June 27, 2024 / Equipping other effective missions with solar power
Not your ordinary co-op. Nor co-op assignment.
Passionate about Jesus, Colin Sorensen found a perfect match for his skills and interests with a SonLight Power internship: faith, sustainable energy, and Spanish.
As a third-year student at the University of Cincinnati (UC), Colin is simultaneously earning his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering while pursuing a master’s in sustainable energy in addition to minoring in Spanish. He’s also the Young Life leader at UC and an officer on the UC Running Club.
In short, he’s not exactly what you’d call a ‘slacker.’
Just after the end of UC’s spring semester, Colin started his SonLight Power co-op by flying to Monterrey, Mexico along with a SonLight Power installation team. Monterrey is home to the largest global campus of long-time SonLight Power partner, Back2Back Ministries.
The plan was to outfit 10 buildings with 270 solar panels over the course of several days. It was a massive project requiring a dedicated team led by SonLight Power Programs Director, Clay Luna.
Colin and members of the SonLight Power installation team
The Monterrey installation marks the fourth time SonLight Power and Back2Back have joined forces on a campus-wide solar project. SonLight Power previously equipped Back2Back sites with solar power in Haiti and Mexico, including Cancun and Mazatlán.
“Back2Back is an amazing organization to partner with,” said Clay. “They’re always willing to help, willing to encourage and teach, and have a strong Christian foundation.”
Back2Back is a Jesus-centered nonprofit operating in some of the most impoverished locations around the world. Their mission is to help orphaned children and teens thrive while also supporting parents so they can reunify with their families.
Through their various programs, Back2Back provides homes and schooling to orphans (some of whom have aged out of the Mexican orphan care system), job training, trauma-informed support, and family reunification assistance.
Colin working on a roof alongside Back2Back executive director, Todd Guckenberger
Like many missions operating in underserved areas, Back2Back Ministries has struggled to find reliable, affordable electricity to power its Monterrey campus. While the site has access to the electric utility grid, electricity flowing from the grid is unstable, unreliable, and expensive. Precious resources have been spent just keeping the lights on as electricity costs escalate.
Together with you, SonLight Power is changing that.
With the solar power system designed and installed by SonLight Power, Back2Back Monterrey will immediately save on rising electric utility costs. They will now be able to reallocate more resources to serving children, teens, and parents in need.
‘Work hard, play hard’ was in vogue in Monterrey
Colin got to experience firsthand the impact Back2Back is having on families in the community and how SonLight Power’s partnership will magnify the effect.
“God is working at the Back2Back campus,” said Colin. “Kids who didn’t have families now have families. They get to hear they’re valuable, loved, created in God’s image, they’re not an accident, and they have a purpose.”
In between working long hours on the rooftops installing racking, setting up solar panels, and learning as much as he could from Clay’s expert instruction, Colin made the effort to get to know Back2Back staff and their mission using his Spanish language skills.
Clay and Colin moving solar panels into position on a rooftop array
“Juan, the site director for Back2Back Monterrey, told me how he’s seen 23 kids go through their Hope Program,” Colin shared. “He showed me pictures of one of the recent Hope graduates who’s now a police officer. I could tell Juan’s heart is so full when these kids succeed. He was so proud of this graduate.”
As Colin reflected on his time in Monterrey equipping the Back2Back campus with solar, he expressed how the experience brought him closer to Jesus.
“God definitely showed me how my heart isn’t how I want it to be,” he said. “I was reminded how much I need the Father, the Son, and the grace He gives. There’s freedom that comes from that grace. In Monterrey, I saw that clearly in a way I never would have at home.”
Thanks to you and SonLight Power’s continued partnership with Back2Back, we can continue the good work of improving the lives of children and families not only in Monterrey but around the globe with the sustainable power of the Son/sun.
For a transformational before-and-after view of this project, check out this video:
Inspired by Colin’s story and the impact he’s making in places like Monterrey? Join us in making a lasting impact on the lives of children and families who need your help. Connect with us at [email protected] to get the conversation started.
For more information: VIDEO: SonLight Power Equips Back2Back Ministries in Monterrey, Mexico with Solar
