November 9, 2007

A Journey Home 3 – David’s House 

“Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” 

Our first impression of David’s house was overwhelming. A single dad and two boys can make any house a bit messy. A single dad with depression and health issues and an 11 year old son with severe emotional disabilities can lend themselves to lots of clutter and disorder. Add in two large dogs, a cat and a bunny and well… you get the picture. After being in a home for 10 years, people collect lots of things they no longer have use for or room for. David’s house was no different. On our first inspection we knew this project would be impossible without a lot of help from others in the community. We gave ourselves a timeline of 5 days because of the enormity of the project, knowing we really needed about 2 weeks; however, we wanted to be respectful of the family’s time so we tried to squeeze in as much as possible in a very short amount of time.  

Unlike A Journey Home 1 and 2 where we were helping families move into a new home, the end goal of David’s house was to fix it up and sell it so he could move into a place he could better afford. We spread the word for volunteers and one of the ladies who heard of our need ran into a friend who holds a charity yard sale each year and told her about David’s house. It Turns out that the yard sale was only days away and they had not determined who would receive the proceeds. When asked if they would support David’s House, they gladly said, “Yes!” That started our budget out at $2,500 and we were blessed to get an additional $500 donation to help with flooring. 

Several volunteers went and looked at David’s house and helped us plan and review ideas.  There was much talk about reality, time, resources, etc., and much compromise made on the dream of what should happen to the house and what we could accomplish well. Colors and curtain fabric were picked out. Volunteers were lined up and scheduled, and on October 31^st, the work began.   

Volunteers came, volunteers went. Primer went up, paint went up, cabinet doors came down, furniture went to the trash, carpet came out, wood floors went down, cleaning, painting, cleaning, painting, cleaning, painting, new furniture in, new counter tops in, new vanity in, new sink, new fixtures, new lights, new doors, curtains up, beds made, trash out, pictures on the walls and it’s a new home. We literally worked day and night to reach our goal.  

In the end, the changes that David and his family saw in their home did not tell the real story of those long, hard days. They could not see the selfless hours given by those who worked a yard sale to make money for a charity project. They could not see the generosity of local business leaders who said, “Yes” when asked for donations and price reductions on supplies or food to feed volunteers. They could not see the hours of math, figuring, calculating and talking about how to make a little bit of fabric go a long way so that all the windows on the first floor could have curtains. There were no photos of the many volunteers who saw an ad on CraigsList and gave their time, or the community leaders who met with us and knew the importance of helping this family. They didn’t see the silly laughing that took place at 10:00 pm when weariness set in and everything was just funny. They couldn’t smell the coffee that sat morning and evening to fill the hands and stomachs of those who needed a jolt. They didn’t hear the conversations that took place as strangers and friends rubbed shoulders with a common goal. They didn’t see the bloody knuckles, bumped heads, painted hair, achy backs, headaches, sore hands, tired eyes and sweaty brows that worked endlessly for them. And if you asked a single one of them if they would do it all again – I know they would.   

Why? God intended us to live in community together and to help take care of each other. He wanted us to know our neighbor well enough to be able to help when needed and ask for help when we need it. This project took the help of the community and we were pleased when they rose to the challenge and came willingly to assist. David’s house is officially for sale and listed with a Realtor, and God’s blessing will flow for a long time to come for this family and all those who were part of this Journey Home.  

To see the pictures from this amazing transformation, you can go to our website at www.Journey2L2.org.  I have also attached a pdf of the newspaper article that appeared on the front page of the South Brunswick Post yesterday. Thank you to everyone who made this dream a reality – you are radically changing the lives of those around you! 

Enjoying the Journey,

Bob

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