At the top of a ravine in Tijuana, where the houses seemed to be held up only by hope, lived Usceciona Rosas Durán and her family. She had migrated from Puebla to find a better life, but reality hit her hard. She couldn’t read or write, which severely limited her job opportunities. Her husband, Nicasio Gómez de Jesús, was disabled after falling five meters at a construction site where he worked without insurance. The family’s only source of income was their daughter Gabriela, who spent long hours working in a factory to support them.
Their home was a small room, four meters by four meters, where Usceciona, her husband, and her daughter slept. They also cooked there and stored their few belongings. The roof—if it could be called that—was a patchwork of rotting wood and loosely secured plastic sheets. When it rained, water would leak through every corner, soaking everything and leaving behind a cold piercing to the bone.
Despite the hardship, Usceciona never lost her faith. Every Sunday without fail, she attended Mass at the chapel of Our Lady of Tepeyac. There, she heard about the roofing program from the Oblate Center, sponsored by Serving Hands International. Hope was rekindled in her heart, and without hesitation, she applied for help.
The day the volunteer team arrived, the emotion in Usceciona’s eyes was indescribable. However, when they removed the rotted wood, they discovered that the entire structure was laid on top and not built securely. As they took down the wall that had been functioning as a roof, the front wall collapsed and fell down the ravine. The job was more difficult than expected, but no one gave up.
With dedication and hard work, the volunteers built a new roof from scratch, sealing it with waterproofing material to ensure that neither rain nor cold would disturb the family’s nights again. They also built a new wall to replace the collapsed one, reinforcing the home’s structure.
When everything was finished, Usceciona felt a tremendous weight lifted from her heart. With tears in her eyes, she raised her hands to the sky and thanked God and the kindhearted people who had made this miracle possible.
That night, for the first time in a long while, the family slept without fear of cold or rain. In her heart, Usceciona knew that God had never abandoned her—and that the kindness of others still lit up the world.
