Ever since Katrina, I've felt pulled in two directions. After watching the horrific images of the Superdome and the NOLA Convention Center, I felt convicted. It was clear to me that the main reason most of those people were there was because they had nowhere else to go, no money for a ride out of town, let alone a car, maybe no family other than the ones stranded with them. They had so little already, and now they have nothing. And so, I felt convicted. It is easy for me to point fingers at Mayor Nagin, Governor Blanco, and President Bush, and though I do think they all have a degree of responsibility for that part of the aftermath, I also recognize that change starts with ME.
But what can I do?
We gave money to the Red Cross (I say we, because I am not exactly earning money at the moment). But this will not end poverty. I gave blood. But this has NOTHING to do with poverty. I've prayed, and while I believe God hears and answers prayer, I also believe He calls us to action to be a part of the answer. I believe He has called me to be part of the answer. But this is where I start to feel conflicted.
I am a stay-at-home mom, and I recognize that I am fortunate to have that choice. I enjoy having the chance to watch my kids in their precious early years. My husband is very busy with his work and his own ministry (leading a Chinese Bible study), both of which keep him busy during the daytime as well as a minimum of three evenings a week and sometimes weekends. I get my "mom's night off" every week, and feel it is necessary for my sanity, to have time alone just to chill, think, and, well, BE ALONE. That leaves me little time for volunteer work. I have been an AWANA teacher at our church for the past couple of years, and though I am not an official teacher this year, I still help the current teacher of the age group I taught before. Even if I dropped this (and I really don't want to, as I also feel called to the AWANA ministry), it still would not give me much time to do what I want to do.
What do I want to do? THIS. I have been vaguely aware of the work Habitat for Humanity does for maybe the last five years, and I will confess that at first, I didn't get it. "They just give away new homes to people? Just because they are poor? What gives with that?"
I understand now it doesn't quite work that way. Low-income is part of it, but the family does need to be able to afford a mortgage (though it is a no-interest one). They also must have no debt, must currently be renting, and must participate in the building of the house, as well as homeowner education training. As HFH states, it's a hand up, not a handout.
So I've been hearing how HFH has been building homes for Katrina victims, and I've been watching them build some of these homes in Rockefeller Plaza (temporarily renamed "Humanity Plaza") on the Today show this week. Today on a whim, I looked up the website, and found a couple of partner groups that are near where I live, one in Indianapolis, and another in nearby Morgan County. The Morgan County group has an interesting program, called Women Build, in which women are trained in construction and participate in the building of houses with little or no help from men. I have no experience in construction, none, and this program sounds exciting and empowering. But participating in the actual building takes time that I am not sure I have right now, with two little ones (including an under-one-year-old who is still nursing). The Indy program had an interesting volunteer opportunity: data entry. To most people, I know that sounds like drudgery. But anyone who knows me knows that data entry, especially highly detailed data entry, is downright FUN for me. I can't explain it. It just is. So I'm salivating at the thought of being able to volunteer to do just that.
But time is still an issue. It wouldn't take more than 2-4 hours a week...but when? I could leave Aislinn for that amount of time, but with whom? Leo's schedule, while variable, is not what I'd call truly flexible. More often I am the one who has to flex to accomodate it.
I feel very strongly about this. Participating in Habitat would give me a chance not only to help those in poverty, but to work WITH them, among them. Although I know giving money is an important part of helping organizations like this, it seems too sterile to me sometimes, too easy. Sometimes I think people give money to avoid feeling guilty about not doing anything else. I have probably done that myself. So I want to do something different. Something tangible, something where I can see the results, can know I have really made a difference.
I guess I just have to keep praying that God will show me exactly how this will work out, because I believe when God calls me to do something, He will work out the details. I've seen Him do it before. So it will be exciting to see how He does it this time :)
But what can I do?
We gave money to the Red Cross (I say we, because I am not exactly earning money at the moment). But this will not end poverty. I gave blood. But this has NOTHING to do with poverty. I've prayed, and while I believe God hears and answers prayer, I also believe He calls us to action to be a part of the answer. I believe He has called me to be part of the answer. But this is where I start to feel conflicted.
