奇速英语

旧房“改头换面”：志愿者助孤儿兄弟住进新家

It has been a long time since anything good has happened for Jaylan Gray and his brother, Julian Nicholson.

Over the past few years, the brothers lost both their parents and grandparents. This left 22-year-old Jaylan struggling to raise his 12-year-old brother Julian by himself in their home. When 2017’s Hurricane Harvey and the winter freeze of 2021 destroyed the home, Jaylan felt helpless and alone.

That’s when their community stepped in to let them know that they’re not alone. Not only that, but they came prepared to shoulder the burden and give Jaylan a much-needed break! Katy Responds is a non-profit started in 2018 that helps families recover from disasters. The organization reached out to the brothers with an offer to help. With the help of local volunteers, they completely renovated(翻新) the home in about three months.

Jaylan and Julian couldn’t hold back the tears as they toured their new home, which was fully furnished(配备家具陈设) by a local church. “I love it,” said Jaylan. “I’m speechless. Completely grateful.”

Before the boys’ mother passed away, she asked Jaylan to take care of his little brother. It’s a promise he takes seriously, and having a safe place to live relieves a ton of pressure. “I try my best to keep him in check, make sure he doesn’t get in trouble and make sure he’s loved,” Jaylan said emotionally. As for Julian, the tears flowed freely as he thanked his community for helping them feel a little bit less alone in the world. “It makes me so happy to see that there are good people,” Julian said through tears. “I just like the way we’ve been treated. I didn’t think anything good would happen.”

Jaylan has a long road ahead of him, but knowing he’s got support from his community makes all the difference.