a new home for Luma

One of the coolest parts of working with Mission Emanuel is watching new homes be built for families in the community.  It's like "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" only with block houses and no trip to Disney World.  Justin and I were so excited to find out the first project of the summer would be working on Luma, our sponsor child, and her family's home.  We knew they had started building a house awhile ago and were continuing to work on it, block by block. But it was not even close to being done, so the help from the 55+ youth from Alabama was much needed.

Throughout the week, as the family quickly moved into temporary housing until the house was finished, we were able to actually see the conditions they were living in for over five years.  I must say, it was much worse than I had ever realized.  As the old, pink, wooden house was being destroyed, the most disturbing thing to see was the giant termite nest in the corner.  It was as big as a basketball and positioned right over their beds.  As the crumbling pieces of wood literally broke off in the hands of the men tearing it down, I had to fight back the tears.  I was overwhelmed with sadness that they had been living there for so long, humbled by the family and the fact that they had never asked us, their "rich" American friends, for help, and also filled with joy that they were going to have their new home with new beds in just a few short days.

Needless to say, they are thrilled with their new house.  All month long I could see such a difference in their demeanor and expression.  I feel better when my house is simply clean, so I can only imagine how much it has changed their lives.