Sandra is a widow. Her husband, who passed away 8 years ago, struggled with alcohol and spent most of his days drunk, so he really wasn’t of any help to her. Sandra is used to being independent and works hard to provide for her family. She works on a coffee plantation where she helps to gather coffee beans from the coffee plants. She leaves early in the morning and comes back late in the evening, working long hours for very little wages.

Sandra has three children. Sucely is the oldest and sadly, she’s not in school. She works, just as her mom does, so she can bring some extra income to help with the family expenses. Sandra’s two sons, Juan Carlos and Jose, do attend school either. Jose has learning disabilities, which has made school a challenge. Not only he was having a hard time keeping up with his classes, but he was also constantly being bullied because of his learning problems. Sandra had to move him to another school farther from home. The good news is this new school is for children with learning disabilities, and Jose’s education has greatly improved. The bad news is that the school is more expensive, and there are also additional transportation costs.

Sandra and her family were living in a very humble and unstable shack with a dirt floor and big holes in the walls. Cold nights were especially difficult. Their new home has blessed the family with a warm, secure and dry place to live and sleep. They now have a home with a concrete floor, a set of bunk beds, a fuel-efficient wood stove, solar lighting and a water filter for clean drinking water. The new home also features an extended roof where Sandra has her kitchen. This house was a free gift to Sandra and her children, just as Jesus offered us free salvation.

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