Love in Action
“It is part of God’s mission and purpose for his world to bring about wholeness, justice, good health, righteousness, peace and harmony and reconciliation. These are what belong to the kingdom of God and we are his partners to bring to pass all that God wants for his universe.” -Desmond Tutu
Over 1.6 billion people live in inadequate shelter. These conditions affect their health, vitality and emotional well being. Having a home that you can be proud of, feeling confident that your children can sleep in safety; this promotes peace.
Decent housing contributes to healthy communities and restores a positive sense of pride. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to partner with families and be a part of this world changing work.
Our team member’s have been sharing stories with me about their experience with us in the Dominican Republic this year. Here is one of those stories written about one of the home builds:
“When we arrived in the village, at our worksite, my first impression was, how are we going to do this??? So far out of our element, our comfort zones, our understanding of the world.
Slowly we met the villagers and the men we would assist on the new home build. We became familiar with the materials and how to mix and prepare concrete. But we still had a building inside a building and again came the uncertainty of how we would do this. This is a common practice. As the new home is being built, the old one remains inside until the time comes to remove it.
The 2nd day we tore down the old house, seeing first hand how this family lived; dirt floor, cracks and holes where the rain came in and spiders everywhere. By the end of the day we had 5 courses of block laid and it was starting to feel like we could do this..!!
By the end of our journey, on our last day we gathered together the villagers and took pictures. We had made new friends and life decisions that will remain with us all forever. We had progressed with putting up the exterior and interior walls to the point that makeshift scaffolding was now in place to continue the build. Though we had a small part of the team working in this village; Jessica, Phoenix, Oscar, Autumn and myself, we had made a difference.
Then we took pictures of the family who would live in the house. There was a look of happiness and a look that you could see a brighter future on their faces. At that moment I knew that this was exactly where God intended me to be on my life journey!!!!
As hard as I had worked to help another, it was me that had received the gift. To be the hands and feet of God was such a blessing!!! I continue to lift the family, the villagers and all involved up in prayer and know that one day soon I will see a picture of a wonderful family standing in front of a finished house!!! Thanks to Jessica, the other members of our group and Heart of the Cross Ministries.
Submitted by DR team member: Charlie Burns