God's Helping Hands: -- a new beginning - Couverture souple

Dunstan, Jocelyn

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1484840437 ISBN 13 : 9781484840436

Editeur : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Synopsis

Description of God’s Helping Hands — a new beginning A dozen Christians from a study group are challenged to do something to make a difference in the wider community outside the resort-style neighborhoods where they live. Praying for God’s guidance and providence, they choose to do home repairs for families in need, never suspecting the extent of the need just outside their gates. Through local sources, their leaders, Gene Barton and Bob Becker, locate a home in dire need of repair, if repair is indeed possible. The owner is Eunice, a grandmother who lives with her daughter Caroline and three small grandchildren. Caroline works two jobs while Eunice cares for the children. Their ca. 1905 cinder block home is evaluated and deemed non-repairable. The outreach group finds themselves far beyond where they had planned to go—in way over their heads. Because they have come to care about the little family, they can’t simply walk away. The only way out is to follow where the Lord leads, and they do. As they recruit more volunteers, raise funds, contact businesses and contractors, and create a plan to help meet the family’s needs, the hand of God is evident again and again in events that exceed the level of “happy coincidence.” The members often refer to these times as “God moments,” where God has so obviously made a way for them that they are rendered humble and speechless. They purchase a used mobile home and completely renovate, reinforce, decorate and furnish it, including new septic and well, plumbing, central heat and air conditioning, and so forth. In the meantime, they have been tutoring the children, providing financial guidance to Caroline, and making food pickups for the family at the local food pantry. Finally they dedicate the home and move Caroline’s family in. The needs of Marcia, Caroline’s Sister, are placed on their hearts before Caroline’s dedication is over. The group returns the following season to provide for her family. So many nearby families stop and ask for help, the group, now known as “Helping Hands Outreach Ministry,” has to develop application and screening procedures. In selecting the next family, the groups gives priority to families with young children. As part of the group’s “Pay it Forward” policy, families are asked to repay $15,000 over four years. This represents about one-third of the value of the home. These funds are used to provide homes for future Helping Hands families. To help them meet this obligation, families are required to attend a personal finance course taught by one of the local churches. A family coordinator stays in touch with each family to help them learn how to manage and maintain the household. Friendships grow between the families and the volunteers, prompting many of them to say it is like having grandchildren close by. That first family is served in 2007. By 2013, “Helping Hands” of New Covenant United Methodist Church, The Villages, Florida, has re-homed 16 families. This book tells the stories of the families coping with substandard living conditions, fearful that their children will be taken away, but unable to afford anything better. Some have had to stuff rags in corners to keep out the rain and cold. Others battle insects, rodents, or mold. Some live without hot water or reliable electricity. When the families has a better home, both parents and children flourish. Close friendships grow. People become passionate about the purpose they share, and it changes their lives. The family housing projects indeed make a difference in the surrounding communities. The volunteers would argue, though, that they themselves were blessed as thoroughly as anyone.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Jocelyn Dunstan is a retired federal investigator and life-long writer. She always believed she was meant to write a book, but it was not until she encountered the Helping Hands Outreach Group through her church that she found a cause, a calling, a story so compelling that she could not say no. After one day on the job site, she knew that this group shared an uncommon joy, a blend of spirit and attitude that she had never experienced in a workplace. She was not equal to the task of writing the book; yet it was specifically her lack of expertise that made her the one to be called. She may not have been capable, but God would help her complete the tasks at hand—just as he had met the needs of Helping Hands. Meeting the volunteers and families has had a profound impact on her life. Researching and writing the book, in both its ups and downs, has been a life-changing faith experience. She and her husband Floyd sailed the Chesapeake and Caribbean for several years. They currently reside in The Villages, Florida, with their tabby cat, Harley.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Date d'édition: 2013
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1484840437
• ISBN 13: 9781484840436
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 364
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Manufactured by Amazon on behalf of the author; https://www.amazon.fr/hz/contact-us; ; c/o Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy; Luxembourg; L-1855; Luxembourg