housing
A Heart Change
You’d never guess these men – well-groomed and fervently worshipping God together at a meeting of Cross International ministry partners in the Philippines – had once been homeless. You’d never guess some had spent their whole lives on the streets, begging and picking pockets. But now here they were, standing before us as living examples … Continue reading
New Creations
“My whole life has changed,” says 18-year-old John Michael Montilla, one of thousands of Filipinos benefiting from Cross International’s support of Gawad Kalinga, a ministry that revitalizes old, impoverished slums into new, Christ-centered communities. We help replace shacks made of tin and wood scraps with beautiful, concrete homes; clean up polluted streets; and turn a … Continue reading
Changing hearts in the Philippines
Whenever I see the results of Cross’ Gawad Kalinga house construction projects in the Philippines, my first thought is, “Wow! This used to be a slum?” The newness, the cleanliness, the bright, cheerful colors are a visual repudiation of poverty. This is the tangible part of ministry. It’s also, in some respects, the easy part. … Continue reading
Praise Report from Mozambique
Yesterday morning, Cross staff listened as International Projects Officer Tara McKinney shared photos and stories from her recent trip to Mozambique. She visited one of my favorite projects for orphaned and vulnerable children that Cross supports with help from our generous friends, a ministry called Reencontro. Tara shared a story that really touched my heart … Continue reading
Much Has Been Done But There’s Still Work to Do!
Traveling in and around Port-au-Prince recently, I was struck by two contradictory impressions. First, it appears quite a bit of rubble has been cleaned up compared to what I saw during my last trip to Haiti six months after the quake. Of course, there are still places where houses and buildings are waiting to be … Continue reading
Happy Homeowners
On our way through Nicaragua, we dropped by Villa Catalina to see how things have been going at the Cross International homes from our recent Amigos for Christ house-construction campaign. When we last visited the village in February for the dedication ceremony, the fields were a sea of dust under the punishing midday sun that … Continue reading
How to be a good neighbor
At the remote village of Mina de Agua, I came across a dilapidated house that looked as if it might collapse into a pile of sticks before my eyes. Beside the house, an old woman lay on a mat in the sweltering midday heat, weak and struggling to speak coherently. The villagers explained to me … Continue reading
Homes Against Hunger
Cross International has sent me to cover several feeding projects around the world, which means I’ve seen a lot of hungry children. But I have never seen so many hungry children in one place at one time as I did in Jubilee, Haiti. Among the many outreach programs started there by Christian Light Foundation’s Emory … Continue reading
Haiti under construction
It’s been almost a year and a half since the Haiti earthquake. If you’ve been watching the news, you know there’s still a lot of rubble to clear and a lot of survivors living in tents, and that many Haitians are pinning their hopes on the newly elected president, Michel Martelly, to bring the change … Continue reading
From Hurting to Healing
“I wish my mother was alive today to see this house.” That’s what David Massinga said through his tears when he and his sisters first moved into a new home given to them by Cross International and its generous benefactors through one of our ministry partners in Mozambique. The Massinga children were hurting — badly! … Continue reading
