BUILDING A HOME

Engadi Ministries exists to Empower Families so they can Transform Their Communities. A community is many times defined by the quality of houses built within it. Instead of looking at the physical house, Engadi believes the best way to define a community is to look at the homes. Even among some of the most rundown and rustic houses, we have found incredible families that, through love, form a solid home. As they say, “Home is where the heart is.”

Simply by helping families achieve their hopes and dreams of having better living conditions we empower them. The low income job opportunities a lot of families survive on make it impossible for them to save up enough so they can build a dignified home.

Nehemiah 5 tells the story of how the hearts of the rich were turned to help the poor in their community. We want to do the same by being a blessing and an encouragement to those we serve. We all dream of owning our own home, and many of us reach that goal and even have two or three homes. As Engadi invites you - our ministry partners - into these neighborhoods, we want to open your eyes to the great need for a safe, long-lasting home for our brothers and sisters in Guatemala City.

Obtaining a mortgage in Guatemala is possible, but the burden is overwhelming. Many home loans require a 30% downpayment and annual interest of between 12 and 17%! The potential salary to mortgage ratio is simply impossible for most hard-working residents in the community. Engadi doesn’t want anyone to be burdened under a heavy yoke of interest, but uplifted, embraced, and loved the way Christ would. As we learn in Leviticus 25, we want to help carry each other's burdens.

As Engadi identifies families that have already formed a solid home, but would benefit from a better physical environment, we want to work with them in achieving their goals. Through generous donations, we intend to fund the project covering 100% of the costs. We believe that this incredible gift will empower these families to give back. For that reason, we will issue a challenge to encouraging each family to pay-it-forward by donating 50% of the value of their home renovation or home build toward future projects. As a non-profit there will be no way to enforce this request for a donation, but we are simply trusting God they will pay-it-forward! By doing so they will be investing into the Home Transformation Ministry as well, and will hopefully value the gift they received even more. They will be the ones to plant a seed for the next home project to be done down the road.

As we work to lift an entire neighborhood out of poverty and help individuals reach their full potential in Christ, a dignified place to live is one of the greatest steps up a family can receive. Working together as the body of Christ, we can bless many homes.

If you have questions about how you can be a part of this unique project of building homes, please contact us at hello@engadiministries.org

If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would.

Exodus 22:25

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.

Proverbs 19:17

35 If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you. 36 Do not charge interest or make a profit at his expense. Instead, show your fear of God by letting him live with you as your relative. 37 Remember, do not charge interest on money you lend him or make a profit on food you sell him. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

Leviticus 25:35-38

In the Paraiso neighborhood, we see a wide variety of houses. Originally, the neighborhood was designed as a low income community. The "cookie cutter” design was a simple pattern with two bedrooms and a bathroom. These “planned" houses were built on the flat areas and along the main road. In the ravine and other green areas, families with no hope invaded the space and squatted there. The areas where they settled many times don't have running water, electricity, or other basic infrastructure.

Squatter houses are often about the size of a two car garage. Not a house with a two car garage, just the garage. They are made of corrugated tin, old cardboard, plastic sheets, and whatever other materials may have been available at the time. The floors are swept dirt or may have a thin layer of rough concrete. Due to the fact that the house isn’t well built, rain filters through the roof and the walls, and water many times runs across the floor. The kitchen is outside under a lean-to, as they’ll cook over an open fire. Some homes are connected into the city sewer line and have functional toilets, while others use outhouses. Wires are loosely hung from the rafters to single light bulbs.

Each house project is different. Since additional land is hard to come by, some families already have a bottom floor and need a second floor for their growing kids. Other families are in a situation where their roofs have caved in due to termites and weather damage. For families that live in a ravine, they may need some kind of anchoring system and a strong foundation to keep the house from sliding downhill. We will adapt the project to the immediate needs, working with the family to find the best solution possible.

Due to the risk of earthquakes and violence in the neighborhoods, simple wood framed homes with drywall siding would be a poor investment. Homes must be built of cement block with rebar reinforced concrete columns. Floors will be polished concrete. A functional bathroom is included in the design where sewer lines make it possible. Roofs are supported by galvanized steel trusses and corrugated tin. Electric conduit will distribute adequate lighting for the whole house.

Homes in rural parts of Guatemala can be erected for much less. Many ministries build homes for a few thousand dollars each. These homes many times are simple wood framed structures on leveled land with open space around them. Many times they are built in unregulated areas. In Guatemala City we have a variety of factors that dictate how we need to build:

