Casa Vida : A Miracle in the Making

Hi! My name is Joshua Roth, and I live in Iwamizawa, Japan!

My wife and I are privileged and honored to lead Iwamizawa Christ Church here.

God gave my wife Haruka and me a vision to open a share house for female university students as a way to share the Gospel and create a community where students can experience God's love and new life! We are calling it "Casa Vida" because we firmly believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and la vida!

After finding a solid 40-year-old house (with good foundations, yet needing some significant repairs and remodeling), we trusted God and purchased it outright, but only after experiencing a miracle of God's goodness and provision. The asking price was more than what we had scraped together, but after some prayer and waiting, the generous owners significantly lowered their price to the exact amount we were able to pay at the time. Even the real estate broker said he had never seen such a discount in his career! With God, everything is possible.

Now, our task is to finish the remaining repairs and additions to prepare the house for 5 new residents for opening in the summer of 2025! There are some big-ticket items including new toilets, a new shower and plumbing, electrical work and lighting, heaters and AC, as well as a full exterior paint job... and all the extras that'll surely creep up. We are trusting God will provide all of the 50k USD that will be necessary to get the job done! We encourage you to give and be a part of this wonderful work! If giving financially is difficult at the moment, but you do have building skills or expertise to offer, please let us know! (Josh is getting his power tools and mediocre DIY skills ready as we speak).

This is a rough breakdown of the costs based on 3 different company estimates (costs include labor)

$20,000 - new bathroom w/ shower and toilet

$10,000 exterior repair and paint

$10,000 electrical, lights, heating, AC

$10,000 new flooring, wallpaper, ceiling + extra labor

Every little bit helps!

$10 will cover a few floorboards.

$25 will buy a gallon of paint.

$50 will buy several new lights for the rooms.

$100 will buy some nice furniture!

We already have a trustworthy young missionary who is stepping out in faith and has agreed to live in and manage the house! God is clearly at work!

We have seen God build up, repair, and restore in our lives and people around us, and we believe He will continue to do that through this work here in Japan. We are believing God will do just as He says in His Word: “They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭61‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our church: https://iwamizawachurch.com/