Breakfast and Blessings

For a few years my husband I were nearly nomads.  If you define, “moving,” as packing up your worldly possessions and shifting them from one domicile to another then we moved nine times in a five year span.  We shifted cities and we shifted continents.   I learned a lot from those moves. 

I learned my husband has the patience of a saint.  I learned you ALWAYS pack and move your jewelry and personal electronics yourself.  I learned to set up your bedroom first.  And I learned to have some food on hand for breakfast that first morning in your new home.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Did you know “They” have only been saying that since the 1920’s or so?  It is believed that all social classes began eating breakfast by the 1700’s but it wasn’t a widespread practice until the Industrial Revolution (mid 1800’s).  Factory workers began to eat an early meal to help sustain them through their workday.  Who knew?

Last week Habitat Cabarrus had a pretty special breakfast, our 2015 Annual Breakfast, to share how much we’ve accomplished during the year.  If you attended – Thank you.  If you forgot, or had a scheduling conflict… wow you missed a great time!  We had blocks, raffles, history, coffee, stories, and community all wrapped around the theme of Dedication.  Whew!

It takes a lot of people to build a house.  And a Habitat home, because we rely on volunteers, probably requires more people than “normal”.  We rely on community and dedication to build each home.  And frankly it shouldn’t work. 

Have you ever been on a Habitat for Humanity work site?  People from very diverse backgrounds (banking, racing,  energy, retail, food service, military, male, female, young, old) come together to work for a day.  On a stranger’s house.  With little or even no construction experience.  It sounds like a recipe for disaster. 

And yet.
And yet.

If you have ever been inside a completed Habitat Cabarrus home you know they are solid.  Habitat homes are clean, pretty and sound.  Call it a miracle if you like (I do).  But time and again the result is greater than the parts.

In October Heather Collier’s home will be completed.  Heather will pack, shift, and unpack her family’s belongings.  Then one sweet morning the Collier’s will wake up in a space that amateurs, strangers, volunteers, built with love and dedication and they will eat their first breakfast in their kitchen in their home.

Habitat Cabarrus’ September breakfast helps make the Collier’s October breakfast possible.  YOU help make it possible too.  Your purchases from ReStore, your time on construction sites, and your generous financial support will help us to serve 42 families this year through new builds, transitional housing, and repairs. 

Jesus took a boy’s simple lunch and fed thousands.  He took what was freely given and transformed it into something bigger than disciples’ dreams.  We trust He will bless both your offerings and our simple breakfast and transform them into something greater than our dreams too.

Responding to the "Language of Poverty"

Last weekend we went to Asheville, NC for a few days.  It was so nice to get out of the heat, to see something different, to get out of the usual rut.  When we left our restaurant after supper we passed a homeless man and his dog.  When I saw him, them, I felt guilty.  I was ashamed of how full my belly was.  I was conscious of the money we had spent on that meal.  And I looked at that skinny, dirty, man and his equally skinny dog and was moved.  I gave him a small amount of money and rejoined my family.  It didn’t seem like much – but I simply could not walk by them and avert my eyes. 

It’s so much easier to avert our eyes.  To not see the dirty.  To not see the poor.  To not see the need.  I’m not sure why we don’t like to see it - but seeing need makes most of us uncomfortable. 

Perhaps it’s like a foreign language…

Have you ever sat near a group of people from another country and heard them speaking their native tongue among themselves?  You might catch a word here or there but mostly their words flow over you like a river of sound.  At some point they will laugh and you’re left wondering if they told a joke or if you have toilet paper on your shoe.  (Or if they told a joke about you having toilet paper on your shoe…)

For many of us lucky individuals  -- we interact with poverty like it’s a foreign language.  And frankly we don’t want to learn it.  Then there are a few magnificent souls (like Mother Teresa ) who see need,  “Hear” the dialect, and can translate the need into action.

The Dominican Republic is a tourist destination with diverse ecosystems that provide an abundance of recreational opportunities.  People can raft, hike and bike in the mountains while beach lovers can snorkel, dive, kayak, kite board, and sail.  Sounds idyllic, right?  Well…

More than a third of the country’s total population lives in poverty, and almost 20 percent live in extreme poverty.  In rural areas poor people constitute half of the population.  The Dominican Republic is Habitat Cabarrus’ sister affiliate and tithe partner.

