How your support built a house in a day in Laos
In southern Laos, the loud banging of hammers on sheets of tin and wood echoes through the air from dawn to dusk. For homeless widow Souvannee* and her five children, that’s the sound of compassion, resilience and freedom.
Souvannee’s family now has a roof over their heads—thanks to the local community of Christians and the support of the worldwide Church. Carrying tools and building materials, faithful believers came together to provide a home—taking to heart the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 5:3 – “Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.”
In one day, believers built a simple house for the desperate family.
The ultimatum
It wasn’t always this way for Souvannee, now in her 50s. After marrying, she and her husband lived with her mother-in-law. All five of their children were born and raised there.
Two years ago, the couple and their family eft the family religion to follow Christ. Though Souvannee’s mother-in-law didn’t make the same decision, choosing, instead, to follow the local religion, things seemed to be fine. But when Souvannee’s husband died of a serious illness, everything changed.
Souvannee’s mother-in-law began acting differently. Her treatment of Souvannee and her grandchildren began to change. Since the husband’s death, her mother-in-law demanded that she give up Christ, warning: “I will only allow you to stay with me if you renounce your faith. If you won’t, you should leave my house!”
Souvannee repeatedly refused.
On January 16—only a couple weeks after Souvanee became a widow—Souvannee’s mother-in-law carried through on her ultimatum and forced the grieving widow to leave her home.
A simple respite
That’s when Open Doors partners were able to step in. After learning what had happened, one of our local partners, Lounny (not his real name) responded immediately.
He contacted an area church leader to visit Souvannee and her children. After seeing the widow’s need for a new home, church leaders received permission from the village chief to build Souvannee’s house in the village. Soon Open Doors, through our local partners and contacts, bought the necessary construction materials to build the house.
“They started very early in the morning and finished everything by the evening of the same day,” Lounny says. “Praise the Lord, a simple house was completed with the help of everyone!”
Lounny notes that the permission of the village chief was an answer to prayer. In Laos, especially in the southern region where religion is highly guarded by local authorities, allowing outsiders, especially Christians, to enter a village is extremely rare.
“Normally, the village chief is one of the persecutors of those who believe in Jesus,” Lounny says. “I am also grateful for the courage of the local leaders for approaching and seeking permission from the chief.”
For Souvannee, the new home is a respite, offering the freedom to follow Christ without fear and raise her children to pursue faith.
“I am very thankful for the overwhelming support from believers in the area,” Souvannee says. “I feel safe now to exercise my faith inside my simple home.” Souvannee shared.
Pray for Souvannee and her family
- Pray that Souvannee and her family remain in their faith in Jesus even if they face more difficulties and persecution.
- Pray for Souvannee’s strength and good health as she raises her children alone.
- Pray that Souvannee will be reunited with her three children still living with her mother-in-law. Pray also that all five will be able to return to the school. It’s located far from where the family currently lives.
