Providing safety

Today was an awesome day.  Not quite as hot as the last couple of days which was a blessing. We had two teams building this morning and each team built one house. 

The building when quite quickly. Ainsley and I always work together and second day building we always just fall into place knowing what our jobs at the site are. So fun working with a young girl who at 16 is already so passionate about helping and serving the people of El Salvador.  

During the day I had a few short chats with the home owner, Marina. She's 32 and a single mom with four kids, ages 15, 11, 7 and 2. The 11 year old is at boy and then 3 girls. Throughout the day Marina worked hard beside us helping to dig holes and help wherever needed.  It wasn't until I heard her story that my heart broke. Her two oldest kids and two youngest kids have different fathers. She was with the father of the two younger ones until 9 months ago.  After the youngest was born he began drinking and eventually became violent, beating her in front of the kids and at times basically raping her. When the youngest was a year old he beat her so bad she had to go to the hospital with her left eye swollen shut....and this time he went after the one year old too, causing her head to bleed. She told him he needed to leave. She took him back a short while later and he went back to beating her. She kicked him out again, this time for good. Marina works selling candy again and gum in the market sometimes making $6 a day and other days only making a dollar or nothing.  Providing for her kids is very hard. She went to the father asking for financial help. He said he would with the condition that He move back in. She stood her ground and thought of her kids and herself and said no. When we were standing with her in front of her house she broke down crying and kept saying "thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart thank you. My kids will be safe. I thank God that he sent you to give me this house. Thank you than you."  My heart just broke. I was able to look her in the eye and affirm her that she has made the right decision for her kids and herself. That God will provide for her and that she is now safe in a house with locking doors and windows. We cried and I gave her and a huge long hug.  She was so overwhelmed.

The problems here are so extreme and it can be overwhelming thinking of all the people that need help. But I need to focus on the fact that Marina and her family now have a safe place to sleep and that has changed her life forever.