On the Road Today

I continue to be amazed and sometimes overwhelmed by the vastness of the service area of TriState Habitat for Humanity. We serve eight counties in three states. After serving on staff at a Habitat affiliate in Tennessee that serve only one small county, this is a big change.
Today, the geographical vastness of our service area was made real to me again. I traveled to the town of Bethel, Ohio in Clermont County. We are going to have an information meeting for those interested in applying for our home ownership program in November in Bethel and I wanted to check out the site. It took me an hour to get to Bethel from the TriState Habitat for Humanity central office in Butler County, Ohio. It was about an 80 mile round trip. The good thing is that I was able to travel on the Interstate for most of the way. However, I also realized that I was not really at the outer limits of our service area. I would have to drive another 20 minutes to reach the eastern boundary of Clermont County. Also, Clermont County extends several miles further south from where I was today to the Ohio River. While it didn't take me quite as far to reach Bethel, Ohio as it does Rising Sun, Indiana at the other end of service area, it still was quite a hike.
As I drove back to the office from my meeting, I found myself praying for all of those living in our huge service who live in sub-standard housing. Tonight, as I go to sleep in my nice apartment sheltered from the rain and the chilly night air, families will go to sleep under leaky roofs in drafty homes. This just reminds me again of how much work there is to do to eliminate poverty housing from the face of the earth.
I'm grateful for this drive to Clermont County today to see a different part of our service area. I'm grateful that God has called me to this place at this time. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve the poor. I'm grateful for honor I have every day to partner with families to build safe, decent, and affordable homes.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!