Keeping families together this summer meant building homes for families!In a third world country, housing is not guaranteed. There are no formal standards for livable housing. Many families live in less than safe, pieced together homes with walls of plywood or even cardboard. The idea of having a home of your own is only a dream to most of the people in the communities we serve. And to have a safe, sturdy home is a luxury many will never afford. La Mision House Build:Fighting for families means something different all the time here and this summer it meant building two homes! Franny, our on-site Psychologist, and her husband, Sheko, the IT and Design "go to" guy at Open Arms, have wanted a family of their own since they married five years ago. The one thing holding them back was a home of their own. They have been living in a small room in the back of their family's home and wanted to start a family of their own, with a place of their own. This summer both of their dreams became a reality: their home was completed with the help of all the mission groups who came down to serve and they are expecting their first child this spring! ABOVE: FRANNY AND SHEKO (CENTER 1ST ROW) CELEBRATE THE DEDICATION OF THEIR COMPLETED HOME WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS AND THE LAST MISSION TEAM TO WORK ON IT. Camalu House Build:Being a single, working mom in Camalu leaves a woman with a huge disadvantage in providing adequate housing and with children to care and provide for it seems almost impossible. BUT, nothing is impossible with God! Thanks to a special donation from Celso, Cris, Hugo, and Eliseo's sponsor, they and their older siblings now have a home. The reality of moving their meager belongings from a one room shack to a four bedroom home was proof to this family that God does the impossible! We celebrated with leaders from the church as we sang songs, broke bread, cried and laughed together. ABOVE: THIS SWEET FAMILY OF 7, WHO WERE LIVING IN A ONE ROOM SHACK, CAN NOW SAY GOD HAS PROVIDED A HOME OF THEIR VERY OWN! Do you want to build a home for your sponsored child? A little goes a long way in Mexico and it is NOT impossible! Email info@openarmsmexico.org for details! |