Today was one of the best project visits I have ever had with Compassion. I was almost giddy with excitement when I was told we were going to meet a single mother who needed some work done on her house.

This could not be more up my alley. This is what I have trained for. I have watched countless hours of Fixer Upper and was even dreaming of creating a makeshift ship lap accent wall. However, the house was not the only thing that needed a make over.

We met Marisal, a single mom who left an abusive marriage to protect her six kids. She left behind what little she had and was forced to start over with less than nothing.

As we asked about the problems she faces, she paused and began to sob.  One of her teenage children is in trouble. His actions have made her bad situation far worse and she was overwhelmed. So I hugged her, encouraged her to not give up on her prodigal son, and prayed for their protection, restoration, and reconciliation.

I was not surprised when she told us that she has two kids in the Compassion program, and their behavior is so much better.  They do not give her problems and she knows it is because they are learning about God through Compassion.

Once the emotional cracks had been spiritually spackled, it was time to turn our attention to the physical fixer upper part of the day: fixing the deck. We needed to repair it because it had broken, and had hurt one of her children.

Wally’s note: Notice how there are two men running cameras, Stephen and Zach, plus Betty Rock. Then watch how many times they help drive a nail or cut a board.