Everyone seems to know what the word “faith” means. In daily conversations, some say, “keep the faith,” others say, “just have faith,” and, during the last 15 months, many have used the phrase, “I’m losing faith.”
Often, we highlight what our child sponsors have done to help their students and families in Jamaica during the past year and a half, from donating beds, mattresses, refrigerators, rooms, food, clothing to sending encouraging notes and letters. This is faith in action. And sometimes, the story of how God works through faith is even deeper…
During this time of high unemployment, Romeo, the father of triplets, and his wife made the decision to start building a home for their family. By working every little job that came available and through the help of family and friends, Romeo was able to put money aside to build the “block” house for his children to grow up in and to pass down through the generations. Building a block house is not a cheap or easy thing to do. The land he was building on was family land, passed down to him. The cost of the block, steel, cement, sand, stone can add up, but, even more than that, it’s a lot of work for one man!
Little by little, day by day, the children would help their daddy build one row of block at a time. When the funds ran out, they would wait, praying for increase in work and income. It came, little by little… one day here, one week there, but it came, as they, even the children, knew it would. Little moments of faith in action.
He needed hands-on help. This month, one of our dear friends and her team of volunteers committed to helping Romeo and the family complete the first two rooms for them to move into by the end of July. When the Walkers found out that their project was the one this team wanted to help with, they all smiled, knowing that prayers were being answered. Little moments of faith confirmed.
Once we knew the project timeline was accelerated, thanks to the extra help of the team on the way, our ACE office reached out to the family who sponsors the triplets and asked if they could help with some supplies, as the Walkers were tapped out of funds. Miraculously, they were able to donate most but not all the funds to pour the floor. Little moments of faith continued.
The project began, but unfortunately, the funds ran out. There was not enough there to complete the project. We just needed a little bit more, but we all had faith that God would provide!
Then, unexpectedly, while the team was still working, a donation came from someone separate from the team, this project, or the Walker family. This donor, who had never given prior to this, felt called at this moment to give a gift that coincidently covered the exact amount needed for the Walker family to complete the floor. The cost was covered, the job was completed with many helping hands, and the family was on their way to having a place to call “home”. This is Big Faith at work.
And that’s how you see God working at ACE, in the Walker family, and in the lives of all of you who have invested into Kingdom things through sponsorship and volunteering. Those little moments of faith turn into Big Faith moments every time when God is in it.
(click to scroll through image gallery)
TRIP COST
There is an old proverb, “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.” History proves that lasting change in a poverty culture is achieved by empowering the people to reach their full potential and become self-sustaining. ACE is invested in our community long-term and in conjunction with our partners in the US, we are identifying the circumstances of those around us in order to find real solutions for their unique needs.