Family Spotlight | Dominican Republic

Meet mother of four and single mom, Francisca Genao, who received our first ever Team Casas Dominican Republic home over the New Year. When we first visited Francisca's family in October, she was living with her parents and other members of their extended family in a roughly 600 square foot home. With kids aging from one month to ten years old, Francisca's full time job was looking after her children, which forced her to rely solely on the income of her parents to make ends meet. Maybe when Francisca's children were older, she could have saved up enough money to rent a house of her own, but the chance of Francisca and her children ever having a house to call their own was very small. On top of that, we soon found out that her youngest daughter Milagros (meaning miracle) had been diagnosed with brittle bone syndrome. When Francisca heard the news that she would be receiving a home in only a few short months, it was the glimpse of hope she needed to get through this stressful time. When the Team Casas members pulled up to start the first day of construction on Francisca's new home, the once four foot sloped land was now mere inches from being level. The church, local community, and family had all pitched in to help flatten the land shovel by shovel. Everyone was ready to join in and help. Fraylin, Francisca's oldest, and other neighborhood boys showed off their skills by expertly shoveling rock and sand. Pastor Fran, who sponsored Francisca's family to receive their home, diligently hauled bucket after bucket as the cement slab was being poured. Local teenage boys helped carry wood and construct wall frames while Francisca's father made sure every little detail was taken care of for his baby girl. As days passed and construction continued, we found out that the family had been to the hospital several times over the past few months with Milagros. Because of her brittle bones, if anyone held Milagros in slightly the wrong way, her bones would literally shatter. As a result, Milagros rarely left the loving arms of her mother.  The team members wanted to bless this family beyond their wildest dreams. They had bunk beds built for the children's bedrooms, donated baby supplies for Milagros, made sure the kids had school supplies, and even made sure Francisca had a fully stocked kitchen for her family.  In typical Dominican fashion, the dedication was packed with Pastor Fran's church, Francisca's family, and the local community. They worshiped so that everyone around could hear the praises of our God rising to heaven. Francisca was beaming from ear to ear. She had been blessed with the miracle of her own home, something that would have probably never happened for her if it weren't for Casas por Cristo's diligent Kingdom partners. Now, Francisca has a place where her children can grow up with a sense of security that will stand as a lasting reminder of the love Christ has for their family. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TRIP INFO TEAM CASAS INFO

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