No Free Houses

I had a meeting today in Lebanon, Ohio. We were meeting with a Partner Family whose house will begin construction on Saturday. We met at the McDonald's in Lebanon. When I first walked into the McDonald's, a man who was sitting there drinking coffee must have seen my Habitat for Humanity shirt. He asked me, "Would you build a free house for me?"
Well, when I heard this man's question, I stepped closer to him and decided to use this as a teaching moment. In fact, I really love it when I get to do this because I get to talk about the mission and ministry of Habitat for Humanity. I shared with the man that we do not give away free houses. I told him that our families have mortgage payments. I also told him that they have to complete 500 volunteer hours along with take classes in personal finances, home ownership, and home maintenance. I went onto say that Habitat is not a hand out program but a hand up out of poverty.
I think I overwhelmed the man with the information I was sharing with him about Habitat. He seemed to be somewhat taken aback. He sheepishly responded "Well, I thought that's what [Habitat] did. I thought you give away free houses." I reiterated to the man that Habitat is not a giveaway program. He smiled at me and then I walked away.
On my drive home from Lebanon, I thought about my experience with that man at McDonald's. I wondered what he thought about what I said. I wondered if he had a better idea of what Habitat does and what we are about. I wondered if he went home and told his family or his friends about Habitat. I wondered if maybe he spent some time on Habitat website learning even more about Habitat. I wondered if he might one day even consider volunteering for Habitat and joining us in giving families a hand up out of substandard housing.
Who knows? I hope and pray that God planted some seeds in this man's heart. I am glad that God allowed our paths to cross.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!