Chance Hill grew up going on missions trips, but when he began traveling to a small town in Guatemala called Conevisa three years ago he was moved to do something dramatic to help.
The people were without a water supply so building a well was at the top of the list. Chance also wanted to raise scholarship money to send some of the children in town to a nearby Christian school, especially when he learned that most of the village kids didn’t make it beyond third grade. Finally he wanted to help build a facility that could house Sunday School classes on Sundays but also be a functional space during the week to help locals learn a trade.
Roy Hill, Chance’s father and pastor of First Baptist Church, Satsuma, said, “He really felt convicted that he could do something for the village. He felt like the Lord had challenged him to raise the money and support to do these things.”
Chance kicked off a fundraising venture in the spring of 2014 to help meet these missions goals. He also organized smaller events such as selling hamburgers and hot dogs at local car shows and hosting a fundraising banquet at the church.
However, Chance has always had a passion for horses and used that as a way to earn money to help the town of Conevisa.
“My dad and I both have a love for horses and we’ve had horses for years and decided to take our horses to the top of the state of Alabama and ride to the bottom,” he said. “We had people sponsor us. We just took what we love doing and tried to honor the Lord with it.”
Roy and Chance accomplished their goal of riding horseback from the Tennessee River to the USS Alabama Battleship Park in Mobile Bay — a 355-mile trip — in 13 days in late November and early December 2014. They wrapped up the trip Dec. 6.
Financial support
The Hills had others join them along the way. Through sponsors’ funding and additional supporters the riding venture helped bring the total fundraising tally to “somewhere between $22,000 and $25,000,” according to Roy — putting Chance at the halfway point of his $50,000 goal.
Even though Chance still has more than $25,000 to go, he’s not discouraged by missing the initial fundraising timeline.
“At first we wanted to raise all the money within a year but I know we’re not going to make that goal,” he said. “It’s actually cool the way it worked out because I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring all these new things to the village at one time. It’s worked out for the best that it’s going to take two years or so to raise all the money.”
What’s at the top of the list of projects for Conevisa? The well, Chance said.
“When you see how much poverty is in this little village and you see what they have and compare it to what we have, it just makes you want to help them — to give them a little bit of what we have.”
Share with others: