Balbina

Clarence & Judy Bouwers, from our home church in B.C., and 5 of their 8 children arrived at IDT on Sunday night, February 17th.  The next morning they made their way to Zapata to meet a sweet young woman named Balbina and her two young children, Ivan, 5 and Diego, 2.  They found a cement pad ready and waiting for a new house.  Clarence and Judy and their family began the job with a great deal of excitement and Balbina couldn't quite believe her good fortune at having this generous family come and give of their time and money to help her.

Tuesday morning began a little differently than expected.  A strange man showed up at Balbina's lot with an "official" looking piece of paper claiming to own the same property Balbina was living on.  Balbina also had an "official" looking piece of paper that said the same thing.  What now?  Clarence & Judy shut down their building for the day while things were hopefully sorted out.  We received a call in Canada letting us know this was happening and we promptly began praying for a happy ending to the story.

The next day, it seemed that everything was back to normal and the Bouwers once again continued on the building.  They carried on with the original plan, and all went well until Wednesday of the following week.  Three police officers arrived at Balbina's door and told her she had an appointment at the police station the following day at 11:00.   We proceeded to rallied together some outspoken Spanish speakers to accompany Balbina to this appointment.

Balbina arrived in bare feet, covered in red paint (she had been painting on her house that morning and the day before) and what followed was a long 3 hour meeting between Balbina and the man who had claimed the lot was his also.  We met with 3 "officials" in the Delegacion (Police Station) at different times and the story was told many different times in many different ways.  We didn't realize until well into the meeting that there was actually a lawyer there speaking on behalf of Balbina.

The purpose of this initial meeting was to look at the facts and the paperwork and decide who had the right to live there.  Both Balbina and the other man have paperwork that looks official and authentic.  The other man bought the lot in 1996 for $500 and then left for the States where he has been living ever since.  He also owns other properties in the area.  Balbina bought the lot in 2006 for $3000 and has been living there ever since.  It seemed curious to us and to the Delegado, that he has done nothing about Balbina living on his "so called" lot for 2 years, but just when she is about to receive a new house, he shows up and claims ownership.

At the end of the meeting the Delegado told the man that under no circumstances is he allowed to go to Balbina and harass her.  All of his communication needs to go through the Delegacion office.  Balbina was told that as she is in possession of the lot at this time and is actually living there, she may continue to do so.

There will be a further meeting at the Public Minister's office and probably a hearing before a judge to determine who will actually end up owning the lot.  There have been some new laws put in place recently which are in support of single women, so we continue to pray for Balbina that this will all work out in her favor.  We ask you to do so as well.

There were some good things that have come out of this meeting at the Delegacion Office.  We meet a Christian lady named Elsa.  She was part of our meeting, and she oversees a program where the government provides building materials for poor, single women to better their living conditions.  She has offered to help us in any way she can -- in discerning needs, looking at paperwork to make sure they are authentic, and giving us contacts of other people who can help us as well.  We also met the lawyer who was speaking on Balbina's behalf.  His title is "Visitado de Grupos Vulnerables de la Procuraderia de los Derecho Humanos".  (Put that on your business card!)  This means - "Visitor of Vulnerable Groups for the Ministry of Justice of Human Rights".  He also said he is willing to work with us, recommending people who own their lots and are in desperate need of better housing.

We praise God that what started as a seemingly negative situation, has turned in a God appointment, putting us in contact with new and extremely beneficial contacts who are willing, and in a position, to assist us in doing our job more effectively.  God is so good!  We also believe that God will continue to work on Balbina's behalf and that there will indeed be a happy ending to this story!  At the house dedication the next day we were able to encourage Balbina with Psalm 37:3-7 ...

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord and He will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him."

During the dedication time, Balbina was moved to tears as she realized the significance of receiving such a gift as the one the Bouwer family was able to give her through this house.  While a house is a very real and genuine gift in the physical, it is also a very tangible way of expressing the more important gift of Jesus Christ's love to us as people.  It helps put into perspective in the physical, what is sometimes hard to understand in the spiritual.  Through this project, Balbina was able to undertand the significance of God's gift of love for her.  Yolanda (one of our Mexican missionaries) was able to explain to her the  significance of God's gift of love, and when given the opportunity to receive His gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins, Balbina readily accepted.  Not only was she needy in the physical, but she had been impoverished in the spiritual.  Pray with us as we continue to build a relationship with her.

As the sun set, and we all dispersed to go back to the IDT Base, Les was detained by several other needy people who came to site to inquire about houses for themselves.  As he turned to leave, Balbina came over to him and gave him a hug.  Coming from a woman who had not shown much emotion throughout the week, that was a significant moment.

We are so thankful to the Rotary Club in the City of Courtenay, on Vancouver Island, BC, who through  their generosity, made this whole project possible.  Little do they know how their generosity has changed forever the lives of a young indigenous Mexican woman and her children,