A Home For The Holidays

You see them being pulled by a semi on the freeway. They are on ships or lifted by cranes in harbors. They are shipping containers. Something that is catching on in parts of the world is turning these ironclad structures into beautiful homes. Containers are built to withstand severe weather conditions. They are constructed for weight and can be lifted on and off foundations. Two or more can be stacked to erect multilevel buildings. The cost per container is between $1800 to $5000.  I know how feasible these are because I used to work for a container-to-home company.

For one old man in Bucharest, Romania, a new home became an unimagined surprise. A group of people learned that he was living in not more than a deteriorating shack. They raised some funds. Someone came through with a container. He “was so happy, he couldn’t believe it.” Watch the video below.

The low cost of the sturdy exterior enables the majority of money to be put into the interior renovation. Pictures can be viewed on the internet of magnificent homes transformed from what used to be part of the panorama of a ship yard. Could this not be a low cost solution to the homeless problem? If made into a simple kitchen, bath, and living room with a bed, many street people would call it heaven.

This will be the case for a homeless family in Ireland. For the past two years more than 40 professional builders have been working on this nation’s first shipping container home for display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. It will then be donated to Saint Vincent de Paul which will, in turn, give it to a homeless family just in time for Christmas.

There is a spiritual analogy here. Our nice “home” does not have to stop in the earthly realm. II Corinthians 5:1 says, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Jesus said, “In my father’s house are many dwelling places…I go to prepare a place for you.” Reserve yours today by calling upon him for your eternal salvation.