Thursday, March 12, 2009

East Hills Joins with Habitat for Humanity

By: R.D. Hight

In the Highlands neighborhood of Longview, on 18th Avenue, is an empty lot on which Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are combining to build a duplex for two needy families. The Habitat for Humanity share is an Apostle's Build project, meaning that 12 local churches have agreed to support it with money, volunteer labor, and prayer. East Hills is one of those 12.

Habitat for Humanity, founded in 1976, is a Christian ministry that uses contributions to build or renovate houses and sell them to low-income families for no profit. The eventual recipients help work on their house, as do volunteers. For the past several years, we have given Habitat the use of our facilities for meetings, but we have never taken part in their construction projects.

"I developed a connection to them and thought what they did was a great opportunity," Pastor Nick said. "We got an Apostle's Build letter from them last summer. Last fall, we discussed as a leadership team that this might be a good way to help our community."

The project starts the last Saturday in March, the 21st, when we have the first of our work days. Habitat is hiring skilled contractors, but we will provide grunt labor on several Saturdays throughout the six months of construction. We are also responsible for feeding the crew on those days, so there's more involved than just construction tasks.

Our part of the cost comes to about $6,500. Rather than pay it like any other bill, Nick wants to fulfill that commitment through purposeful donations to build ownership and involvement. On that kickoff weekend, we will take a special offering toward "our" house and begin making it a special, temporary item, just as we have done in the past with overseas church plants.

We have also taken on a responsibility to pray. Nick has not received any specific prayer requests yet, in part because Habitat is still working through the process of locking in a partner family for this house.

"We want to have a relational connection with this family by getting to know them in ways that go beyond these six months," he said.

For East Hills, the goal is not just to assemble resources to make someone's life more comfortable. In these bad times, the secular conversation is immersed in financial matters. This project gives people a route from where they are to where they need to go, from material things to spiritual ones.

"I think it's a real practical way we can live out our values," Nick said. "We've put it on our sign -- 'We exist to impact our communities with the love of Christ --' and this is one way to get involved in our community, by helping build a house."

Any of the staff can explain more about our construction job; Jason Hoover is the Habitat liaison and can also answer questions about it. Beginning this weekend, you will be able to sign up for work days in the Welcome Center.

A Mom's Perspective on Missions

What is it like to have a son who teaches in a college on another continent? In today’s world, it’s not so far! We talk nearly every week through Skype, and e-mail makes sending notes and pictures almost instantaneous. It also has made a huge difference to visit. We saw firsthand where Jonathan lived and where he taught. We met students, fellow teachers, employers, friends and local people that he interacts with, like his door lady and his fruit vendor on the street. We visited places that helped us to learn about the culture, and we went to places that helped us understand the spiritual darkness that needs God’s light.

We normally talk on Sunday evenings—Monday morning for him. On New Year’s Eve in 1999 he reassured us that nothing bad would happen in Y2K. He knew, because he was already there! During his first year abroad he taught at a K-12 private school. Our first phone conversation was not a good connection (and I wondered what authorities might be listening in). We talked about his campus. He told us that for security at night the gates are locked and guard dogs roam the grounds. A little later, our connection was lost. I remember praying for him that night as I pictured him being interrogated under bright lights. (It is SO easy for moms to jump to the worst-case scenario!) Dads can worry, too. Jack’s concern is that he won’t seek out medical help if he gets sick. This came after hearing about Jonathan finding his roommate unconscious on the floor. At the hospital they thought it might be the result of food poisoning. The scary part was that the potential food source was still in their refrigerator when we heard about it a few days later! So, one of my “job descriptions” as a mom includes trusting God to take care of him and to lead him.

For all three of our sons the knowledge that they are trying to follow God’s leading in their lives brings us much joy. As Jonathan’s mom, I pray for him in his struggles and rejoice in his victories. Some of his concerns have become mine as I learn to love the country and people that he loves. I gladly pass on his communications to others who join in prayer (and I feel extremely grateful for these partners). And, of course, sometimes I still send off a package filled with homemade cookies.