Rosalinda

We are in the process of finishing a few houses this week; one of them is Rosalinda’s. Rosalinda is a widow with 6 sons, 4 still living at home.  Ten years ago her husband was killed in an auto accident and she began the struggle to survive with her 5 young sons. She currently works 5 days a week from 8am to 3pm for a few dollars a day. Her home is built of some concrete block, metal sheeting, cardboard and odd scraps of wood.  Inside the home the floors are simply dirt and little natural light enters. When it rains, there is no way to keep the water out and the house is constantly damp.

A few months ago, one of our construction crew leaders came to me and said he knew a widow who was in significant need of a home.  It took some time for us to find a time that would work but eventually we were able to visit the home which turned out to be that of Rosalinda.   She shared with me that some time ago - maybe a year or two earlier she had spoken with another one of our crew leaders.  She had been told that she needed to be patient but eventually the hope of a new home faded.

One of the challenges of living and ministering in a community where the need is overwhelming and unending is that it’s easy to lose track of specific needs.  We believe that God’s purpose will override all of our failed memories or circumstances that get in the way of us meeting a family that has extreme need and getting them on “the list” to receive a home.  The reality is that God knew long ago when we would begin this home.  All in his perfect time... The first weekend in September a family in the states wrote us on a Sunday morning asking if we had a family that needed sponsoring for a home.  They did not just want to sponsor a home they wanted to follow God’s leading.  That funding opened the door for us to build for Rosalinda.