Burdened

My heart is heavy tonight. My heart is heavy because today my coworker Janette came back from giving bags of food to families in Mexico and told me the story of the worst house she said she's ever seen. Francisca and Jose live there. She is 64 and he's 69. There are so many holes in the house it really wouldn't constitute as much more than a covering. The gaps at the top of the "walls" and everywhere else send the winds straight through. Janette said she doesn't think they'll make it through the winter if we don't build them a home. I doubt they can do much more in the winter desert nights than huddle together and try to stay warm.

I'm overwhelmed tonight because I can't get them off my mind. I've been doing this for 5 years and I don't get it. I don't realize that this isn't just a good idea or a kind deed, but these families are asking us to save their lives. When we go across the border and build it might be a great and eyeopening experience that we carry with us the rest of our lives, but for these families, i hope it is the moment that their life changes forever. I hope that for the kids that we build for it's when they get the opportunity at a future because their parents can pay for them to go to school instead of spending it all on materials for their home. Maybe it's more than that. Maybe like this case, it's actually the thing that saves the family's life. It's overwhelming and today I was shown, maybe clearer than ever before, the extent of what we do, what we are giving our lives for; hopefully to save someone elses.

Hopefully this understanding isn't just for me, hopefully it's for everyone that sees what we are doing here.

Maybe this will help the guy at the store understand; the one that argues with us because we are helping people in Mexico and not El Paso.

Maybe this will help everyone understand that asks when I'm going to leave this behind and come home and start my real job, my real life. I have a feeling this is the realest life I'll ever live.

And maybe this will help me understand, when I can't remember why I'm still here.

If you want to help this family you can. We either need a team to volunteer to come down and pay to build them a home or we need to raise the money for the house and we'll get it built.

You have the opportunity to save someones life.
It's sounds dramatic I know. I doubt they would say the same.

If you would like to donate please follow the link below:
www.casasporcristo.org (click on donate today)
Please put Francisca and Jose in the comments section.