Dear Friends,

Well we all understand that many people are going through alot of pain with the housing situation in the USA and abroad. Many people are losing their homes or seeing a lifetime of value evaporate right before their eyes.

A month ago, we were made aware of a family that was facing their own crisis, Filipino style. A family with three young children, a laid off husband and they were behind on the rent for three months. The wife was sick and not able to work and the landlady wanted to boot them out. What to do. What to do.

Well we got hold of one of our friends who lets people build on their property and charges only five dollars a month rent! That was a good start. Then we donated some spare sheet metal for the roof which is the most expensive part of the building. My social worker and her brother went down to the riverbank and chopped down some bamboo and hauled it to the work site. They built the frame, took some coconut leaves and wove them to form the walls and in less than one week and for the grand total of $50 the family moved into their new home.

We gave some cheap aspirin to the wife to relieve her pain and now she is able to work. With very little time, money and effort, this family was given real help and now they can sleep at night not having to worry about impending doom.

Hmmmm, I wish that all the problems in life were this cheap and easy to solve, but there are several principles here that are worth noting. Don't be afraid to help somebody; no problem is too big when several people cooperate; donate what you can and trust the Lord for the rest; you never know until you try; you can make a difference; we are here to love and serve one another; God watches over and loves needy people and there is a real blessing in helping those who are less fortunate.

We are all surrounded by needy people. Let's don't look the other way but do what we can do to help and bless others. You may never know how your little effort will truly turn out to be a big, big blessing.