We met this sweet family about a week and a half ago. They have been asking for a new home for quite some time, so once Jeremy was told about them, we decided to go and see where they lived. The mother, Marielos, comes with their two children to church on Sundays at Iglesia Celebracion. Franklin works on Sundays, so he typically cannot attend.
Their family lives in an area called Cochea, which is located up the mountainside a little ways from where we live, in Alajuelita Central. Their home is located off the road, on a dirt path. As you can probably imagine, it is very, very dusty right now. But during rainy season, the path to their home is very muddy, slippery and dangerous. We cannot change this. But there are some things we could change.
First, their home is built on homemade stilts. We could build them a safer, more secure home, built on stilts made of steel, or possibly with a concrete slab foundation.
Second, their home only has three independent walls. The back wall of their house is actually just leaning against the house behind them. As you can imagine, this allows lots of water to enter the house from the back side.
Third, their home is full of holes. Holes in the floor, holes in the roof, holes in the walls, etc. A new home could have four solid, independent walls, not made from scrap metal.
Also, their toilet currently runs to a full septic tank, which then overflows into the ditch that runs alongside their house. It's possible that we could re-route this in a more sanitary way. (That's a picture of where the tank is located, above. It's under the scrap piece of metal, being held down by an old office chair.)
When I say "we" I mean a team from the U.S. could adopt this family, raise the funds needed to provide them a new home, and in the process be the hands and feet of Christ in a very tangible way. Over the past four months, we have seen how this simple act of generosity can change someone's life for eternity. Every single home-owner that has received a new home via 6:8 Ministries has been impacted for eternity. Some have begun coming to church, most for the first time. Three members of one family already prayed to receive Christ.
So this is not just about an earthly home.
This is about reaching out and showing the love of God to people He loves. How amazing that God can and will use you to draw others to Himself!!
Please pray for Franklin, Marielos, Wesley & Allison as they wait for a new, safer home. Pray for their needs to be met, for Franklin to continue to have work, for their children to stay healthy & safe, and for God to be glorified in their lives. Pray that they will feel His love for them, and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
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