It has been quite some time since I last posted. Not because I have nothing to say, rather I have lots to say but no time to do so. I want to leave everything off the table now except for one thing:
In the course of my job, I came across a man in need. Turns out he is in even more need now then when I began helping him.
The man is George Thrower. He is 61 years of age, and has worked at a full serve gas station in Richmond Hill for the last 35 years. He was forced to go to work, when his father fell ill, to support the family. His wife died at the age of 45 due to complications with MS. He has since taken in and cared for his brother-in-law, who is mentally challenged (I'm not exactly sure what, but not extremely).
Georges' house was in need of repair. He met a (so called) "contractor" at his work and a deal was struck to fix up his roof and foundation. Cash deal, of course. After borrowing $5,000 from family, and taking out a line of credit for $10,000, combined with whatever money he had saved, gave $22,500 to this contractor. This is when I met George.
I inspected the house and found the house to be beyond repair. The contractor did not hold any licenses nor did he take out any permits. His house was destined to be condemned. George told me that the contractor wanted another $30,000 to finish the job. George is a kind and simple man, not very attune to the world system.
His brother has taken up the legal battle with this handy man. In the mean time his brother also contacted the insurance company to see if they would cover the damages. I was rallying support from the legitimate contractors, in the area, to provide George with a house. The cheapest and quickest fix was to buy a modular home (pre-built in a factory) and put it on a foundation. Then demolish his house.
I had an out-pour of people willing to help, including the local media. Just when things were looking good, the insurance company sent George a letter saying he would no longer be covered as of December 20. Then of course the Tsunami crisis came and we were faced with little donations. We chose to go with a used modular home instead of new. It would be easy enough to fix it up with all the free labour and supplier donations, than to seek more money.
The modular home now sits on it's foundation and I'm collection supplies that are needed to make the minor repairs. (e.g. windows, furnace, flooring, bathtub). We received financing to purchase the modular home until we could pay it back. All together we still need about $15,000. We are holding a fundraising event next month, and we are hoping to reach our goal.
The local paper is going to run another article about the situation and appeal for public help. While I was at Georges' house waiting for the writer to come, George gave me some more bad news. His work gave him a termination notice! Someone bought the gas station and he's not sure if they will hire any of the current employees.
George only makes $11/hour and $80/week are spent on gas to get there. I am currently helping him find a job closer to home and perhaps a little better than standing outside in the cold, at age 61, pumping gas! I asked him how he can handle being on his feet, and in the cold. He told me that it's okay except when he comes home his legs really hurt.
On Friday I saw George cry as he told his brother, on the phone, about his desperate situation. How can I walk away and not help him? I can't! Up until Friday I had not mentioned anything about my faith, nor about Jesus. I have prayed much for the two of them and their situation, and to have an opportunity to share with them about Jesus.
I will write again.