Did you know if you Google tithing you’ll get 540,000 results in 0.53 seconds?  Let me save you some reading – tithing has been around for thousands of years and is part of all Judeo-Christian religions. Tithing is also part of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.  In fact, pretty much every major religion recognizes the importance of freely offering support via financial means.

Habitat affiliates are encouraged to donate a tenth of undesignated funds to support housing solutions in another country.  Habitat Cabarrus shares its funds with our sister affiliate to repair or rehabilitate homes in the Dominican Republic to safe and usable conditions.  It only costs $4,500 to fund a housing solution in the Dominican Republic.

It’s incredible to note that Habitat Cabarrus has tithed nearly $250k in its 25 years simply by sharing a portion of what is raised in our community with the Dominican community.   Our goal is to fund a housing solution there for each home we build here.  Since 1990 Habitat Cabarrus has served an estimated 79 families in the Dominican Republic through our gifts and through yours.

Matthew 25:40 says, "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

Thank you for supporting Habitat Cabarrus through your financial generosity for 25 years and beyond.  We’ve been able to do a lot of good by working together.  Thank you for not walking by and ignoring the need right here in our own community.  You’ve heard the “language of poverty” in two countries and responded by helping to shelter those in need right here and in far-away communities too.

Click here if you are interesting in making an online donation to our program.

Tijuana Flats Uses Hot Sauce to Support Habitat

Tijuana Flats came to the Concord Mills area just a few months ago, but immediately got plugged into the community. They reached out to our Habitat even before they opened their doors and wanted to get involved, possibly with a Veteran Build. We do not currently have one planned, but we do have a Veteran living in one of our transitional housing apartments.

They decided they wanted to help, so in June, a portion of every bottle of hot sauce they sold they donated to Habitat Cabarrus. It is part of their fundraising effort called, "Share The Love Feel The Burn."

In fact, since day one, Tijuana Flats has always given back to the community. In January of 2007, they created the Just in Queso Foundation to give back even more. Much more. They have given over $2,100,000 to date to help those in need.

Thanks to the June fundraiser, nearly $500 was raised and the Veteran in that apartment “spent” the money at the ReStore on a new mattress, box spring, as well as a loveseat, chair and ottoman.  

Employees from Tijuana Flats didn't stop there though. They showed up at his apartment to unload the truck and help set up the bed frame.  They also want to go out to the site and work at some point in the future.

Habitat Cabarrus is grateful for the generosity of Tijuana Flats and their local staff for their quick donation and volunteer contribution. Stop by for a meal or some hot sauce soon! They are located across the street from Concord Mills at 8680 Concord Mills Blvd., Concord, NC 28027, www.tijuanaflats.com.

Building on Faith

I really love living in a place with that “small town” feel.  Concord is fabulous when you’re late dropping the kids off at school.  Cabarrus County is wonderful when you’re looking for goods or services and the only “Search Engine” you need is asking someone at the grocery store where they go for X.  Twenty minutes later you have a new friend and a new handyman.     

One of the BEST things about Cabarrus County is the sense of community.  Not too long ago I bought a pair of shoes and three days later a man in my Sunday school class told me his brother had sold them to me.  People learn your name in Cabarrus County and they genuinely care about you -- even your shoes.  Isn’t caring the bedrock of community?   

Another foundation of this community is faith.  Our original settlers brought their religion and, before the 1700’s ended, Cabarrus County already had Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist churches established.  You might say faith built Cabarrus County.  

A few years ago my family toured the Dunbrody – a replica of an Irish famine ship.  This thing was tiny, dark, and squalid.  Imagine trying to fit YOUR family - with all your worldly goods  -  into a space the size of dining table… for three months.  (My kids can’t do a two-hour drive without a movie.  True story.)

If you survived the crossing you still had to contend with potentially hostile natives, to clear and plant acres of land (by hand), and to construct a shelter.  Then you and your neighbors worked together and built a church. Those early churches developed schools, fostered rebellion, and helped constructa new democratic government.

