Joyful Transformation

Yesterday the local paper ran a front page story about the family we placed in the Habitat House. I read the article and felt a great deal of satisfaction that we were able to help this woman and her teenage sons to have a home of their own. I told you last fall about the home visit we made to the mobile home they were living in before.

I was appointed as the chair of the selection committee at the first board meeting I attended. I questioned my qualifications to do this job, however I now realize that I was able to use my strengths of analyzing financial situations and credit reports to determine which family to choose. We have committees set up to handle each phase of construction and family placement. One of the best things about Habitat is that we have a nurturing committee. They are there to teach the new home owners some of the responsibilities of owning a home. They also provide a support system for the new home owners when they have questions or just get overwhelmed. Many times we don’t realize that people don’t know how to take care of a house and yard. We just criticize our neighbors for their lack of work when really they just lack the proper training.

In organizations such as Habitat you need to have a specific assignment to make sure that things get done. They would never ask me to install electrical fixtures or even to paint (if they have ever cleaned up behind me). At the same time there are many people who would not know where to start in reading a credit report. It works great when everyone is both allowed and expected to work in the area of their strengths and abilities.

Hmmm, I know of another organization that should work like that.