We wanted to share the full story of the volunteer we met who was making his 21st trip to Caminul Felix Villages.

Joe Babb is not your typical 76-year-old. This is his 21st trip to Caminul Felix. This year alone, he will make three trips to Oradea . His eyes dance when he says that "every time I come, it feels like I come home.[I] never have done anything in my life that I enjoy more."

Miles from his hometown of San Jose, California and his plumbing and heating business, Babb recounts with much emotion his first trip to Caminul Felix Village Two in July 2000. Their team of 58 built the Calvary House in nine days. He shared the story of their pastor, Fred Wilson and the team going in each room and praying for the salvation of each of the children who would grow up here.

He said, "When I was asked by friends to do the plumbing and heating for the Caminul Felix trip, I said I didn't have time. After prayer, a few days later, I called back and said I would join their team. Seven team members came and talked about Caminul Felix and the build in my family room. I later learned that they had a prayer circle praying for a plumber on the team. Unless they had a plumber, they would not have been able to finish the Calvary House."

This would be only his first interaction with Caminul Felix. Over the coming years, he assisted with converting Caminul Felix Village Two from propane to natural gas. He remembers the digging by hand for 2 1/2 miles and 36 inches deep for the natural gas delivery. He has since worked with a number of manufacturers, and mentioned several, including W.A. Call in San Jose who supplied sheet metal, Reem Company in Fort Smith, Arkansas who provided furnaces, and Moden in Madison, Wisconsin who supplied space heaters for the Noble House.

He and his wife currently sponsor five children. His home church is the First Baptist Church of Los Altos. He and his wife, Eleanor have three children (two daughters and one son) and two grandchildren. The latter, thirteen year old twins, he hopes will soon join him at Caminul Felix to meet his "other grandchildren."

His recent trip's purpose was to oversee the installation of range hoods for the recently opened kitchen in the Open Hand House. He will also join a team from Santa Cruz Bible Church and friends in July for work on the Teenage House.

Babb certainly is welcomed by the thirteen children of Calvary House and their house parents, Dana and Paul Luncan. With notes of love on the door and a room in the house, he and his wife are indeed welcomed home with every visit. The children smiled and said, "He is like our grandfather."

It is not difficult to see the joy being shared and passed around. The popcorn machine that the Babbs recently brought is but another expression of the love they have for the Caminul Felix children.

Babb enthusiastically says, "[Caminul Felix] is like a disease…There is no cure the doctors have found yet. You must visit."

Visit www.caminulfelix.org - HSR