Leston’s Story

God works in incredible ways for those who follow him full-heartedly.

For those of you who have been to the Peredo campus, Kapotyer is a familiar location. We often take short-term teams up to this small town in the mountains to see a beautiful waterfall and enjoy a Sunday afternoon before starting work on Monday.

My grandpa once told be that Kapotyer is the place in Haiti where he felt God the most. I would have to agree; it’s hard not to fall in love with the the natural beauty all around you.

But no matter how beautiful your surroundings are, you can’t help but notice the brokenness as you bounce around in the Land Cruiser on the way up the mountain. Undernourished children, dilapidated homes, inadequate infrastructure – the signs of poverty are everywhere. The strangest part about taking a trip up to Kapotyer is the contrast between the intensely beautiful landscape and the intensely broken community.

But God works in incredible ways for those who follow him full-heartedly.

The first week the interns arrived on campus, we were greeted by a missionary named Colton Draeger. His work in Haiti led him to meet RoRo, and Colton decided that he wanted to partner with HCO. His idea was straightforward but highly impactful: Build a house out of CEB for someone that really needed it. RoRo knew exactly who needed this the most.

This is Leston.

Leston lives across the valley below the church in Kapotyer. He lives with his wife and has served God faithfully. Leston isn’t as mobile as he used to be, and when we first met him he was sick with a fever. Through all of it, his love for the Lord and his joy in life stood out.

Watching him interact with his grandchildren and relatives absolutely floored me. His deep love of family is incredibly apparent. He also values his community. We were told that Leston had worked with his friends to build the road that went down to the river, placing large stones in the mountainside in order to provide an easier way of getting to water. This was definitely a man who loved the Lord.

Unfortunately, Leston’s home was falling apart. Unable to fix it himself, the house had started to crumble, leaving him and his wife at risk.

So we started building a house for Leston and his wife. HCO construction staff rode up in a tap-tap for a week and a half to build a house made entirely of CEB.

As the walls went up, it quickly became a community event. Children, adults, and even the elderly came to help carry materials up and down the trail to the worksite. Wanting to have a part in the construction of her new home, Leston’s wife carried full buckets on her head throughout the week.

We tore down the old house, filled in the footers, levelled the floor, and put up the walls. Leston’s gratitude flowed throughout the worksite.

 

“I know my days are numbered, but now I have a place to rest.”                                                         ~ Leston

  

Watching the house go up so quickly was exciting. We have a very skilled construction crew. These guys know what they are doing, and their willingness to adapt as they built was phenomenal. Watching them work was an experience that I will never forget.

But I also won’t forget the joy that Leston and his wife had as they watched their new home rise up out of the dirt. Leston is a man who has served God faithfully for his entire life. He loves his family, his church, and his community.

This house not only served to meet a need, but to encourage someone who loves the Lord with all his heart.

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Photos & story by
Jonah Steele
HCO Lead Intern
Summer 2016