Abacoa & Alton Neighbors Febuary 2021

24 Abacoa &Alton N E I G H B O R S | F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 In the summer of 2015 a few of us were on a mission trip to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. We had met up with a local pastor who was leading us to a place just outside the city known as Ouest. As we traveled, he insisted that we stop to visit the principal of a small school, which had been established after the earthquake in 2010. What we saw wasn’t a school; it was a dilapidated building made from leftover lumber and plywood. And even though the building was small, it contained more than 300 children. Our hearts were broken. But the principal believed – he believed that one day they would have an actual school. He believed that he was impacting the lives of all those children. He believed that what he was working toward – mattered. I remembered later on I had journaled that someday we would rebuild this school. And two years later, we did! After returning home from that second trip, I couldn’t stop thinking about the people this building would impact: the kids who would be attending the new school, the parents that would stand in its shade all morning, and all the people living in the community who would travel for hours to draw water from the well next to the school building. Why were they journeying so far? Wasn’t there something closer to where they lived? I knew there had to be more we could do. Hundreds of people were visiting this school nearly every day throughout the day and not because there were attending school but because they needed water. And that’s when it hit me… What if an entire community was built ON TOP OF WATER. These precious people were coming for water but couldn’t they benefit from that building? What if ON TOP OF WATER we built schools and churches, and medical clinics, businesses, agriculture and even homes? What if we built entire communities around water? What if that one building was more than just a school? What if it were also a life center where the adults in the community could learn a trade? What if it was? What if these people could visit on the weekends and hear about the love of Jesus? And what would happen if the construction strategy could be improved? Better yet: what if we could provide an opportunity for the people in the community? What if that school building was meant for something more, meant for a greater purpose, or for a greater impact? That’s when go.build.love. was founded. It was created to build stronger communities on top of water because communities matter and the people that make up those communities matter. Since 2017 go.build.love. has impacted more 75,000 people in more than 9 different countries through its water and buildings projects and we are just getting started. You see, there are nearly 800 million people all over the world do not have access to safe clean water. Thats more than 1 out of every 9 all across our planet. It has been shown that when a person has access to clean safe water the life they live improves dramatically. Clean water leads to improved health. Good health leads to more time. More time leads to opportunity for school and faith and hope. In Haiti alone there are more than 2,000,000 men, women, and children living in 170 neighborhoods, 570 communal sections, 142 municipalities, 11 major cities all without Go . Build . Love By Seth Ray, Founder & CEO CHARITY SPOTLIGHT Roosters Barbering and Men’s Grooming Center provides an authentic bar- bershop experience in a modern, upscale, and unpretentious environment. Book your appointment online at www.RoostersMGC.com Phone:(561) 513-6138 Come Visit Us at: 4550 DONALD ROSS RD, #102 PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33418