Celebrating John's House

Here is our timeline with John:

 September 2011 - Just a month after arriving we found out our gardener, Vincent, would be leaving.  I met John as he worked outside the ABC library trimming the grass and raking up leaves.

October 2011 - We asked John to come and work for us as our gardener.

December 2011 - We delivered Christmas presents to John's kids at the house they lived in.  It was very small, run down, leaky, and it didn't even belong to them.  A friend was letting them live there.

January 2012 - We (meaning many of our supporters) purchased a plot of land for John to one day build his house.

February 2012 - While John waited for the right time to start building, he planted maize all over his new plot.

May 2012 - John devoted his 2 days off every week to molding mud from the dirt around his house into bricks and letting them back in the sun (see a sample of his work below). 

 

 July 2012 - John had enough bricks to start building his new house so the work began.

October 2012 - With just 2 months before the rains come, a special gift for John came through some friends which was just enough to put a sheet metal roof on his new house.  Many homes in his village have straw roofs which need to be replaced every year after the rains.  (see John's almost done house below)

the "soon to be" toilet (6 feet by 2 feet by 15!)

We were also able to help John get a wooden door to protect his new house.  Whenever we go and visit  John he beams from ear to ear over his new house.  He hasn't moved his family in yet because he still needs to finish the toilet (i.e. a 15 foot deep pit in need of a metal and concrete covering).  I helped dig the first meter and that was all I was good for - the ground is like cement.  Here's a photo of the pit. 



 Inside the house are 3 bedrooms, a sitting area, and a storage area.  John will also need to finish building the kitchen (a small, out-building).  He is now sleeping here at the house every night by himself until the things are finished to move his family in.  On the floor just out of range in the picture below is a blanket on top of some cardboard which John uses as his bed.  He also has the Chichewa Bible we bought him a while back on the floor next to his bed. 

a view of the sitting room in John's house

Our hope is that for Christmas we can purchase 2 windows (made out of glass and wood) for the front of John's house.  They are fairly inexpensive but will really help bring some light into the house.

John has been a real blessing to us.  He is quiet and shy - but faithful in his work, diligent, trustworthy, and a great friend to our family.  We have been so blessed to find a friend like John here and we are so thankful to God that He used us to bless John in this way.