Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – In May 2023, the Community Development Ministry completed a home repair in Pha Đón village for the family of Mr. and Mrs. Mùa A Lự, a Hmong family in Lóng Sập commune, Mộc Châu district, Sơn La. The leaking house where 12 family members live was re-roofed and given a cement floor before the rainy season.
See photos: photos of the house handover on the Community Development Ministry fanpage
A House Where “Inside Is No Different From Outside”
On a work trip to Pha Đón in April 2023, ministry members visited the family of Mr. and Mrs. Mùa A Lự, one of the poorest families in the village. Because of their financial situation, their children could not go to school. At the time, 12 people lived together in a leaking house in serious disrepair. Their sleeping places were makeshift. According to the family, whenever it rained hard, sitting inside the house was not much different from sitting outside. They had not even been able to put up a simple screened area for bathing and hygiene.
The Whole Village Joins In
After the survey, the ministry discussed with the village preschool teacher and called on the youth union and young people of the village to help repair the house. The ministry provided funds, and teacher Bùi Thị Hương of the Pha Đón school helped disburse them and coordinate local resources.
The work did not go entirely smoothly. On the very first day of gathering materials, Mr. Lự’s eldest son was bitten by a snake in the forest and had to be taken to the Poison Control Department of Bạch Mai Hospital for emergency treatment. At one point doctors considered amputating his left arm. Thank God, he came through the dangerous stage and was transferred to Mộc Châu Hospital to continue treatment. In the following days, constant rain also slowed progress, but the villagers still eagerly took down the old roof and put on a new one.
“Thank You for Fixing Mother’s House”
After about a week, the roofing and cement floor were basically complete. On the morning of May 20, 2023, the ministry team and teacher Hương traveled more than 30 km from Mộc Châu town to inspect and hand over the house. It was hot, but seeing the finished house, everyone forgot their tiredness.
The house looked more spacious and airy, and the sleeping area cleaner, though still lacking comforts. Mr. Lự’s wife said to the team in halting Vietnamese: “Thank you! Thank you for fixing Mother’s house…” The ministry’s gift to celebrate was a new standing fan, much needed in the summer heat.
“Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
The Next Step
After the handover, the team, teacher Hương and the Pha Đón village head trekked through forest and up mountains to visit another family the ministry planned to help with a house next. The results in Pha Đón came thanks to the enthusiastic cooperation of teacher Hương and the village’s young people and residents.
Let Us Pray Together
- For Mr. and Mrs. Mùa A Lự’s family to live in peace in their repaired home, and for their son to recover fully.
- For the children in the family to have the chance to go to school.
- For the ministry to have resources to help more families with housing needs.
Read more in Community Development and Church News. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
