Volunteers hauled cement blocks and shoveled dirt in the bright September sun at the beginning of a 12-day block-laying mission in Auburn, Wash. The goal? To lay 14,000 blocks and build a permanent "Bethlehem" structure for the Auburn Academy Church's yearly performance of Journey to Bethlehem.

When Journey to Bethlehem began in 2006, the city structure for the outdoor drama was constructed out of wood and assembled and disassembled in a month's time, requiring enormous manpower. The church voted in early 2008 to build a permanent Bethlehem structure out of block.

Miracle after miracle is attached to the building of Bethlehem in Auburn with donations of block, cement, gravel, mixers, construction equipment and labor. As the city walls go up, church volunteers are bringing down the walls of community volunteer's lives as they share the story of Jesus.

The stories will continue as construction concludes, and the drama production begins. Journey to Bethlehem runs Dec. 4–7, from 6–9 p.m. For more stories and information, visit aaachurch.org.