“One of the bricklayers working on the project was a pastor and he started to sing in Spanish.
Pretty soon we recognized the tune as “Praise Ye the Lord” so we all started to join in—some in English, some in Spanish,” she said. “It was kind of a bonding experience for all of us.”

Raising buildings while raising their voices Pickett and the eight other volunteers from the United States — who were sponsored by Thrivent for Lutherans — helped build two houses during their two-week stay.

Pickett, from Burlingame, was part of a group of volunteers who traveled to Tosagua, Ecuador, to work with local families and other volunteers from inside Ecuador to build housing for Habitat for Humanity. Habitat has built 21 houses over the last three years in the Tosagua area that was hit hard by earthquakes in 1998.

During her stay Pickett was able to visit the home of one family whose home was destroyed by the earthquake and waiting for a Habitat house.

“Building houses is secondary to meeting the people,” she said. “The families are so appreciative of what we do. I loved the people there. When I travel I’m always struck by how much people are really alike—we’re so much the same.”

Pickett was able to converse in Spanish with some of the Ecuadorians during her visit. She teaches English as a foreign language classes in Topeka, so the trip was a good chance for her to work on her Spanish.

Pickett was joined on the trip by her sister-in-law, Virginia Siezers, who lives in Texas.

“What I liked about the trip is that it was a vacation and a chance to help at the same time,” Pickett said. She was able to tour Quito, the capital, for three days and do some sightseeing before going to To-sagua on the west coast of the country.
Pickett’s trip was partially sponsored by Thrivent Builds Worldwide, a joint effort of Thrivent Financial for Luther-ans and Habitat for Humanity International.