Building with Preachers

Travis and I had the privilege recently of serving in Juárez alongside a group of preachers (plus one contractor) from Southern Illinois that my dad organized. The group drove for 24 hours straight both ways just to bless the Longoria family with a home. This was a really special build for me because I was able to share it with my dad, my brother Luke, my sister Keturah, my husband Travis, and my 16 month old daughter Violet. I love that my family is so supportive of the ministry we are a part of here. Plus, we always have a lot of fun spending time together and fellowshipping with my dad’s preacher friends. I also only get ten days to spend in the field each year since most of my team coordinator tasks are in the office, so when I do get the chance to cross the border to visit the work site, it always reminds me why we do what we do and renews my spirit with a sense of purpose.

The Family's Story

The woman who applied for the home we built is named Lorenza Longoria Pacheco. She is a single 57 year old Mexican woman with many health issues. In fact, she has had three heart attacks, resulting in three deaths, each of which God has brought her back to life from. Lorenza believes God wanted her to witness His provision for her family in the form a Casas home, which is why He kept bringing her back to life. Thankfully, she has four children, all living nearby in Juárez, who can help take care of her. But for the most part, that responsibility falls on her youngest daughter, Evelin Evenecer Lopez Longoria. Evelin, age eighteen, and her husband Cesar, also age eighteen, live at home with Lorenza. Cesar works twelve hours a day at a local factory while Evelin cares for her mother full time. Lorenza gave Evelin the middle name Evenecer, Spanish for Ebenezer, because of its meaning: “stone of help.” Lorenza sincerely believes that God knew she would be ill and need her daughter’s help, which is why he led her to give Evelin that middle name. Lorenza, Evelin, and Cesar are all strong believers and attend a local church regularly. Lorenza’s hope is to be able to walk in to church on her own two feet again one day. For now, she must use a wheel chair.

The home Lorenza, Evelin, and Cesar had been sharing was a dilapidated structure with a leaky roof, dirt floor, and pallet and cardboard walls. We all used their bathroom at some point during the build, which had a large opening facing the “back yard,” which was really more of a valley filled with trash. The look of joy on their faces at knowing they would now have a secure, safe, and warm place to call home was priceless. They continued to smile, cry tears of joy, and praise God for providing for them. At the dedication we all laid hands on Lorenza and prayed for God to heal her body. But even if he chooses not to, we can take comfort in knowing that Lorenza knows God’s goodness and her faith in Him will not be shaken. Lorenza loved the fact that her new home was built by a group of preachers. She said that made it an even bigger blessing.

Thank YOU!

Thank you to all of you who support our ministry at Casas. It’s because of your prayers and support that the lives of families like the Longorias are being changed. Not only are their physical needs being met, but their spirits are also being restored. I love how Jesus in his ministry always combined both the physical and the spiritual when he healed people and then also forgave their sins. I hope that our ministry is doing the same as we meet the physical need for quality housing as a way of also meeting the spiritual need for Christ as we pair families with local churches and pastors.

Spring Break, our busiest time of year, is upon us. We are scheduled to build 68 homes this month ministry-wide. Please join us in prayer that God would move in the lives of the families, pastors, and volunteers that will be a part of these builds. Also, please pray for us to be spiritually renewed so that we can minister effectively to our teams and families.