I am a stay-at-home mom, and I recognize that I am fortunate to have that choice. I enjoy having the chance to watch my kids in their precious early years. My husband is very busy with his work and his own ministry (leading a Chinese Bible study), both of which keep him busy during the daytime as well as a minimum of three evenings a week and sometimes weekends. I get my "mom's night off" every week, and feel it is necessary for my sanity, to have time alone just to chill, think, and, well, BE ALONE. That leaves me little time for volunteer work. I have been an AWANA teacher at our church for the past couple of years, and though I am not an official teacher this year, I still help the current teacher of the age group I taught before. Even if I dropped this (and I really don't want to, as I also feel called to the AWANA ministry), it still would not give me much time to do what I want to do.
What do I want to do? THIS. I have been vaguely aware of the work Habitat for Humanity does for maybe the last five years, and I will confess that at first, I didn't get it. "They just give away new homes to people? Just because they are poor? What gives with that?"
I understand now it doesn't quite work that way. Low-income is part of it, but the family does need to be able to afford a mortgage (though it is a no-interest one). They also must have no debt, must currently be renting, and must participate in the building of the house, as well as homeowner education training. As HFH states, it's a hand up, not a handout.
So I've been hearing how HFH has been building homes for Katrina victims, and I've been watching them build some of these homes in Rockefeller Plaza (temporarily renamed "Humanity Plaza") on the Today show this week. Today on a whim, I looked up the website, and found a couple of partner groups that are near where I live, one in Indianapolis, and another in nearby Morgan County. The Morgan County group has an interesting program, called Women Build, in which women are trained in construction and participate in the building of houses with little or no help from men. I have no experience in construction, none, and this program sounds exciting and empowering. But participating in the actual building takes time that I am not sure I have right now, with two little ones (including an under-one-year-old who is still nursing). The Indy program had an interesting volunteer opportunity: data entry. To most people, I know that sounds like drudgery. But anyone who knows me knows that data entry, especially highly detailed data entry, is downright FUN for me. I can't explain it. It just is. So I'm salivating at the thought of being able to volunteer to do just that.
But time is still an issue. It wouldn't take more than 2-4 hours a week...but when? I could leave Aislinn for that amount of time, but with whom? Leo's schedule, while variable, is not what I'd call truly flexible. More often I am the one who has to flex to accomodate it.
I feel very strongly about this. Participating in Habitat would give me a chance not only to help those in poverty, but to work WITH them, among them. Although I know giving money is an important part of helping organizations like this, it seems too sterile to me sometimes, too easy. Sometimes I think people give money to avoid feeling guilty about not doing anything else. I have probably done that myself. So I want to do something different. Something tangible, something where I can see the results, can know I have really made a difference.
I guess I just have to keep praying that God will show me exactly how this will work out, because I believe when God calls me to do something, He will work out the details. I've seen Him do it before. So it will be exciting to see how He does it this time :)
posted by Andrea | 9:43 PM
4 Comments:
When I was about age 12, I thwacked my thumb with a hammer. It was an accident, but there is still a scar, and I decided I didn't ever want to do things with a hammer again.
However, about 6 years ago when our church decided to do a Habitat for Humanity house, I was made to feel soooo guilty for not signing a work list.
I found my niche by working in the church kitchen and cooking lunch for the crew. No hammer involved, but still very important job. People joining struts for the roof, out under the hot sun, certainly appreciate food plunked down in front of them.
Data entry is necessary work as well.
There will come an opportunity for you to help in some small way, baby or not. Perhaps even doing childcare for someone else who swings the hammer.
Patiently waiting, and you'll do fine.
I think a lot of people did a lot of finger-pointing all around after the disaster because everyone felt so helpless. We're a nation that can send a man to the moon, find a cure for diseases that used to fell our population, and create computer programs and machinery to test every compound known to man (and many not known)for medicinal qualities, yet we can't protect our citizens against nature? And we don't like to feel helpless; we want control. So to assert our control, we blame someone else for what THEY should have done. It's human, it's natural, it's an out.
Having a sense of responsibility to help is a better step. And stepping out with HFH is one of the best ways to help anyone. mrtl's suggestion of seeing if you can do data entry from home is a really good one. I wish I lived closer to help out with Little A while Big A was in school or something.
You'll figure it out. Maybe you could pair up with another mom on the women's build team and you watch her kids one day while she works, and then vice versa. I don't really know how the scheduling works, but maybe something like that would work.
BTW, that HFH commercial with Reba makes me cry EVERY time. Where she talks about a key being precious metal to someone who has never had a house before.
The people that get these houses need to put in a certain amount of hours and do need childcare. I friend of mine in school volunteeres for them and he said it was just an incredibly rewarding experience.
However God chooses to use the gifts you have, your right, he'll work out the details.
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