Nearly 200 volunteers from several states joined together recently to build a new family life center at First Baptist Church, Johnsonville. Among the many volunteers was Justin Leonard, who suffers from a disability that left him unable to walk.

Though he is confined to a wheelchair, when the teen found out about the mission trip to help the Johnsonville church, he made sure he would have a part in the construction effort.

“When we decided to open the mission trip to all of our youth, Justin was the first one in line, saying, ‘I want to go,’?” youth minister David Kunde said.

Justin said he didn’t want his disability to affect his efforts.

“I wanted to help build the church in some way … because I was doing something for God,” he said.

Volunteers working on the site built a special wooden chair for Justin that was the correct height for him to operate a miter saw. With Kunde’s assistance, Justin was able to cut boards being used in the construction project.

“It was touching, you know, that they took their time and they’ve really gone above and beyond to make absolutely sure that there was nothing that Justin couldn’t accomplish,” Kunde said.

Justin said he enjoyed helping out and making a lot of friends in the process.

The volunteers completed several projects, including work on interior walls, wiring, plumbing and the installation of sheetrock.

Church officials said they will continue to work on the building after the volunteers leave, but said the impact of the volunteers’ work has made a tremendous difference.

(Used by Permission)