Donnie McClurkin donates house to fire victims
Published:Sunday | September 15, 2024 | 12:07 AMAinsworth Morris - Staff Reporter
When Latoya Alison Gilepsy, mother of six, heard that American gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin paid for a new house to be constructed for her 20 years after a fire changed her life for the worse, she was overjoyed.
And, to see him in person on Wednesday before handing over keys to the house made it even more emotional for her.
"Filth" is the only word which readily came to mind up to Wednesday morning when the 2004 Callaloo Mews fire victim was asked to describe where she lived.
However, the 47 year-old janitor's definition changed for the better after McClurkin handed over the new house to her.
She said, after the fire flattened her dwelling, she had to resort to living in a swamp area of Callaloo Mews, using used wood and boards to create a makeshift house.
"Where I live, it floods when it rains. We have swamps which breed mosquitoes and sometimes I have to use four mosquito coils each evening. The fan is on and they still bite ... . After the fire, some thoughts that went through my mind were, 'Where am I going to stay? Where am I going to go with my kids dem?' Everything did get burnt up. I never saved anything," Gilepsy told The Gleaner.
"It's been ups and downs; sadness. Sometimes I wonder if I was going to get it [the house], but there is a God and I get it and I'm happy," she said.
Gilepsy revealed that it was an electrical problem that caused the fire, but, although she lost her possessions, she is happy the lives of her children were spared.
She said her mother and her sister have been very instrumental in her getting back on her feet. It was her mother who encouraged her to apply to Food For The Poor Jamaica for a house,, after she purchased the land on which the house was constructed, and now she has no regrets.
"There was so much garbage on this land but night and day me and my children dem work. We worked tirelessly [to clean it]. They helped me to dig the foundation," she said.
Meanwhile, McClurkin said it has been on his heart to continue doing good in Jamaica, and donating a house to a mother of five this time around with proper amenities is satisfying for him.
"This is not a small thing, and I'm glad to be a part of this. I'm glad that our church, Perfecting Faith Church in New York, could be a part and partner with them and make this happen," McClurkin said.
He told The Gleaner that the house for Gilepsy is only one of the houses he intends to build. He said, after posting it on Facebook, best-selling female gospel singer CeCe Winans called him up expressing an interest to build a house for a needy Jamaican family.
"It's my pleasure to introduce [other] ministries, and watch the communities, sometimes forgotten and most times depressed, to bring new life to every portion," he said.
In addition to this handover on Wednesday, mere metres away, Kingston Properties Limited handed over another house they contructed for an elderly vendor from downtown Kingston, to enjoy with her grandchildren in her twilight years.