Thank God and OSAY! - Woman overjoyed for renovated house
Published:Sunday | March 19, 2017 | 12:00 AMJason Cross
After struggling for a long time with the reality of living in a rotten wooden house, Barbara Denton is now smiling brightly since receiving the gift of a newly renovated one-bedroom home in Clifton, Bernard Lodge, in St Catherine. Thanks to the Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Denton's old home is now a joy to behold.
The organisation hosted its third staging of Operation Save A Youth project (OSAY) on Sunday in the parish, which saw thousands of young men and women affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church wanting to play their part in giving back to society.
This year, Denton's home was OSAY's special project and the senior citizen was very happy and grateful to God and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
"They are renovating the house because it was rottening out. I only have one bedroom, and lizards and all those things live in it. The windows and doors are not good anymore," she told The Gleaner.
Denton has resided in the community since 1999 and said that after her house started deteriorating, she lost hope and was uncertain where to turn for help.
"I am feeling happy because God work out things for me. At the moment, I couldn't find it to help myself, and God has opened a door for me. I thank the guys also for being here for me. I don't know how I would cope if it weren't for the church, but with Christ in the vessel, you can smile at the storm," she declared with one of her radiant smiles.
Roughly 70 projects were undertaken within St Catherine by OSAY.
At a stone's throw away from Denton's residence, 97-year-old Josephine Hall was also bestowed with renovations to her one-bedroom dwelling, which had also been experiencing serious deterioration.
Whenever it rains, Hall has had to contend with water pouring through the sides of the wooden house as well as the roof.
Over time, termites have been feasting on the wood, rendering the structure a possible hazard.
Hall was not present at the residence when The Gleaner arrived. However, work was under way to address the issues.