Mount Calvary, my field work congregation, has been out to the St. Louis Habitat build site earlier this year, but I haven't made it out until now. Three of us (Bill, Tim and I) met at the church at 7am and drove out to the site together; we met David and Dean once we were there. Along with a bunch of other volunteers (apparently more than the site was accustomed to), we set to work installing the front steps, porch lattice work, planting shrubbery, putting up the house numbers, and a whole bunch of work on the inside that I was never in a position to observe.
It turns out that today was the dedication day for the 2008 build houses, so we all shuffled into a nearby elementary school gymnasium and took part in a ceremony where each new owner was presented with a home owners manual, a Bible, a Christmas wreath for their door, and the keys to their house. Each new owner was given an opportunity to express their thanks, and I am very pleased to say that each was quick to acknowledge God's hand in granting them the blessing of these houses! (Most were overwhelmed in the moment, too.) One woman broke out into a song "How Can I Thank You?"; she had an amazing voice and the lyrics gave testimony to her conviction that this opportunity was a heaven-sent blessing.
Even though a "roof over our heads" is a blessing we attribute to the gracious working of our Creator-Father, one woman recognized her blessings coming through Jesus Christ. Another was effusive in recognizing the Spirit working all about her house! Yet another, who had made a number of challenging decisions while preparing for this home and at times was not certain she would be able to follow through with her commitments to the project, bore witness to the fact that God is always good! She quoted from the sermon on the mount: "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things will be added unto you" (i.e. ). What an fine witness!
Oh, did I mention that Channel 4 (KMOV) was doing a special on one of the families. Cameras were on the street the whole time and they tracked the family through the dedication ceremony. I hope the family's witness to the workings of God in their lives through this labor of love finds its way into the final televised version. It's not posted yet, but this link above is where you should look!
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