Claudie had been attending Frost United Methodist Church for several months. She had struggled with her faith after many difficulties in her life. Her mom died when Claudie was nine. In adulthood, her husband died at 27, leaving her alone to raise their young children.
   With lingering questions about God, she drifted away from the church over the next 20 years.
In July, a group of about 50 junior high youth and adults came to Frost as part of a Central Texas Conference Youth in Mission (CTCYM) mission trip. One team was assigned to help with repairs needed on Claudie’s home. The team could have never known that the impact they made went far beyond the changes to her house.
   One week after the CTCYM team left Frost, Claudie rededicated her life to Christ and joined Frost United Methodist Church. She had been touched by a group of kids whose love for Christ was the only motivation they needed to help her — a woman they had never met.
   Two weeks after joining Frost UMC, Claudie had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. After five weeks in intensive care, she lost her battle and passed away. Her funeral was held at Frost UMC.
   “I believe Claudie’s final gift to them (her family),” said Rev. Leah Hidde Gregory, “was to bring them to church where, even in their grief, they could hear about a loving God — a God she had experienced through those youth.”
   Each summer, more than 2,500 youth and adults from the Central Texas Conference participate in CTCYM mission trips, hammering, painting and repairing homes of people in need.
When the project is done, the results of the hard work are evident in the physical changes that can be seen. Sometimes the most important changes go much deeper.