I remember sometime in the mid 1990’s on a 3 hour bus ride
across Honduras’ north coast, Bob Eberly of Here's Hope Ministries leaned over and showed me a paragraph
in the UB Discipline. Under the heading “Social Standards”, it was listing all
the things the UB denomination believes a human being has a right to. He was
particularly interested in the phrase, “the opportunity for decent housing for
all.” For several weeks we had witnessed some atrocious living conditions. He
said it’s in our bylaws that we advocate better conditions for everyone, but
what is the church doing about it?
As I
look back today, since that day on the bus UB congregations have come together
to rebuild an entire community in La Uba, Honduras that was wiped out by
hurricane Mitch. 3 hours away in El Pino, another community was built for
retired and homeless UB pastors and their families and other hurricane victims.
Mount Olivet has helped in building or improving about 34 houses for families in Mount Solon, VA, Big Laurel,
KY, and La Uba, Bonito, Puerto Cortes, and El Pino, Honduras. But there is
still so much to do. Many people trapped in poverty feel hopeless about ever
seeing improvement in their conditions. But God can work through others to help
provide that hope.
So what is decent housing? At a
minimum a house should be healthy and safe. Many of these families that have
received help were living in conditions that were not healthy or safe. Those of
you who have worked in Kentucky can attest to that. We have been praying for
and helping the family of Alex Rosales in Honduras this fall and winter. Kent
and I spent 10 days and nights in their current house, and we can say from
experience that it is not “decent”. Some of the food has to be prepared over a
fire on a rusty metal lid. The house is full of mosquitoes. There are rat
droppings in the window sills. The floor is too rough to be cleaned. The water
supply is very unpredictable and for 3 of the 10 days there was no water. There
are holes in the rusty metal roof. The homemade scrub board for doing laundry
is propped up on a stick frame in the muddy back yard. These are just a few of
the daily problems this family faces. We plan to return toward the end of January
to help finish the new house that was started in December. It is 21’ x 25’ in
size, with room for expansion in the future. It has 2 bedrooms, and an indoor
bathroom with shower. It has a reliable water supply. And it will have screens
on all the windows to protect against mosquitoes. Alex and his family want to
personally thank all those who have given financially and have prayed for them.
Very soon they will be able to move into decent housing. Your continued prayers
are appreciated for the health of those involved and for the remaining funds to
be provided.
~Kevin
