Dear CCAM Partners and Friends,

Ever since we were evicted in December 2008 from the two side-by-side houses which we had inhabited since 1999 and 2002 respectively, the Lord has continually provided for us in miraculous ways, although the journey has been extremely difficult. Our saga reminds us of the journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness, as God tested their faith with many tribulations on the way to the promised land. However, each time they cried out to Him for help, He miraculously rescued them, and so it has been for us too.

At the beginning of this segment of our journey, God first rescued us from being homeless by providing two more side-by-side houses large enough to shelter our big family located just a few streets away from the original dwellings. However, because of the rampant inflation during late 2008 and early 2009, we were suddenly saddled with a combined monthly rental fee of $5,500 (instead of the previous $1,800). In the ensuing months, we also lost a lot of our financial support because of the global financial crisis. Nevertheless, we kept trusting the Lord to miraculously provide, and to this day He has faithfully done so.

In May 2009, due to flooding in the smaller of the two new houses (#3, St 319), we were forced to move to a similar house around the corner (#51, St 596). With this move, we were able to reduce our combined monthly rental payment to $5,300. And so far, the slightly cheaper, slightly larger house has presented no major problems which would make it unfit for habitation. However, now our two houses are separated from one another, making it more difficult for our programs to function efficiently. Nevertheless, we have made creative adjustments and persevered.

But the larger of the two houses (#5, St 319) has also proven to be unsuitable. Ever since moving there in February 2009, we have been subjected to constant emergencies, mostly involving flooding:

1. from leaking water pipes on all three floors, which have repeatedly flooded inside the bathroom walls, thereby damaging the walls, floors, and ceilings of bathrooms all over the house, not to mention the water leaking from broken underground pipes at the back of the house; and
2. from storms dumping floods of rainwater into the house again and again:
   1. through vents in the walls;
   2. through the many porches on the second and third floors;
   3. and especially through the defective roof.

Even though we are now in the dry season, and most of the damage from the previous rainwater flooding has been repaired, we are still dealing with internal water pipe leakage. Also, the next rainy season is fast approaching. Therefore, we are reluctant to face any more potential disasters due to the inferior construction of this building, especially considering the exorbitant rent being charged ($4,300). In that regard, a few months ago the landlady lowered the rent to $4,000 because of her embarrassment over the inferior condition of her house. Her decision has consequently lowered our combined monthly rental payment to $5,000. But now another dangerous evidence of the inferiority of House #5 has become apparent---a long fissure has begun to split the inside wall along the stairway from the first floor up to the third. According to the terms of our lease agreement, we already have the right to vacate this house due to flooding, and we are now in the process of giving official notice of our departure by the end of April. We can do this with confidence because the Lord has prepared another miraculous option for us, just in time!

During the past year, the landlord of House #51 has been renovating another old house he owns (#53) located next door to house #51. It is a little smaller than House #5, but much better organized. And surely its construction couldn't be any worse than the house we are vacating. So we have already signed a new rental contract at House #53 for five years at $1,500 per month. This low price is possible because the previously inflated real estate values have gradually fallen back to reasonable levels. Therefore, this new contract lowers our combined monthly rental payment to $2,500, less than half of what we started with! And now our two houses are next door to one another once again! Praise God!

Of course, this means that we still have to deal with the House #5 landlady, who is already trying to block our departure by kidnapping our $4,300 deposit. It also means that we are at the mercy of the House #53 landlord, who has very reluctantly agreed to make a few additional renovations to the house so that we can all fit in there. And this also means that we will have to move all over again.

Please praise the Lord for His frequent miraculous provisions during this long ordeal, especially thanking Him for this most recent encouraging development. Pray that He will touch the hearts of the landlords to comply with the terms of their contracts to provide what we need, and that eventually they too may trust the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves. Pray that God will provide the extra funds that we will need to get organized in the new place, since the landlord has refused to provide many of the things that we have requested. Pray that the rainy season will not begin until we have finished moving. And pray for all of us at CCAM to complete yet another move in peace and safety.

Still Trusting God Together,
Gioia and Noren