Years of plumbing issues turned into a crisis, leaving Florence anxious and sleep-deprived.
She has been living in her home for over 30 years and loves welcoming her family members to visit, especially the children. But with her home in urgent need of repair and a potential safety hazard, she didn’t feel comfortable when the children would visit.
“The kitchen was leaking badly, and the upstairs bathroom was leaking also. Water was leaking from the kitchen to the basement area,” Florence explained. “I was catching water with buckets and putting rags down so the water wouldn’t spread all over.”
Florence first turned to a local contractor for an estimate to fix the leaks.
“The quote they gave me I could never accept because I didn’t have any money to start the repairs,” she said.
With water pooling in her home, Florence begged God to send help.
“I was crying every day and thinking, ‘God, how can you help me with this problem?’” Florence said.
That’s when Home Repairs Project Manager Kyle Van Nus stepped in to inspect the home. Not only did he see needed repairs but also a homeowner in desperate need of relief.
“She had a timer set every hour and was having to empty almost five buckets of water in two different locations. She had been doing that for over 30 days,” Kyle explained. “It’s not just the strain on her from the water damage. Think about the 30 days she went with no true rest and what that does to you mentally along with the physical exhaustion that then leads to spiritual exhaustion.”
“They got to me when I really needed them,” Florence said, “when the water was just coming down like crazy.”
Through funds from a Gwinnett County grant for water-related repairs and a partnership with Holtkamp HVAC & Plumbing, Home Repairs was able to meet this repair need — plus an unexpected one.
“It wasn’t water related but we noticed her oven desperately needed replacing. We reached out to our friends at the Suwanee Lowe’s and they made it possible for us to get a new oven. When we replaced it, we found a gas leak behind the oven that she never knew about,” Kyle explained. “I told her, ‘God was watching over you.’”
The team who came to repair her home touched Florence’s heart.
“The volunteers were impeccable. They did an awesome job with a true Christian heart,” she said.
“The Lord said in the Bible that the poor, the orphans and the widows should be taken care of. I am poor, and I’m an orphan, and they met me at this point of need.”
At the same time, Florence’s joy blessed Kyle and his team.
“There was always worship music playing,” he said. “And I probably met half her family in Africa because she was FaceTiming and would say, ‘Look at them. Look at what they’ve done!’”
When Florence tries to describe the impact the Home Repairs team had on her life, one word comes to mind:
“It’s immeasurable. My heart and mouth cannot describe it,” she said.
Kyle added, “Florence told me, ‘I wondered if God heard me, and now I know He heard me.’ For us at Home Repairs, we hear the way she talked to us and read the texts and the prayers she sent. To see this restoration in her relationship with the Lord just by going in and fixing some plumbing problems is amazing.”
The work at Florence’s home is still ongoing as the leaks led to rotten subfloors and damaged sheet rock. Each time he’s visited the home to continue working on repairs, Kyle has left encouraged. “I don’t think I’ve gone to her house without her hugging my neck,” he said.
To members of the community looking to help, Florence said, “Please give without reservation if you can.”
“When you give whatever amount that God impresses in your heart to give, you are saving a soul because you saved me. To those who contributed to help my plumbing problem and help me, I’m forever grateful.”
Florence hopes to spread the word about Home Repairs Ministries and the help she received so more homeowners in need can find the peace she has.
“I’m a living example. I’m a testimony,” she said.
“I’m an orphan, and God is a God of orphans. I’m needy, and God is a God of needy. God sent Home Repairs my way to wipe away my tears.”
Want to give back this season to help a homeowner like Florence? Donate to Home Repairs Ministries today!
