Lezi’s Story, A Home That Will Shelter Many
Last year, on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, I met a beautiful and resilient mother named Lezi.
In 2021, her family moved from New York to Cahuita, Costa Rica, inspired by the children’s father’s dream to purchase land and build a home. While living there, Lezi gave birth to their third child, Enoch, who became a Costa Rican citizen.
Within a year, the children’s father traveled back to the United States for a visit and never returned.
Because Enoch is a citizen and his father refuses to sign the necessary passport documents, Lezi and the children have been unable to leave the country. With no financial support and no path home, she has been left to provide, protect, and persevere on her own.
And by God’s grace, she has.
With a smile that carries both strength and faith, Lezi began cooking and creating jewelry for the local community. She and her children walk the land together, gathering fresh mangoes to prepare homemade mango chutney that she faithfully sells each week at the market. She prepares South African inspired meals in borrowed kitchens, delivering them on foot with her children by her side. Her handcrafted jewelry reflects her heritage and honors her roots.
Her earnings are enough to buy groceries and occasionally afford a taxi. They are not enough to fully sustain the family. They are not enough to complete the home that was started and then abandoned.
The children’s father began building their house in 2021 and left in 2023. Since then, Lezi and her children have slept in tents, moved from place to place, and worked tirelessly just to remain fed and sheltered. The home’s foundation remains incomplete. It is exposed to wildlife and harsh weather. Some nights, they sleep inside on a bare concrete floor without water or electricity. To bathe, cook, and meet basic needs, they travel into town and rotate between friends’ homes.But even in the middle of hardship, God has placed a bigger vision on this land.
This property is not only meant to be a home for Lezi and her children. It is being built to serve over 50 women and children in need. It will become a place of refuge for single mothers, a safe space where life is protected and nurtured through a natural birthing center, and a community where children can learn, grow, and thrive.
The backyard will serve as a homeschool collective, teaching gardening and practical life skills. A greenhouse will provide a sustainable food source through a community garden, equipping families with tools not just to survive, but to build a future.
What began as one family’s unfinished home is becoming a foundation for restoration in an entire community.
Recently, I began sending a portion of my personal resources to help clear the bush from the property and install the electricity box and meter. It was a start, but there is still much to be done.
Below is what is immediately needed to make the home safe and livable:
Land and Exterior Maintenance
Install electrical systems
Purchase and install water pump for the existing well
Plumb water into the house
Structural and Interior Work
Build interior walls
Plaster and paint interior
Finish floors
Fill and level loft
Install window frames and screens
Add mosquito screening to upper section of house
Add bathroom and install composting toilet
Build greenhouse and install property fencing
This is where we step in.
The total cost to complete these projects is estimated at $20,000. What is powerful is that this investment does not just impact one family. It helps create a place of safety, provision, and opportunity for dozens of mothers and children.
At King’s Ransom Foundation, we believe no mother should fight alone and no child should sleep in uncertainty. One finished home means safety. It means stability. It means dignity restored. It means children who can rest without fear and a mother who can continue building her life without the constant weight of survival pressing in.
When we meet both physical and spiritual needs, we reflect the heart of Christ. This is more than construction. This is restoration. This is hope being built, one step at a time.
Thank you for taking the time to read her story. Please pray for this family and for the many lives that will be impacted through this place. If you feel led to give, your support will help bring this home to completion and help this family and their community stand on solid ground again.
Together, we can build more than a house. We can build hope.
Your King’s Ransom Ambassador,
Jessica Fletcher
