. And during our testimonies and student sharing time, the leaders walked away just as inspired as the students — surprised and moved by what the kids had to share.
A Week We Won’t Forget
Two houses further along. A family closer to a home of their own. And a group of students who came back not just tired from a week of hard work, but closer to each other than when they left. That’s what a VYN mission trip is all about and Ronceverte 2026 delivered it in full.
Every stud our students framed, every trip to the dump, every night spent in fellowship was all done in service of something bigger than a house. We believe that when our students show up for someone in need, they’re showing up for Christ Himself. That’s the heartbeat behind every VYN mission trip: not just building homes, but living out faith with our hands and feet. We’re grateful for a group of students willing to be used for that purpose, and we believe God is far from finished with what He started in them this week.
Trips like this don’t happen without support. Every van ride, every night’s stay, and our ability to financially support students who weren’t able to cover the cost themselves is made possible by people who believe in what these students are capable of. If this story moved you, consider partnering with us!! Your gift helps send the next group of students out the door and into someone else’s story.