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OREAUVILLE — A once-dilapidated house along Daspit Road one day will become a home for one local family thanks to Iberia Habitat for Humanity and a team of volunteers that were in town this week from Texas and Alexandria, as well as a local church.

“This project is actually a home that we inherited,” Iberia Habitat For Humanity Executive Director Leah Babin said. “It’s going to be for a family of six, four boys and a mother and father.”

Three teams of volunteers rotated shifts throughout the week for a labor intensive effort that came with a lot of love.

“We’ve been able to give some hope and some light in several areas and we’re enjoying it just as much as the people who are being helped,” Reagen Davis of Arlington, Texas, said.

The group removed yards of debris from inside the home, tore down barbed wire fences, pulled out nails and refurbished the home’s deck.

Church members from the North Davis Church of Christ in Arlington, Texas, as well the New Iberia Church of Christ, made up a majority of volunteers.  

“I like service work because it really gives a sense of hope,” David Taylor of Arlington said.  

“If something is decaying and getting old, seeing people come together to rebuild it is a symbol of hope that we can fix things if we all come together,” Taylor said.

Babin said the home could take up to a year to be ready for residents to move in. She thanked the team that got the project off to a great start.

“We‘ve had three teams this week, each of about 15 people,” Babin said. 

 “We also had our 12 board members behind the scenes to help us and a number of local businesses have helped this week and done things for us like helping with the sewage.” 

The work crew ranged in age from teenagers to senior citizens. It served as a sermon of service for those who participated.

“I’ve been learning to put other people above myself,” said Savannah Trahan, a volunteer from the New Iberia Church of Christ.

“Also to appreciate the things that I have because there are some who don’t have those things.  This is my first time helping with Iberia Habitat but I will definitely do it again,” Trahan said.