Relief for the VERY Poor - a Roof, Toilet and Floor!!

Before the storm, this home never caught our attention. It sits on the town plaza, surrounded by other "nice" homes of a similar style. At times, the door stands open and friendly people pass in and out.

For no good reason, we had never made the time to introduce ourselves... until a few days ago.

A friend from church told us that her brother's roof was torn off during the last storm. She invited us to look and humbly asked if we might be able to help. The roof had been constructed with two layers. The first layer, which is the ceiling of the home, is a bamboo lattice packed with mud.  Above that was a steel roof which protected the mud ceiling from the elements. Without the steel outer layer, his roof will quickly collapse into his home, leaving him with... nothing.

The humility of their request for help was humbling.  Neither Our New Friend, nor his sister, mentioned any additional needs other than the roof.  The initial impression we got from them both was this: If we could possibly have the carpenter put new steel over the mud roof, all would be well.

Then I went inside...



The front room was plain, but live-able.

I continued through a short door into his bedroom,

and then exited the house to find his outdoor kitchen.





























I glanced around the yard...




and then spotted his bathroom, which is actually nicer than most because it has a cement stool instead of a simple hole in the ground.

We met with a local carpenter and discussed some options.

A new steel roof was a must.  In addition, we all agreed that Our New Friend's quality of life would greatly improve with a cement floor, which is inexpensive to put in.

While clearing out the house to lay a new floor, it only makes sense to dig a couple trenches, lay some pipe and give him an indoor toilet as well.



When we explained the possibility of having these home improvements done, Our New Friend was speechless.

Our New Friend is standing in the center.
When we arrived at his house, he excitedly told us his name.
However, our untrained ears couldn't decipher the merged syllables.
We look forward to getting to know him better... and figuring out his name.
For now, we simply refer to him as "Our New Friend".

We thank God for the opportunity to be vessels of love; that we're able to bring your love to Our New Friend here in Peru.

We thank God for using Our New Friend to teach us a little bit about the virtue of suffering silently.

Shortly before we left, I saw him standing on the ladder, smiling and laughing.  I glanced down and noticed his heels. Inside that moment, I felt embarrassed before God for all the times I've complained about a mild discomfort. Despite his hardships, Our New Friend is joyful and praises the Lord in all things. I can't wait to see what else Our New Friend has to teach us!! Please pray for the success of this project.  More specifically, please pray that his home is completely sealed up before the fierce October storms begin blowing in.