Our biggest concern is the safety of the families. Tin siding in a gang infested neighborhood leaves the family vulnerable to stray bullets, robbery, and extortion.
Guatemala being such a seismic nation we have to contend with earthquakes and therefore build homes that can withstand the ground moving under our feet.
The population density in the City is much greater than in the countryside. For example, 30,000 people live in the Paraiso Neighborhood which covers merely 155 acres. Homes are built right up to the property lines. Proper footing and wall joints are necessary to ensure the longevity of the homes. These upfront investments will pay off over the longevity of the house.
Speaking of footings, many of the homes sit on steep slopes. Due to lack of funds and proper planning adjoining homes may not of been properly constructed to begin with. If the house we build is downhill from another, we must include a retaining wall to ensure the uphill house doesn’t slide down on top of the newly erected Engadi home. We also need to install secure footings so the Engadi home doesn’t do the same to the house below it.
When considering the steep sloops and Guatemala’s intense rainy season water runoff is a major issue. As mentioned above, rain many times flows under the house and pours across the floor. We must divert rainwater coming from uphill, and also prevent moisture from getting through the walls.
Termites, humidity and rot are a major issue and the reason we don’t build wood framed homes or use wood for the trusses. We use galvanized metal trusses to avoid this issues down the road.
Although city inspectors are unwilling to go into the Paraiso neighborhood to regulate new construction, we still want to build the homes according to code. If we were ever called for inspection, we would pass.
Finally, with an ever expanding city, the only way to go is up. The new homes we build are designed with foundation, footings and columns in place to support a second floor if the family were to grow in the future.

All of these factors contribute to why Engadi’s homes cost much more than those erected by other ministries. Their design and their budget works for them and the people they serve. In the end we are guided by two passages of scripture. Colossians 3:23 says, "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

We want to build the best house possible for the glory of Christ. While at the same time listening to Matthew 7:12, "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” We want to build homes we would be willing to live in.

Choosing what families to bless is a challenge. There are hundreds of families with needs. We do look to see what families have some kind of a connection with the ministry and have been actively involved with Engadi. In the end, God grants us final discernment as to who is blessed by a home. For now God has showed us three families we feel we need to bless. Learn more about them below.

Alan & Yvonne Taxch

The Taxch family have been involved with Engadi Ministries for many years. Alan Sr. & Yvonne have two boys, Alan Jr. & Lesther. Alan and Lesther are scholarshiped through our Derek program. Alan Jr is current studying at the university and Lesther is in middle school. All three men have participated in mission trips led by Engadi into rural Guatemala to help people impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters. Their house sits at the bottom of three houses. You can learn more about their home in the video below.

Raul Gonzales

Raul is a typical Z18 boy. He grew up not knowing who his father was. In fact when he was 19 he was going to go to meet his dad, but unfortunately he was shot just a few days before they were scheduled to meet. Raul’s mother lived with her second husband while Raul stayed took care of his great-grandparents until they passed away, leaving him all alone. Raul has grown up in Engadi and we’ve seen him graduate high school and start college with a desire to get a degree in social work. He is just 1 year away from graduating! His mom and half brother have moved back in with him. His house was without running water and electricity for 12 years! You can learn more about their home in the video below.

Manuel & Yaqui Fajardo

Manuel is one of 10 siblings from 5 different dads. He was born and raised in the Paraiso neighborhood and has been a part of Engadi ever since it was just a dream. He now serves as our Neighborhood Director, running the day to day operations. He married Yaqui in 2021 and together they desire to put down roots in the neighborhood. Currently they rent a home, but the landlords keep changing the price or pushing them out. There are options to move out of Paraíso, but Manuel sees the value of living close to where his heart ministry calls him. There are homes to buy, but he can’t afford to purchase them when mortgages require 30% downpayment and charge APR at 12-19%.

As we are able to bless one family we want them to learn the benefit of blessing others. This is a new pilot program we want to implement in how we pour into families, by encouraging them to pour into others. Here is a simple breakdown of what two different project might look like.

Full Family Home

Initial Construction Cost: $45,000

Pay-it-forward Commitment: $22,500

5-year plan, monthly payment: $375 (Q2,888)

10-year plan, monthly payment: $188 (Q1,444)

Partial Modification — Example: Roof Replacement

Initial Construction Cost: $15,000

Pay-it-forward Commitment: $7,500

5-year plan, monthly payment: $125 (Q963)

10-year plan, monthly payment: $63 (Q482)

Full Family Home
Initial Construction Cost:	$45,000
Pay-it-forward Commitment:	$22,500
5-year plan, monthly payment:	$375 (Q2,888)
10-year plan, monthly payment:	$188 (Q1,444)

Partial Modification — Example: Roof Replacement
Initial Construction Cost:	$15,000
Pay-it-forward Commitment:	$7,500
5-year plan, monthly payment:	$125 (Q963)
10-year plan, monthly payment:	$63 (Q482)

Get Involved

Engadi Ministries International

PO Box 7801

Athens, GA 30604

Sign up for our periodical newsletter to keep up with what God is doing through Engadi Ministries
Name

Email address:

Copyright © 2010 - 2023 Engadi Ministries Intl. All RIghts Reserved.
Home

Ministry

Serving

Get Involved

News

Donate

Contact

BUILDING A HOME

A Paraíso House

Home Design

Choosing the Families

Alan & Yvonne Taxch

Raul Gonzales

Manuel & Yaqui Fajardo

Serving Future Families

Get Involved

Engadi Ministries International

PO Box 7801

Athens, GA 30604

Sign up for our periodical newsletter to keep up with what God is doing through Engadi Ministries