My friend Tee Bolen is no stranger to poverty. His mom passed away when he was two, at which point his dad moved away to Columbia, SC, and his three siblings and a half-sister were farmed out to various families. Three ended up in orphanages. His grandmother insisted young Tee live with her, and for the next 17 years, they moved at least 17 times.
“We had no income. We would be evicted from one place and move to another, sometimes back into an earlier place. We were destitute. Everything was a struggle. I remember waking up in the morning and seeing exposed ground through the gaps in the floorboards. We didn’t have anything—only each other. We survived by picking cotton in the cotton fields. I couldn’t provide for us until I turned 12 and got a job in a shoe repair shop. Steve, I know what being dirt poor is like. I’ve been there.”
Now grown and in the final quarter of his life, Tee’s been blessed with a Christian family, Christian friends, and a comfortable standard of living. Driven by his childhood memories, a love for God, and compassion for his fellow man, he is determined to “pay it forward.” He wants to lessen the burden of others in need. For the second consecutive year, Tee and his wife Mary paid for a home to be built for a poverty-stricken person or family in Honduras. When I start to shower praise on Tee for his generosity, he cuts me off.
“Listen, this isn’t about me. This isn’t even my money. This is God’s money. He’s entrusted it to me for a short while, and I think He’s curious what I’m going to do with it. Well, let me tell you what I’m not going to do—keep it all to myself and build bigger barns. Not when there are people around me in need.”
A desire to “pay it forward” isn’t Tee’s only motivation for donating a home. His friend, Jewel Clifton, is nearing the end of a long battle with cancer.
Two months ago, Tee told me, “Jewel is a dear Sister in Christ. She’s frail and will be getting her heavenly reward soon. I want this house to be built in her honor. As she prepares to move into the room Jesus has prepared for her, someone she’ll never meet will move into an earthly home in Honduras. I doubt Jewel will live long enough to see the home built this summer in her honor, but she’ll know it is coming. I hope that brings her comfort.”
When I informed Dalton Hines, our full-time missionary on the ground in Honduras, of Tee’s donation and Jewel’s situation, his response was immediate. Rather than wait for the summer rotation of mission teams to build the house, Dalton and his local construction crew would complete the project within two weeks. Even better, they would use the project to create a house-building instructional video for future TORCH mission teams to use.
Dalton wasn’t done yet—his brain never rests. He’s as attuned to the needs of others as anyone I’ve ever met. He’s also extremely capable and resourceful—Central America’s MacGyver. On any given day, you’ll find him vetting future homeowners, stocking a tilapia farm, installing a water filtration system for a poor community, or mentoring his young students to build like carpenters and live like Christ.
Dalton suggested his team build the Tee Bolen-donated home for Israel, a 29-year-old Honduran. Although TORCH Missions typically builds homes for families, not older single guys, Israel’s situation is unique. His parents abandoned him as a boy and he is, for the most part, uneducated and borderline special needs. For many years, he bounced around, seemingly unloved. He was homeless—a classic poor beggar, struggling to survive.
When Israel was 8 years old, he became friends with Christian, whose family agreed to take him in. That was his first big break. Later, as an adult, Israel was allowed to stay in a room on the family compound. Still struggling on many levels, he paid a modest amount for rent but was unable to fully provide for himself or get ahead. Christian’s family continued attending to Israel’s physical and emotional needs with love and acceptance. They are, to him, the eyes, hands, and feet of Jesus. They are the only real family he’s ever had. Their son Christian eventually went to work for Dalton, which would turn out to be Israel’s second big break.
While Dalton and his expert construction crew can build a home for someone in about four hours (three if they’ve had coffee), they took their time on Israel’s new house. The construction lasted several days, with Dalton narrating each phase of construction to the camera for the benefit of future TORCH teams. Over the course of several nights, Israel slept on the building materials to prevent theft. Having been homeless for so many years, he was comfortable being alone, staring into the night sky. I can only imagine what went through his head as the prospect of becoming a homeowner began to take shape.
That brings me back to Tee Bolen, who has never met Israel, Dalton, or Christian and his family. He probably never will, this side of Heaven. He may never make it to Honduras to see Israel’s now-completed home in person. Pictures will have to suffice. But Tee trusts God. He knows that God can do more with his money than he could ever think or imagine. And that makes Tee more than just a friend to me—he’s a role model and a hero.
Friends, we serve an awesome God!
God heard the cries of a homeless, hungry 8-year-old Honduran boy and led him to a loving family.
God touched the heart of an older American man, once poor himself, and led him to make a generous donation.
God gave an American missionary the wisdom and heart to join the various pieces of this puzzle together into a beautiful masterpiece.
As a result, tonight Israel will fall asleep in his very own home. As he looks down on the wooden floor, there will be no gaps or exposed ground. I picture him smiling.
And sometime soon, Tee’s friend Jewel will get a new body and a new, permanent home—with Jesus by her side. I suspect she’ll be smiling too.
