Update - October 2001
A
couple of weeks ago I met JJ in Coxen Hole. He is an “islander,” which
means he was born on Roatan and speaks a form of English, as opposed to
those who have come over more recently from mainland Honduras and speak
Spanish. In our conversation, he asked what I was doing on Roatan. After I
described our project, he asked if we ever had any scrap lumber that he
might use for his house. Since we haven’t yet begun construction on our
buildings, I told him we did not, but that we may in the future.
JJ asked me if I wanted to see his home, which is in an area called “the Swamp.” When he is not at the airport working as a shoeshine man, he lives there with his wife and six children. I went to see it, mostly to avoid being rude. I asked if I could take a few pictures of his family (two of his daughters are shown). JJ and his family literally had holes in the floor of their house, and he asked again if I had any wood to cover it, so his kids wouldn’t fall through. It occurred to me that I had a couple of pieces of plywood which had been used as sides on our pickup when we moved here. They were stored under our house.
It’s
embarrassing to say that, at first, I kept thinking of all the things we
might use the wood for, and why it would be good to hold on to it “just in
case.” But the thought kept coming back, “He needs it to cover holes in his
floor.” I told JJ that I would see what I could find for him. I said a
short prayer with him about building a house that is safer and more secure,
as he had expressed he wished to do in the future. A few days later I
delivered the plywood, such an insignificant “loss” to me, but such a
wonderful gain for him.
Thank you for your prayers; thank you for you support. Our mission is just beginning to be built, but our ministry has already begun.
Joey, Angie, Aly, and Jeremy Gruner