Habitat for Humanity
One day I was working on my book and decided I needed a change of environment. I headed over to the Habitat for Humanity Restore near my house and sat down at one of the farm tables to write. Writing has been a good outlet for me.
I looked up and saw their vision statement on the wall, “A world where everyone has a decent place to live.” I wondered how a person could get one of those houses. So I walked over and asked one of the people working there. She explained the process to me and handed me some paperwork. I realized it was potentially an answer to a prayer my daughter Melissa and my son-in-law Christopher had been praying for a very long time.
With all glory going to God my daughter and her family have been approved for a Habitat for Humanity home! It is a dream come true. The homes are built almost completely by volunteers. Each family has to contribute a set amount of volunteer hours towards the build. I believe it’s 250 hours for each person who is on the title of the home. So for them they need to do a total of 500 volunteer hours.
Friend’s and family are able and encouraged to come and volunteer. When you sign up as a “Friends and Family Partner” your hours go towards their required 500 volunteer hours.
I have volunteered on the build twice now and it has been a blast. It’s fascinating to hear why people choose to give their time and their talent. Some people show up to support friends and family. But many people show up because they enjoy giving to the cause. I met a young woman who shows up regularly to volunteer. She lost her job during the pandemic and rather than sit around she got online looking for places to volunteer. She says she likes learning and hopes to have her own habitat home someday. I met a young man who volunteers his time because he also wants to learn about building. Some companies offer paid volunteer time for their employees.
Every person there has a different reason for showing up. I met an older woman on the job site named Loraine. I told her that we had a Grandma Loraine and she exclaimed, “I’m a Grandma!” And that’s how it is even the grandparents show up to help! There are many jobs available and construction experience is not required, although I know they truly appreciate when skilled workers show up. That’s obvious. More than anything else, the main thing you need to volunteer is a willing heart.
I’ve been watching a miracle unfold. God hears and answers prayers.
This blog post has been one of the most difficult pieces of writing I’ve ever done. For a long time it sat with one single sentence.
“The violence of doing nothing!”
I will preface this next to part by sharing that I called an old friend from church recently to ask for prayer and I confided that our family was going through a difficult time and I was experiencing a personal crises. Among other things her response was to tell me that I wasn’t having a crisis. She told me that my blog was mean.
As a recovering people pleaser her words stopped me short. I am in a position where no matter what I say someone is going to be upset. As a little girl my own mother told me, “Alison, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!”
My friend that I called that day is older and has a lot of wisdom. I respect her opinion so much that’s why I called her for prayer and counsel. I have reached out to numerous organizations, people and ministries for wisdom. I will be the first to admit I don’t have all the answers or show up polished. For years I have shown up on this blog confessing my own sins and taking the plank out of my own eye. I have been told that it is wrong to air my dirty laundry.
One woman who I love deeply, cut herself almost completely from my life because she said I tarnished the family name. I realized she didn’t know the true gospel. But she lives in a false reality along with so many others in my family.
I read one woman’s memoir and my initial thought was the book could have been retitled “The Family Book of Gaslighting.” She completely neglected to talk about her own sin as well as the severe abuse her husband inflicted on her and the children. God’s word says He is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. How are we supposed to heal if we don’t acknowledge the wounds?
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be writing a blog post about Habitat for Humanity. I definitely thought I would volunteer there someday with my husband and perhaps my father-in-law. After all, both my husband and my father-in-law are master carpenters. But they haven’t been coming and I don’t really know why.
The first time I worked construction was when I was in graduate school. My husband wasn’t my husband at the time. He was a fun guy I met at my friend’s baby shower. We connected right away because we had both gone through huge personal firestorms.
At the time I was in the midst of losing my home because my ex-husband abandoned me and the kids. I describe it as a firestorm because my life as I knew it was consumed except for me and my two children.
I lost my home and was sifted of much of what had worldly value. It was devastating to say the least. I despaired of life itself. I didn’t know if I would live to tell about it. There aren’t proper words to describe the darkness of that season. My kids and I were like sticks plucked from the fire.
The beauty that came out of the ashes of that storm was my salvation! I truly became a born again believer! I surrendered my life to Christ and He rescued me out of the depths of despair. GOD IS GOOD!
