~The House That Love Built~

As we drove down the washed out dirt road, my eye was caught by shack after shack passing by. Some were lean to’s, some were small block houses, some were in between. Several times we passed the foundation of a house that had obviously been abandoned a while back. We pulled up to a lean to, made of some wood, some pieces of tin, covered by a blue plastic tarp. The kitchen was a separate wooden shack with one wall mostly open about 10 feet from the home. It was so wild to think before we left South Africa that this family that consisted of a Go-go(Gramma in S.Africa) and two orphans would have a new solid block house to call home. We were working with Ten Thousand Homes/YWAM Kruger, about 4 hours northwest of Johannesburg, S.Africa. Their staff had checked out the neighborhood and chosen the family in most need for us to build a home for during our outreach. We started from scratch, digging the ditches for the foundation. Once we finished then we started mixing concrete on the ground. This is very hard work! I was very proud of our team of young people. They worked hard and did not complain. God miraculously provided a concrete mixer through one of the students on our team talking to her Granddad. He volunteered to buy a mixer for Ten Thousand Homes. We were never so glad to see that big yellow piece of equipment arrive at the work site! We took the time to write notes and scriptures for the family. We brought them to the worksite and put them in the foundation. Our prayers were that God would be the true foundation of this home and this family. We finished pouring the foundation and began laying the block. When it was so hot and we were tired, I would just think about our family sleeping in safety, dry and warm when it rains. Things they had never experienced. Things that I have always had. Things that I still take for granted today. I can go on, I can work hard in the heat and sweat running in my eyes.
Over the four weeks working with YWAM Kruger we were able to build a home for this family. The last few days before we left for Mozambique and Durban the paid workers only had to put the roof on to finish the house. I stood looking through the bedroom at the gorgeous view of the forest stretching across the rolling hills. I prayed that it would be a reminder of God’s faithfulness each morning as they woke up and took in that breathtaking view. When we returned to YWAM Kruger two weeks later we set a time to dedicate the home. Then we went shopping! We had some extra money left over and were able to buy a few things for the home. We got them a stove, a dresser, some kitchen utensils and about a months supply of food. So early on our last morning in South Africa, we loaded up and headed to the work site for the dedication. The Go-go could not be late to work or she could lose her job that supported her family. So we met Zanele, a girl around thirteen years old, the oldest of the two orphans at the house. She was in her uniform ready for school. I can’t describe the smile on her face when we unloaded the surprise housewarming gifts. We surrounded her with our team of 26 plus the staff from Ten Thousand Homes on her new front porch. We prayed for God’s abundant blessings on her and her family. We prayed that this home would be a safe haven for even more HIV/AIDS orphans. We prayed that this family’s story would bring hope to more families nearby in the same desperate situation. As we finished praying, we handed her the keys to her new home. I felt strongly in my heart that we were giving her and her family more than just a home. We were giving them security and safety. We were giving her a new future, a new hope. It was an indescribable moment. We hugged and took pictures with her then loaded up to head to the airport. There are many more families of orphans adopted by Go-go’s and God’s heart is breaking for their desperate situations. Will we let God break our hearts for what breaks His? Will we take action to bring His hope to this dying world?