A Hand Up Not a Hand Out...

Community of Joy's ministry center needed a new roof on part of the building.  We got estimates ranging from $7,700 to $18,000.   In January, we had a gift given to the church of $5,685.  At the time the giver said it could be used toward the roof and hoped it would cover the cost of the new roof entirely.  With the estimates we had, I was skeptical that it would cover it all.

Every year in February, we host a homeless men's shelter in our facility for two weeks.  On one of the very first nights that I spent an overnight there, I was feeling a strong compulsion early in the morning to go talk to one of the guys who happened to be up and in our sitting room.  I tried to shake the compulsion but couldn't.  So, I went in, asked if I could sit down and asked him where he was from and that one question led into a nearly 3 hour conversation.   Turns out he was local and was a roofer who had fallen on hard times due to the economy.  I knew that he wasn't your typical homeless  guest we usually get... I was pretty sure he didn't have any addiction issues.

Long story short, I prayed about things.  One of our other properties team guys had spoken with him that night too and we both talked.  Then got him up on the roof.  Asked him to submit a proposal.  Checked references.  They were fantastic.  After a meeting of the properties team, we decided to take the calculated risk.   Insisting he use an advance we would give him to get insurance and that we would purchase all the material for the job.  We embarked on a monthy long journey.

It wasn't your typical contractor\client relationship because he had no vehicle to get supplies and needed some help with tools.  So, I stepped in and in the end ran him 17 times to various places checking out supplies, getting them, and hauling things to the dump.   I spent far more time on the roof than I wanted to, but that time was time speaking into his life and learning from him.

Last week, he finished the job and now with the money he made has the ability to get a place and this emotional boost also led him to a couple more jobs!   I am hopeful that this job will be the begining of a life turn around for him.   And I am thankful for a team that was willing to take a risk in order to love someone like Jesus would!