One of the outreaches of The Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico, is our housebuilding ministry. There is a great need for housing in this area, and we have a long waiting list of people needing a home. Yazmin and Lalo were just such a family.
Lalo works construction, and jobs are sporadic at best. Struggling to provide, he and his wife and three children moved from place to place, spending time with different relatives. They ended up living with Yazmin’s dad and stepmother, but there was conflict. So the young family finally moved to a tiny pallet house that Lalo put together just so they could have their own space.
Lalo owned a small plot of land where he wanted to build their future house someday. He had leveled the plot and made it ready for when they could afford to build. But one of Yazmin’s elderly aunts lived in a leaky pallet house in a very dangerous area. She was at the top of our list since her need was dire, however, one of the requirements before we start is that the recipient(s) have clear title to a piece of property that we can build on. Since Yazmin’s aunt did not, Lalo very graciously gave her their plot. Soon the elderly lady was in a snug, secure room nearer her family.
God is never outdone in generosity, and Lalo soon obtained another lot. Now it was their turn, and we helped them build their own house with 3 bedrooms, a little kitchen, bathroom and a dining area.
When a family has a home to call their own, no matter how modest or small, it can have a ripple effect in many positive ways. For Yazmin and Lalo, they asked to join our catechism classes and soon had their marriage blessed in the Catholic Church. Their children, two girls and a boy, are thriving and content.
“We are very, very happy,” Yazmin said. “And so grateful to God and to the Food Bank.”