Habitat for Humanity

Holy Week I got the chance to go with a group of 56 adults and high school youth to Sea Island near Charleston, SC to do a mission trip for Habitat for Humanity. I had never really done anything with Habitat before this trip. We had tried to help out when I got here in Charlotte earlier in the year but rain and an already full house hampered our efforts and we ended up being sent home. So, this was my first all out experience building a Habitat house and working with the organization. The Sea Island/John's Island chapter of Habitat is one of the oldest in the country. They've been doing this for a long time and they're good at it!


We did something a bit different than other Habitat groups. Often, groups will build an entire house from the ground up. They frame it, lift up the walls, put in the sheet rock, built the roof, shingle, put up siding, paint, etc. Unfortunately, there is an overabundance of wetland where we were working and therefore, permits for building are harder to come by. So, we couldn't build the entire house up. Instead, we go to prefabricate the houses. We measured the wood, put pieces of it together (I know all about Jack/King combos, T's, studs, cripples, etc.), build all the walls, lift the walls up, place them all in the proper locations, hurricane strap them, and then take all the assembled walls down and store them. We were also sprucing up an old Catholic Church that was going to be used as a meeting space/Chapel.

So, we had plenty of work cut out for us. And only about a third of the group had been there before on a Habitat group. But, it was trial by fire and we were all up to the challenge. We re-learned how to swing hammers, how to properly frame a window, and that flush, king, and jack were more than just card terms. It was a great group and I enjoyed getting to know the youth better through serving with them. I think it speaks lengths when we can compare blisters, sore thumbs (hurricane strapping can be brutal without a pliers), and then all run toward the ocean together after a hard day's work. Oh, and did I mention that the camp we were staying was right off the ocean and had over a mile of beach front! I even took a walk with dolphins one morning!


Even though we didn't get to see the traditional house go up, I still feel like we accomplished a lot this week. We were dirty, scarred, and exhausted at the end of each day. But we somehow all found the energy for a quick game of spades, euchre, or ERS, a guitar/bass jam session, s'mores around a campfire, a walk on the beach, or a good conversation with a new friend. And the next day, we were ready to go at it again, knowing that we were making a difference in someone's life, in our case, a difference for the three families we were prefabricating houses for and for all those who would make use of the Habitat Chapel. Many of us on the trip come from very affluent families and areas and I think that this made us appreciate what we have even more.

All in all, one of the best weeks I've had since I've arrived in Charlotte. Chances are, I'll be back for one more trip (I think I can justify skipping classes to go next year). So, if you ever get a chance to do a Habitat build near you, I would highly recommend it. :) Anybody up for the Habitat Blitz in Charlotte in June?