Nic Matich and Blake Stacey are Australian engineers. One day, they drew an idea on the back of a coaster. They sketched a machine that could turn rubble into bricks. It could be  shipped in a container. The two men soon founded Mobile Crisis Construction (MCC).

War bombs and disasters destroy buildings. Smashed brick, glass, and concrete remain. Feed that debris into an MCC machine. Add a little cement and water. Compress the mix into blocks that look like LEGO bricks. These cure for seven days on a board. (Curing is a chemical process that cement and water cause in the mixture as it hardens. Unlike clay bricks, these blocks don’t have to be fired in a kiln to be strong for construction.) Finished blocks fit together to make buildings. No mortar is needed. 

The mobile factory can crank out 8,000 blocks in eight hours. That makes enough in a week to build a school, a hospital, or three large homes.

Manfred Hin is a builder from Australia. He saw photos of Ukraine a few weeks after Russia invaded. One showed an elderly woman sitting near her destroyed home. Mr. Hin says, “In my heart, I said, ‘Look, I can help this woman.’” 

Mr. Hin has a permit to live in Ukraine. He works with Mr. Matich and Mr. Stacey. Now he helps rebuild houses and schools in the war zone. 

He says Ukrainians often express, “We didn’t think anyone would care about us.” 

Mr. Hin is committed. “I’ve finally come to realize: This is the purpose [for which] I’m here on this Earth.” 

Mr. Stacey says, “You should do what you can in life. Making bricks and building walls—that’s my thing. If you’re a doctor, you do your thing. But for me, I make bricks.” 

He adds, “It’s a labor of love over a long period of time.” 

Why? God gives each person certain interests and opportunities. We have the joy of serving Him and others with the skills He provides.