My husband went through his own firestorm. For him there was an actual fire that burned his house down on Thanksgiving weekend the year before we met. Not only did his house burn down but the dog died in the fire.
Firestorms consume everything that doesn’t belong and a lot of what does. They will set you on a new trajectory with new people, new places, new activities and sometimes a new place to live. That’s the season where I met my husband and not long after he invited me to start working construction with him.
At first we only worked together on the weekends. Later on we started a business together. A lot has transpired since those days. My life has gotten really wierd.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how easy it is to judge someone or shall I say misjudge someone. Can we all just remember that when the Lord is working a miracle for someone there will also be warfare that goes with it?
People who I thought would be in my life are not here. Despite huge efforts to reconcile and even perceiving that reconciliation had been successful, I am having to acknowledge certain realities.
The truth is I don’t know all of the reasons why our family is living in the dog house. One of the volunteers at habitat said that he doesn’t like dogs. He said he doesn’t want to clean up after them. As a dog lover I understand that cleaning up after their messes is part of the deal. God is teaching me that loving people is messy too.
The last thing anyone wants when they are in a mess is for someone to shame them for it. When I told the Lord that I had made a mess of my life he didn’t condemn me. He helped me.
God has tasked me with the job of giving my testimony. What kind of a Savior would He be if I didn’t say what He saved me from?
What I do know is that God takes us from glory to glory and on that journey there is a lot of warfare. We all make mistakes on this journey. If I show up you can expect that I’m going to make mistakes in the process. If you want to tell me I’m making big mistakes then I would request that you come down into the trenches and help me. I can take a correction as long as it’s made in love. I’m not into the idea of, “You made your bed now lay in it.” That’s not the way of grace. Jesus heals then he says go and sin no more. He saves people while they are dead in there transgressions. “Dead” as in I’m not able to save myself.
Some of you don’t know Jesus as your savior yet. You perhaps don’t agree with a lot of the rules you find in church. I know my church wasn’t able to recognize a broken girl. I was told to take off my stiletto heals or they didn’t want me there.
We go from glory to glory. Remember that! We don’t go from bummer to bummer.
What do you think of when you think of home?
When I asked Christ to live in my heart, my heart became his home. The Holy Spirit lives in me and my whole world has been transformed because of it.
Jesus said that he was going away to prepare a place for us and that He would come back to get us. We aren’t made to live forever in these homes (our bodies).
I want my unsaved family and friends to know Jesus. I want to be free of pain and suffering. Yet at the same time I understand that suffering is part of the process. There is a good pain that leads to life and growth.
Right now this body is the only body I have to live in. I work to keep it healthy. I strive to improve it. One day it will completely wear out and then I will be upgraded to a heavenly home.
Right now our family’s house, our home is under construction. It’s the only home we have to live in right now. We are striving to improve it but it is going very slow. It’s not a soft place to fall. I’m not mean because I’m saying that. Ask anyone who has been through construction. It’s not fun.
My daughter and her family are getting a Habitat for Humanity house. It’s a process.
God has called me to be a voice. I’m supposed to be a change agent for where He has me planted. We are all going somewhere. God’s heart is to take us from glory to glory.
Where are you trying to go? What is it that you need? I would like to see my daughter and her family get their Habitat for Humanity Home. Can you help?
Do you have a willing heart to help Melissa, Christopher and the kids get their dream home? You can click the link directly below to sign up. I have also included a two minute tutorial video. If you have any questions you can reach out to Melissa, Christopher or someone from Habitat for Humanity.
This is the Habitat for Humanity volunteer link to sign up as a friends and family Partner
Lastly, I am coming to you again and reminding you that I need help. Here is a link to the blog post I wrote on Christmas last year. HELP!!!
I need a new van? I personally want an Airstream Van so when I get my book done I can travel around and give my testimony. I want to buy a farm where people can come and heal from trauma. I have a daughter who just graduated high school and two drivers in high school. All four of us are trying to share a 2008 Toyota Sienna that needs repairs. I have been stretched so far I feel broken. I have always given my testimony for free but I’m not going to be able to get to where I want to go for free. Will you donate to my ministry?
