Dark storm clouds rolled toward us as we walked the dusty road through the village. Children ran out to greet us as their parents smiled from under their stilted homes. The rain came quicker than we expected, and a wall of downpour came pounding up the river. Villagers scurried to their homes, and we dashed toward ours. We stood in the doorway watching the deluge as it blew under our awning and sprayed us. The wind was exhilarating, and the rain washed the heat from the air. After the storm had moved on, we mopped up puddles from leaks in the roof and dried out bedding where the rain had blown in around the windows. I thought of the homes we had just walked past—many with thatch walls and palm roofs. There must not be a dry spot left in those homes after this type of monsoon rain. I couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty that I’ve always had a sturdy, dry home to live in.

My mind turned to the house plans we had been working on. Is it wrong of us to build a house that doesn’t leak when so many people in the village live in such poor conditions? Or to plan for a flush toilet emptying into a sealed septic tank so waste doesn’t ooze up into the yard? Am I being extravagant to want stairs that my children (and I, for that matter) won’t accidentally fall between?

You see, the house we were originally planning to live in has several problems that the landlord doesn’t want to fix. Some of the problems are just inconveniences, but others have the potential to cause health issues. After much prayer with AFM leadership, we decided to try something a bit different by building a home in the village. We have sensed God’s leading in this, and we are excited about the possibilities for ministry in our new house.

How would you design a house for ministry? Would you build it of wood, in a country were most logging is outlawed? Would you build it of concrete and block, which holds heat through the night? Would you build like the villagers with one large family room for sleeping, eating and visiting? Or would you hope to help them improve their living conditions by giving them an example of another building style? One villager told me they always build the same because they haven’t seen anything different. Would you build a Western-style home on stilts to meet your comfort level? Would you make it very small to meet your basic needs, like the majority of the villagers, or larger to allow room for hosting others from time to time? Would you design it to facilitate teaching English or health classes or starting a bible study group?

As we have been considering all the possibilities of a house design, we have grappled with selfish desires and a sense of guilt for “having it so easy” (a missionary hates to admit that they have these types of human motives!). But our greatest desire is to have a house of ministry; a house where people will feel comfortable visiting and getting to know Jesus. God knows what He has in store for The Great River People and what part He wants us to play. We have not yet settled on a final design, but we know that as we move forward He will bless and guide us.

We have found some suitable land on the edge of the village. We have visited numerous building sites to observe how homes here are built. We have been researching, planning, pricing and praying. We have talked to a reputable contractor who will build us a concrete foundation, posts and floor for $17,000, which is a reasonable price here. After that will come a roof and exterior walls. Construction will start as soon as we have the funds to move forward. As we wait, we are enjoying the possibilities of this opportunity and continuing to pray that God will open His plan of ministry before us.

Please pray that we will have discernment to follow God’s plan for a house of ministry among The Great River People. We invite you to be a part of this building project. You can contribute financially, through prayer, through insight, or even by coming to help build!

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