Upcoming Build Projects

Alaska 2025

JSTLV returning to the Island of Hope and Healing situated in Lake Louise, Alaska during the month of August 2025. This location holds a special place in our hearts, known for providing solace and rejuvenation to service members and their loved ones. Please be in prayer for our trip where we plan to serve in honor or our fallen heroes.

Past Projects

Virginia Home Renovation

In May 2025, the team went to the Eastern Shore of Virginia to spend a week on a home renovation for a veteran. As an organization consisting of families of the fallen, military veterans and their families we are honored to serve where we can.

Juarez, Mexico 2025

JSTLV traveled back to Juarez, where we will be built our 19th home in this the region. This project reflects our ongoing commitment to support and empower communities through the provision of safe housing.

Honduras 2025

Serve: Alaska

JSTLV returned to the serene Island of Hope and Healing situated in Lake Louise, Alaska during the month of August 2024. This location holds a special place in our hearts, known for providing solace and rejuvenation to service members and their loved ones. During this mission JSTLV gave a helping hand to Alaska’s Healing Hearts, a commendable organization dedicated to assisting veterans. During the week of service the build team went above and beyond the planned projects. We pray that we are able to return next year to keep serving in honor or our fallen heroes. Enjoy the video and photos from the adventure. Keep an eye on our social media for the dates of the Alaska 2025 build.

Pueblo Pintado 2024 Navajo Nation, NM

Juarez, Mexico 2024

After Easter service concluded, the JSTLV team embarking on their annual home build project in Juarez, Mexico. This longstanding tradition has allowed the JSTLV team to put their faith into action and to serve a community in need. 2 1/2 days after arriving on site a house now stands and a family has a safe place to call home!

Mission: Honduras 2024

JSTLV traveled to Honduras to build a home
At JSTLV, recently travelled to Marcala Honduras to build a home for a family! Originally we had planned to build in Guatemala but due to ongoing political unrest in Guatemala, we have had to redirect our upcoming home build project to Honduras. While the circumstances changed, the commitment to making a difference remained unwavering.
This particular home build carried special significance for JSTLV, as it marked the first team build of a Casas Pro Cristo home in Honduras. We were humbled by this opportunity to provide a safe haven for a family in need, all while honoring our fallen heroes.
Thank you for those that joined us on this journey or by followed along with our progress on social media.
If you find yourself inspired by our mission, we encourage you to consider joining us on a future build project. Together, we can make an even greater impact and bring hope to more families in the future. Our team is always excited to welcome volunteers who share our passion for creating positive change in the world.
We are honored to have had the opportunity to build a home in Honduras and grateful for the support from our community.

Serve:Alaska 2023

JSTLV is honored to partner with Alaska's Healing Hearts a national organization offering year-round outdoor recreational opportunities for America’s veterans and their families.  JSTLV assisted with rebuilding of a chapel that collapsed on the Island of Hope and Healing.  The mission of JSTLV is accomplished by connecting communities in need with contractors and skilled laborers who donate their talents to assist in building homes and rebuilding lives. Through this action model, JSTLV brings hope to those in need and purpose to those who volunteer to serve. We welcome your involvement with the mission!

New Mexico Fire Relief 2022

New Mexico Fire Relief - JSTLV committed to being the helping hand for Corbin & Melissa Erickson who lost their home in the devastating Hermit’s Peak – Calf Canyon fire which has ravaged 315,000 acres of New Mexico. The JSTLV team is scheduled to help rebuild the home in August 2022.  The Erickson’s house was a humble, off the grid cabin that they originally built while living in a tent on the property. The plan for the new home is almost identical to the 24’x32’ structure that was consumed in the fire. 

Corbin and Melissa began building the original 1-room, 16’x16’ house in September of 2015, without running water or indoor plumbing. They heated with a wood stove, hauled 50-gallon water barrels, and leveraged a small solar set-up for their needs. They built the kitchen cabinets and countertop, as well as most of the furniture themselves. In late 2017, they added a bathroom. During 2021, they built on an additional 12’x12’ room, added propane heating, repainted the exterior, and built outside fencing. Corbin and Melissa had just finished the house earlier this year and were in the process of meeting requirements to qualify to purchase home insurance when the Hermit’s Peak / Calf Canyon fire blew through on the night of May 8th, totally demolishing their home, shed, and solar set-up.

As they prayed nightly for some means of help to recover from the loss of their home, JSTLV resolved to enable their rebuild. If not for JSTLV’s help, Corbin and Melissa would have had no choice but to sell off the land and return to Nebraska, leaving behind their dreams, as well as the community and land they have come to love. The addition of a small 2nd bedroom in the new house will allow room for their 23-year old son, who suffered a life-threatening critical brain injury 9 years ago, to stay with them for extended visits. In addition to the replacement of their home, Corbin and Melissa are feeling very blessed in meeting local JSTLV supporters during the planning stage. Their faith in neighbors and community have been not only confirmed, but strengthened.

Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

For centuries the Romani people (Gypsies) of Eastern Europe have suffered injustices for many generations. While on a mission trip in Bulgaria to serve in the underdeveloped communities of the Romani, Pappy (JSTLV Co-Founder) met a man named Anko and his family. Anko's story captured his heart. Pappy knew that he had the skills needed to give Anko the hand up that he desperately needed. Anko is the father of a son with complex medical needs and the pastor of a growing church. Only months before this first meeting, officials ordered for one-third of the "Gypsey Ghetto" to be bulldozed to the ground. Anko's family lost everything.

When Pappy returned home, he immediately took on the project to build Anko a new home. JSTLV got the project moving through fundraising, providing logistical support, and completing two trips back to Bulgaria with teams to work alongside Anko and his friends. In the end, Anko's family has a new home and his congregation has a new church.

San Raymundo, Guatemala

The Harris family has a deep connection to Casas Por Cristo that spans generations. After Shane was killed in action, the Harris family chose to work through their mourning by serving others in need. Casas was the perfect place to begin this part of our healing journey. When CPC expanded by setting up operations in Guatemala, the JSTLV crew was one of the first teams to hit the ground.

This trip caught the attention of the Travis Manion Foundation. They joined the effort by contributing a grant toward the building costs of the home. This trip was the grassroots beginning of a new form of grief therapy that has since helped countless families and friends of the fallen. The Harris Family, JSTLV, and Travis Manion Foundation have partnered together to build 10 homes in 3 nations with Casas Por Cristo.

El Paso, TX

Since that first trip to Guatemala, Casas Por Cristo has continued to expand to many more nations. With this expansion came the need to update their International Headquarters in El Paso, Tx. Before finalizing the plans and breaking ground CPC contacted JSTLV for support. JSTLV contributed logistical support and skilled labor to assist with the construction and successful completion of the Casas Por Cristo International Headquarters.

Gallup, NM

Gallup, New Mexico has been ranked as one of the most patriotic cities in America. It is fitting to give back to a community that has given so many to serve our country. JSTLV has completed multiple projects for veterans and their families in Gallup. These builds have brought together team members from across the country working in partnership with other organizations, businesses, and the Navajo Nation. We are honored to put our logistical support, skilled labor, and heart to work in our home state.