Building a Home

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another. John 13:35

It was a chilly, cloudy day when I visited the Sanda and Tomita family with their six children and delivered food to them. The little children waited in the street to greet me. I knew the husband had lost his job due to the COVID 19 crisis, and they had to move from their rented home. As I looked over where they were staying, I had an instant chill run down my spine. They had improvised some cardboards and panels, but instead of walls and windows, they only had some blankets to keep them warm at night. I couldn’t comprehend how people could sleep in such terrible conditions. With the temperature going down to freezing at night, they were camping in miserable conditions, and with the winter around the corner, there was no time to waste.

Bread of Life already has its hands full with so many other responsibilities, and building projects are a new ministry to us, but can we walk away knowing there is no one else to help them? There is no better personalization of the wounded man on the street than this family. The loss of the father’s job, then their home, and being forced to sleep on the streets with their children protected only by blankets in close to freezing temperatures, with no food, and no hope. Tell me, can we walk away?

All they wanted was to build a small 15 feet by 15 feet room to keep them protected for the winter. They were willing and ready to do all the work themselves if given materials. We had some leftover roofing materials from the BOL Home, beds, mattresses, a window, and a few other donated items. We estimated the remaining materials for the building to cost around $4000. So by faith, we told them that we would get involved and help. We ordered materials, and they immediately started to work on the house.

It was amazing to see the parents’ dedication to their children and their desire to end the cold nights. When I saw the mother working side by side with men carrying materials with the wheelbarrow, I could feel the desperation and the hurry to have her family protected.

The house has a roof now, and soon, they will move safely inside as they continue to work on the outside. If you want to be a part of God’s answer, you can help complete this tiny house by marking your donation for the We Care Project. The children of this family will probably never get to meet you, but they will know that God loves them and helped them through strangers when they felt abandoned and cold.

Alin Panican