Father and Son on a Mission

David and Nolan Hermann ’25 building homes in Mexico for Youth With a Mission's Homes of Hope program.

A Duchesne High School father and son duo traveled to Mexico on a mission trip that was an incredible bonding experience and an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of the people they served. 

Dave Hermann and his son, Nolan '25, traveled to a community just south of Tijuana, Mexico, in late November to join in a house build as a part of Homes of Hope, a program run by Youth With a Mission (YWAM) where family, business, or church groups build a new home in roughly two days for a needy family. YWAM is a global movement of Christians dedicated to serving Jesus Christ worldwide. 

"My parent company, Wiese, has sponsored these trips over the last two years," said Dave. "This was the fourth or fifth planned trip. One of my employees has been on three of them now, and it inspired me to give it a try."

The two joined other volunteers, some of whom were locals who had homes built for them as children. Hermann's company provided enough volunteers to do two separate house builds for two families.  

"The build itself was something Nolan and I will never forget," said Dave. "Of course, over the years, everyone sees pictures and videos of the many less fortunate around the world, but being there in person, meeting the family we were helping, and really getting to see what their life was like was quite the eye opener. It really puts things in perspective." 

"For me, the mission trip was a very eye-opening experience," said Nolan. "It allowed me to see how the other half of the world lives and allowed me to realize how lucky I am."

One of the families was a young couple with a 3-year-old boy and a baby on the way. They had been living in a shelter made of plywood and tarps. By the end of the second day, their new home was complete, and the young parents received the keys. 

Dave explains that along with the build itself, one of the joys of the project is getting to know the families and seeing the effect their work has on their lives. 

"They were so grateful for what hopefully will be a life-changing event for them and the children," he said. 

"Building the house was all worth it when you could see the looks on the family's faces coming back to see their new home," said Nolan. 

This was the Hermann's first mission trip with YWAM, and it seems it will not be the last. 

"I would love to go back again with Nolan or even bring other members of my family," said Dave. "It's amazing how close you can get to someone in just 48 hours while doing something like this."