One of the downsides to being a hard worker is that you might get driven to work more! This is what was happening to Jamilton. Already worn down from tough workdays in rain or shine, his days started getting longer until he was working about 18 hours a day. Then, his boss started calling him late at night to cover shifts starting at midnight, after he just got home and barely had time to eat and get some rest. His body has been worn down and he has been fighting off one cold after another. He got to a point where he realized he simply couldn’t do it anymore. When he started to push back against his supervisor’s demands: they fired him.

Not that Jamilton would be dismayed, however! After a few weeks of job hunting, he got a new job working in a boot factory. He is still suffering the effects of having a cold but continues to work, providing for his family. Additionally, they started looking for a new place to live. Last year they made the decision to find a place to live separate from Fabiola because there wasn’t enough room in the house for all of them. The place they moved into was small but workable. The only thing that was missing was running water. The landowner had yet to pay to have the water connected by the municipality. That was over 6 months ago! The whole time they have been paying the neighbor to allow them to use a garden hose that hangs over the wall separating their two homes.

Unfortunately, this is the case in many circumstances. The landowner only cares about making the rent and not building up the property itself because someone in a more dire situation would put up with it. Usually, the answer from the landowners in these situations is, “you can pay for it if you want it that bad.” There are so many people that it won’t be hard for them to find another tenant in a month or two who won’t mind the current situation. In fact, Jamilton had to put the roof on the house before they moved in!

Please continue to pray for Jamilton’s health, that they can finally find a place to live that is safe, healthy, and with a landlord that cares about their tenants, and Demitri as he will be starting his first year of school!