Last Sunday a mission team from Milligan UMC gathered in Schuyler, Nebraska to help build a home for a young family. When we arrived at 510 Gold Street, we were greeted by Sheri Balak, from the Habitat for Humanity – Schuyler Extension team. We numbered eleven, from Milligan, York, and Denton and were joined by Jen from Omaha, soon-to-be homeowner Yessica Marino and her father, and Jim, our construction manager for the project.
Yessica was born in Schuyler, graduated from Schuyler Central High School, and Central Community College in Columbus. She works as a nurse at Pediatrics Clinic in Columbus. She has two sons, a 7-year-old and a 1-1/2-year-old. Yessica told me that she learned about the Habitat for Humanity house project in Schuyler when she attended her son’s parent-teacher conferences. Subsequently, she made application, agreed to provide a down-payment and 200 hours of sweat equity to build her home, qualified for a USDA rural housing loan, and was approved to become Schuyler’s first Habitat homeowner. Because our team would be traveling some distance, Sheri had arranged for our breakfast onsite. Wonderful! We got signed in, made introductions, learned a little about Habitat’s work, prayed together, then teamed up for our tasks. Together, we painted siding, hung more siding, prepared air vents for blown-in insulation, insulated some small openings, hung some fascia, and painted siding again. More importantly, the Church had left the building on Labor Day Sunday to labor together so a young family might soon have a home of their own. Everywhere I looked, I saw Christ’s hands, feet, and heart in action. A gracious welcome. Meals and snacks. Painting. Hammering. Light-hearted bantering. Measuring twice, cutting once. To echo what Lois said later on Facebook, it was “a great day with church family….” So thank you, Lois, Lila, Dan and JoAnn, Kim and Gerald, Braden, Briana, Carol and Kerri, Jen, Yessica and your dad, Sheri, Jim, and food hosts from St. John’s Lutheran Church and CHI Health Schuyler. And thank you, God, for each of them! Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat
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