Several years ago Sonia Rodriguez and her family had purchased a trailer as a temporary residence while they saved to buy a home. As her family grew and the bills piled up, the trailer became permanent and the dream of buying a home became less and less of a possibility. The trailer could only fit three beds and that was clearly not enough for her and her husband and their four children. Even though their trailer had two bathrooms, the second bathroom had to be used as storage so all six had to share a bathroom. In a country where many children have their own bedroom, the four Rodriguez children all shared one room. The family's bills kept growing and her husband's salary could not meet them all. Things in the trailer kept breaking down and water started leaking into the trailer. She considered herself and her family to be in a very desperate situation.
At that point is when she started hearing in the news of a program called the Bubble Home Project that would help poor families find homes. She struggled with the decision to apply or not. She felt that there were far needier families, but at the same time she knew their living conditions had to change. She spoke with Pastora Lucy who encouraged her to apply and leave it in God's hands. To their surprise, they were approved having met the programs requirements.
The new mobile home was an answer to her prayers. Every day she would recite Psalm 23.
[[A Psalm of David.]] The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
God certainly did provide. The new trailer was better equipped to fit their family's needs, particularly for the children who now had more space. It was also nice to move into a home that was furnished, clean, and unencumbered by things. The trailer even came with new appliances.
Community service was a requirement for the home recipients and Sonia was happy to volunteer. The idea had come up about baking bread and selling it at the farmers market to raise funds for the project so she threw herself into that effort. She really enjoyed it and worked hard in preparation for the market once a month. It allowed her to use her creativity and she was able to develop her own recipes for the bread. Her Pina Colada bread was one of the crowd favorites.
Once at the market, she noticed that many of the customers initially were hesitant to buy the breads because of certain ingredients such as zuchinni. She therefore started offering samples to help people get a taste for the breads and telling them "las pruebas no se cobran." Now, customers seek them out and the baking project has been very successful. Other Bubble Home Project women have now taken the torch.
The idea of pay it forward is an important concept behind the Bubble Home Project and it resonated with Sonia. Some of the furniture in her old trailer was still in good condition. The new mobile homes, however, came completely furnished. Sonia and her family therefore donated it for the church garage sales to raise money for the project to help other families.
Sonia and her family have fulfilled their community hours. She is currently taking a break from the baking to meet the demands of her family. However, at times when they have needed a little bit of extra cash, she has baked breads and gone out and sold them around town. She says that she has felt proud of herself for being able to raise $100 here or a $100 there to help cover some of the bills. The Bubble Home Project didn't just give this family a home, it helped spark an entrepreneurial spirit.
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