Today’s churches continue to strengthen our community through their support of organizations like Habitat for Humanity.   Volunteers from First Presbyterian Concord, Grace Lutheran, Kerr Street United Methodist, Cold Springs United Methodist, Saint James Catholic, Saint John’s Lutheran and Trinity Reformed United Church of Christ combined their efforts and built the very first Habitat Cabarrus house for Angela Greer in 1990.  Over the next 25 years, faith built 140 Habitat houses and repaired 100+ homes  for 800 people (400 children) in Cabarrus County.  

Jesus fed multitudes with five loaves of bread and two fish.  That’s quite a miracle.  The disciples probably didn’t realize exactly what Jesus had accomplished until it was over.  Just like you may not realize what a miracle each Habitat house really is.

Let me invite you to participate in a miracle.  You.  Your choir, your Sunday school, your church. 

In July, Habitat Cabarrus begins construction on the 2015 “Building on Faith” house at 312 Broad Street.  Our goal is to raise $50,000 through donations (financial and in-kind construction materials). In addition 200 volunteers will be needed to put in nearly 1600 hours of construction.  Jesus used a boy’s lunch to feed 5,000 and He can use you to paint, roof, drywall, and landscape to house a family.

I love being part of a community where people learn your name and where different church congregations work together for the common goal of affordable housing for all.  We all sweat in the Carolina summer sun.  The same Jesus told us, “Love thy neighbour.”  We can do both at a Habitat workday. 

We are all invited to build on faith.

Habitat's Tiny House Dedication – Reality and Imagination

I never went to a certain railroad-themed park as a kid.  So when we took our kids last year I had HIGH hopes for the outing.  We had a lovely time and the kids were appropriately surprised when the good guys and bad guys battled it out – but it was smaller than I had imagined.  Much smaller.  The reality didn’t match my imagination. 

Another time my computer picked up a nasty virus and my husband ended up having to implement the nuclear option.  He wiped it and reinstalled all the software from the ground up.  It took him HOURS to clean up my PC.  I thought for sure he would be angry with me but he wasn’t.  I was so ready for one reaction that was caught pretty flat-footed when it didn’t materialize.  Reality and imagination didn’t align.

Have you ever had that experience – you plan for one thing to the point you can SEE it – and something else happens? 

Last night Barbara Gorman was all ready for the dedication ceremony for HER house.  And, well let’s backtrack just a bit.

 

Barbara came to Habitat through a circuitous route.  Her marriage had broken up and it looked like her future was breaking down.  She’d planned for her life to look one way, then it was headed in a whole new direction, and it was not positive.  Her health had deteriorated and with the emotional stress of a divorce combined with the abrupt loss of income Barbara’s prospects were, frankly, dim.

When Barbara approached Habitat for Humanity she didn’t qualify for the housing program.  That moment could have been the end of Barb’s tiny sliver of remaining hope.  But wait.

Our mission says, “Guided by God, Habitat Cabarrus transforms lives and our community by uniting all of Cabarrus County around the cause of decent, affordable housing for everyone.”

That’s what our community did.  We United and we Transformed.  

The City of Kannapolis, churches, corporations, colleges, other groups and individuals donated money, materials, and hundreds of hours of labor to build a new type of house (a Tiny House) for Barbara.  There is a whole social movement around Tiny Houses that addresses financial and environmental concerns.

Barbara knows she can afford to LIVE in her house. So she was completely prepared for the dedication ceremony. 

Presentation of the Bible – ok.
Blessing – good.
Presentation of keys – got it.
American flag presentation – all good. 

And then it was time for Barbara to say a few words.  She stood up and faced the 60 or so participants with a calm face and a smooth voice.  Then she saw all the love in 60 faces and felt the good wishes flowing HER way.  After saying a heartfelt thank you, Barbara sat down and wept in joy.  (A few more people may have had damp eyes.)

I’m pretty sure Barbara was surprised by those tears.  She had probably practiced her remarks a few times prior to the dedication and felt confident that she knew what to do and what to expect.  Then emotion overwhelmed thought.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  New things have come for Barbara. 

Sometimes your reality is just better than what you imagine.

Mary Beth Griffin, Habitat for Humanity of Cabarrus County