Extreme Home Makeover in the Rails?

VIDEO TS mp4-YouTube sharing from Elias Castillo on Vimeo.

How did this all start?  Debbie shares in her own words::

I took Scott Steelman of Global Effect by Jennifer’s house in the Rails, to see the 2 beds we had bought for her family after the floods.  Josefina, her mom, was so thankful and sweet. On his way back from visiting Miguelina, Josefina pulled him aside and mentioned she didn’t have a stove. He called me that afternoon and asked if we could get her a stove maybe instead of painting the house. But I had my heart set on painting her house.

Jennifer, her mom, and 4 siblings

I asked the ministry team of 12 young people from Glad Tidings AG, Reading, PA to help us with an Extreme Home Makeover. They thought Ty was coming with the bus….(from the TV show).  But I said no, you will be doing the EHM. They loved the idea, and later on, told me it was the favorite part of their trip. The team filmed and edited the EHM video.We arrived around 9:20 a.m. on Wed. June 20, 2012. We took some photos and video footage, saw that Josefina had cleaned the house, and then sent her packing to her mom’s house. Then we applied base paint to the inside and outside of the house. The pastor had his crew of young people from the church, including Ranel, Anthony and Ezequiel, digging a trench to keep the water from flooding again. A team of girls picked up 12 big bags of trash. Elias came to plant moringa trees and some flowering shrubs. Then we 

painted the outside a lovely green, and the inside peach, the colors she told me she would like. We scrubbed down the kitchen cabinets, and her brother-in-law painted them. At noon I left them all working to go with Pastor Gemuel to pick up what we’d bought the day before: a stove with an oven for Josefina, 2 table stoves for neighbors, a propane gas tank for another neighbor and one for Josefina, and a washing machine for Sandra (another neighbor). On the way back we filled up the 2 small propane tanks.

The Power Team from Glad Tidings AG, Reading, PA

When we got back at 1:00, the team was putting the finishing touches on the doors and windows and moving the dining room table back in. We called the rest of the neighbors around, and got Josefina and her family to come for the “unveiling”. Oh, and right before that, we snuck in $60 worth of groceries and lined them up on the counter.

A grateful family!

The look on Josefina’s face was priceless. She couldn’t stop thanking God and us. She had tears in her eyes when she first saw that beautiful stove in the middle of her little kitchen. She was overwhelmed by the groceries. I had to practically hold her up!

 We had a thank you ceremony on her porch with all her children. She thanked God and us. I said Jennifer’s sponsor sent the money to buy the paint and the stove, and this was all done with the love of Jesus Christ. The American youth pastor, Eran Holt, told her how much the team enjoyed painting her house. We thanked all the neighbors who had come to help. We gave away the other gifts and had them say a word of thanks for the camera. It was truly precious. What a wonderful, beautiful day, and we left at 1:30 to go eat lunch!

 Thank you for helping us transform her house, bring such joy to her face and family, for making a way for the community to work together, for providing a stove for this poor, humble, needy mother of 5. Thank you for making such a huge difference in their lives.

 The next project: A makeover for Immaculada and her 5 children. She needs a new roof over her kitchen! Who will come to help us do it? 

Remember if you would like to help, donations can be made at our website:  http://dominicanmissions.org/

Love, Debbie