Casa Timberlake: a home in Mexico from the heart of Hartsville

Jana E. Longfellow
Published: June 27, 2008

Bill and Olive Timberlake of Hartsville are well known for their dedication to mission work, both here at home and away; the First Presbyterian Church’s tenth annual trip to Piedras Negras, Mexico, dedicated a “Casa Timberlake” home in honor of the Timberlake’s previous nine years of dedication to this mission. The mission is in conjunction with Constructores Para Cristo (CPC), a faith-based organization based in Birmingham, Ala., and working in Northern Mexico.

The group of church members, including their friend Dr. Howard Tucker of Wesley UMC and Coker College student Danielle Haney, were prepared for the 108 degree temperatures and hard work. 

Eleven bus riders including Rock Corley, Cathy Cuppett, Rolfe Godshalk, David Godshalk, Danielle Haney, Shirley Morris, Dick Porter, Dubose Terry, Tyler Terry, Morgan Terry and Howard Tucker departed on Friday, June 13, and drove 13 hours to meet Tucker’s daughter Allison and her husband and six children for a wonderful time of fellowship. On Saturday, the group traveling by plane included: Mac Cunningham, Andy Davis, Jay Davis, Mike Foster, Tyson Miller, Christian Prescott, Bill Wilson, Matt Zold and Mike Zold. The two groups met in San Antonio, Texas to spend the night. On Sunday, they rented a van and departed with the FPC van to Eagle Pass, Texas to have lunch and purchase food and supplies for the trip.  They crossed the border into Mexico at 2 p.m. to meet with their prospective family.

The recipients of the home, Jorge Gabriel Cazarez, his wife Gladis, and children Leonel Edwardo, 10, Eunice Yasmin, 6, and Jesus Anguel, 2, had been living in deplorable conditions. They shared a ramshackle structure with Gladis’ sister, husband and two children. Through CPC, their greatest dream came true. Families must own their little bit of land and pay 1,000 pesos (equivalent to $100) for this opportunity. Names are drawn by lottery.

The three room, homes are sturdy. They are built with concrete and cinderblocks, with strong concrete roof panels with fiberglass. They withstand the sometimes harsh weather and unrelenting heat and sunshine that is such a part of Mexico.

Dick Porter, one of the mission committee members of First Presbyterian, has been going on this mission longer than the church- this was his 14th year.

“This is an experience that mission workers take with them for the rest of their lives,” he said. “Helping one another to construct homes builds a certain fraternity, especially in 108 degree temperatures. These homes make such a tremendous difference in the lives of the families that get these homes. It’s always emotional to see how happy and grateful they are.”

The CPC mission also includes a medical center, vet clinic and a preschool along with their homebuilding efforts.

As handy as they are with construction, Tucker and Cuppett use their gifts and talents in a creative way while they are in Mexico; Tucker, optometrist, brings down his portable eye examining machine while Cuppett, Spanish professor at Coker College, helps to translate. 

Over a hundred people are seen during the week of all ages, getting exams and being fitted with frames.

Some have cataracts that are referred to the medical clinic, while some merely need reading glasses that are given to them that day; and others are given a prescription, which Tucker brings home to Hartsville.

His lab makes the exact prescription and frame for each person, which are promptly mailed to Mexico to them.

“This is a marvelous gift that Howard does for these individuals,” Porter said. “As an eyeglass wearer myself since childhood, there is no comparison to having the exact prescription that you need to see.”

After a long, hot week of work, the mission group had a celebration with the family and a speakerphone was used to contact Bill and Olive Timberlake here at home.

A special gold starfish was presented to them from CPC’s Founder Diane Davis to bring home to the Timberlake’s, an honor given to people that have come for more than five years to commemorate their nine previous years of mission work.

The group made the journey back home on Sunday, June 22.

They were stopped by border patrol on the way out of the country, and it was especially harrowing. Porter advises that if people are planning a mission trip, that it is well worth their time to all get passports, make sure old passports are renewed and have copies of birth certificates and photo ID’s like drivers’ licenses before attempting any trips in and out of our country.

The rising gas prices make such a trip a little more expensive, with gas costs over $1,250.

Despite all the hard work, long drive, extreme heat and border patrol issues, seeing this young family enjoy their new “Casa Timberlake” made this a memory to treasure for this special group of Hartsvillians.