By Julio
As a newcomer to Casa Chirilagua I have learned that I will always be in the expansive shadow of Dawnielle and Emily. They have labored and tended to the community in a loving and attentive way. As a result of this the community is willing to bless the work of Casa Chirilagua and it’s partners – including returning some of the generosity that Beverley Hills UMC has shown us by donating space for our Kids Club program.
Last Friday, one of the father’s volunteered to restore a wall in the community room at BHUMC that was damaged from summer use not during Casa programs. This father had some free time and he called Emily up, who then in turn called me at the office. I showed up and he assessed the work. He said, “Is that it?! I thought it was going to be a lot bigger job.” It took us longer to drive to buy the material than it did to patch-up the wall. He took the powder and mixed it up in a couple minutes and filled in the damage in less than ten minutes.
In the short minutes we spent together the father said he learned the work by trial and error. He came to the United States at 16 years old. He needed work so he took on jobs he had no idea how to do. He trained himself on painting and restoration work on homes. Now he travels all over the east coast working on homes. At the end of the job he said, “Emily is a great person.” For him that was payment enough for the work he did. Casa Chirilagua has given so much to the community and now it is amazing to see how the community is finding ways to give back to us. We wanted to bless BHUMC but also we were blessed by the father’s heart to give of what he had.
