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PASCO TEMPLE, WASH.
 HAYDEE (bottom row) joins Pasco Temple junior soldiers. |
Haydee always had a dream a home, a house for her family to share. Meanwhile, life went on, with Haydee participating in activities at Pasco Temple, Wash.
Despite some physical disabilities, Haydee is a junior soldier who takes part in the corps youth programs.
Meanwhile (then) Corps Officer Captain Lex Giron had established a relationship with the Cathedral of Joy, one of the largest churches in the Tri-Cities area, and their senior pastor, Dr. Dale White. An instant bond formed when Dr. White learned that the Girons were from Guatemala, since for many years the Cathedral had been supporting and taking missionary trips to a daycare in Guatemala for children whose parents make a living gathering items from disposal sites.
As the friendship between Giron and White grew, so did the cooperation between the Cathedral and the corps. The Cathedral invited the singing company to perform at an annual dinner. During the dinner, the group performed a song in motion. Haydee participated, and Cathedral members were delighted and impressed with her. “They were not only amazed by her effort, but struck by the joy she showed while singing to the Lord,” said Giron.
One of those amazed was Pastor White, and a thought passed through his mind “What can we do for Haydee?” Time passed, and the Cathedral supported the corps’ carnivals, the back to school program and the radio program. They also allowed the corps to use their facilities.
One day White asked Giron about the possibility of helping a family in need from the corps by providing them with a home. “I told him about Haydee’s family, the Bahenas,” Giron recalls. “Haydee’s dream has always been to have a home where she and her family can live,” he said.
White remembered when the thought had crossed his mind about doing something for Haydee, and he knew the time had come. He and Giron went to work. They presented the project to God, placing everything in his hands, and proceeded to do their part. White contacted Habitat for Humanity, who placed a winning bid on a lot in Pasco. Next came the $30,000 they needed for materials. White presented this need to his congregation at a Saturday service and immediately two members came forward. One donated the air conditioning system and another the construction materials. At the Sunday service others offered to help with the floor plan, the labor and the legal matters.
Giron and White believe that by faith monetary needs will be met and Haydee’s dream will become a reality.