Congregation gathers to builds 288-square-foot house for family in Mexico

By: JOHN HALL - Staff Writer | Saturday, October 13, 2007 9:54 PM PDT ∞

WILDOMAR -- The sound of constant hammering usually isn't accompanied by the giggles of children and the aura of compassion.

But that was the environment Saturday in the parking lot of Grace Point Church of the Nazarene in Wildomar.

About half of the 100 or so members of the congregation came together in the morning drizzle to build a house. A house that will be delivered in a dozen pieces next month to a family without one in Mexico.

That family of five now calls a 10-foot-by-10-foot tarp home, so this new 288-square-foot house -- with a roof and a floor -- will no doubt seem like an estate.

"This literally changes their lives. What they live in now, in this kind of weather, their floor becomes mud," said John Villa, co-director of Lake Elsinore-based Pouring Out Hope Ministries.

The one constructed Saturday is the 11th house Pouring Out Hope has been a part of delivering to the needy south of the border.

It's the first one built by Grace Point and the first time Pouring Out Hope has worked to teach a local church how to accomplish the work.

"What a great chance for our people to give back something to others," Pastor Wink Davis said, as he watched his congregation diligently working together. "This is a great experience."

Those who came out to help Saturday ranged in age from 3 to 86. While most were men, some with construction experience, many were young people who seem to understand the importance of giving to others.

"It makes me feel good because I know we're doing it for other people, not us," said 15-year-old Courtney Kusayanagi. "I think we're doing a good thing for people who really need it."

Eric Uber, one of the lead workers at the makeshift construction site and a member of Grace Point, said the parts assembled Saturday will be taken in trailers Nov. 2 to a family about 30 minutes south of Ensenada.

"We are learning how to do this so we can do it without supervision (by Pouring Out Hope) in the future," he said.

The construction plans were designed "like a puzzle," Uber said, which will end up as a small, two-story home with a loft.

The most difficult part of the whole thing is putting the roof on the house once the pieces make their way to Mexico, Villa said. That work takes at least 12 men, he said.

James Trier, head foreman for Pouring Out Hope, said the construction of the homes can sometimes be a bit chaotic.

"We've had walls we've built and had to take them apart again (because of a flaw)," he said. "But even that's still fun for everybody."

The cost of each home is currently about $2,000 and is raised through donations.

Ray Orozco, co-director of Pouring Out Hope, said these houses serve as a bridge between the needy families and God.

"We give the house (to the family) through a local pastor in Mexico and charge him to use this as a way to share the love of God," Orozco said.

Going through another pastor is important to Grace Point's pastor.

"God calls us as Christians to reach out, first in our own community and then across the world," Davis said.

"This is our first chance to go outside of the country. Our job is to share the news of a great joy," he said.

"What a great opportunity to do that through this," Davis said.

Contact staff writer John Hall at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com.

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