Building a "Forever Home"

Blog post written by Justin Takiguchi (age 15), Irvine, CA

"Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it." - Psalm 127:1

This week our team had the blessing to finish a house that had been started roughly 1 month ago. This house was made of concrete, and would be going to two families from the surrounding neighborhood. Because this house was made of concrete, it would be a permanent "forever home" for the families, compared to the wood ones, which would last 10 years at best.

About a month ago, God gave me the blessing and privilege to have been a part of the His Hands His Feet team from Crean Lutheran High School.  This team helped lay down the foundation of the house. When we left, the foundation had been laid, and the house was about 3 bricks tall. However, when I returned, I was completely blown away. All of the hard work the Crean team had done helped result in a complete concrete house, with 4 rooms, a sink, and a toilet! Our team was able to paint the house in two colors. One was a brilliant green, while the other was a duller tan. I can say with certainty that I have never seen a more beautiful house in my life.

The whole day, the house, and the families have a special place in my heart. Very rarely do Christians get to see the fruit of their labor. However, August 1, 2018 was a day where God blessed me to be able to see the fruit of the Crean team’s labor. During the morning, we finished painting the house, moved in the furniture, and did other miscellaneous tasks. We ate lunch, then gathered around the house to begin the ceremony.

I was blessed with the opportunity to pray over one of the families during the ceremony. Another team member, Sherry,  prayed over the other. It was almost surreal to see Jenni hand over the keys, and the two families open the doors. With all the cheering and clapping, I realized that although the two teams had built a house, God in His perfect will destined two families to recover the house, and turn it into a home.