On our return from our very successful Australian tour early in June, we were immediately busy with house-building teams from various parts of the world. I am privileged to call them my friends. Often these house builders are unaware of the impact they have on the families they touch, or on the staff, or on me personally. For the families themselves – there are hardly any words to adequately express what it means to them. Let me share what one of our families said to their team of house builders. What she said is said to all our teams, but often not as articulately – however, the meaning is the same.

In late April we had a team from Australia build in Kompong Som. On completion of the houses, they were presented to the families. The spokesperson for the families was a lady in her 40s, who is 90% blind and raising seven children. She said, “I have never lived in a house before and I thought I never would. Now I have a home. You will not remember us over the years ahead but on the day that I die it will be your faces that I see.” What a testimony to all of you who come and build, to all of you who are unable to come but support these teams, and to all of you who support our work so that house building can go ahead.

The impact on the staff is one of wonderment and thankfulness. As the staff go about their daily work, they spend endless hours riding motorbikes down impossible roads, feeling the onslaught of the relentless sun. The people they work with become their friends – they struggle together to make things better – the families give them protection and share what food they have. The staff hunger to see the families achieve more than a subsistence lifestyle; they hunger to see each of their families live in safe and secure homes; they hunger for life-giving water for all; they hunger to see our families being able to work in a way that allows them enough income to feed, clothe, educate their children and get medical help when sick. When a team comes and they build for their families, a sense of contentment and wellbeing infuses the staff because they know that these families are now safe, the children will all sleep inside, and the parents can protect their little ones.

The impact on me is also one of wonderment. Why in the world would anybody come so far and suffer this heat, making themselves tired beyond words, always completing the tasks that they came to do, and, in most cases, doing it with good grace? When we meet at the end, they are invigorated by what they have accomplished and by having made new friends with our families and staff; they are deeply touched by the courage of the families they came to serve. So many say they will come again, and so many do come again.

My wonderment changes to thankfulness and joy – and then to encouragement – and then to visions: visions of changing so many lives; being touched by so many people – people like yourselves, people like our staff, and people like the families we are called to serve. I am very grateful.

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