On Monday along with our good friend Harry Wood, it was our privilege to host 18 members of the Breath of Aire choir to build a house for the Romero-Cardona family (husband, wife, two children and a niece) in Vista Marina. This family is part of Pastor Carlos’ congregation and worked alongside us all day. The youngest family member is only 5, and was involved in everything from nailing siding to painting trim. The choir had performed three times over the weekend in Southern California, after which these 18 hardy souls returned to Rosarito on Sunday evening. Monday began with breakfast followed by the short drive down the coast to the build site. Fortunately the rain we experienced last week had stopped and the site was fairly free of mud and quite accessible.
The members of the team brought an atmosphere of excitement to the building event, with everyone doing their part to make the day successful. Work began at around 9:30, and by 4:30, the team leader was directing the dedication of the house, praying over the family and presenting them with the keys to their new home. There were tears of joy and expressions of thanksgiving as we all celebrated together. The build site was on a ridge, with houses across the ravine about ¼ mile away. After the dedication prayer was offered, the team broke into that wonderful worship song “Give me Jesus” in Spanish. As we watched, people came out of their houses across the canyon to witness this awesome celebration of God’s love.
No build day would be complete without a visit to Tacos Manuel along the avenue in Rosarito. As we sat around the tables and relived the events of the day, the expressions of pure joy as well as exhaustion on the faces of team members was quite a sight. For those of you who have been to TM with us before, you will remember that the seating area is enclosed on 2 sides by concrete block walls, with a metal ceiling overhead. Listen as the team once again breaks into song in this acoustically outstanding venue:
What a joy it was to join these wonderful folks in making the Breath of Aire weekend a great success. Watch the build day video below, and remember to pray for Home for Home. We will welcome a team of college men from Central Washington University next week.
Love JoAnn and Jon