tpc makeover '07

This is Pastor Kevin (who?) from Turning Point and I am invading your blog today. Jennifer asked me to share with you about our latest Extreme Makeover project. I'll keep it as condensed as possible.

This year's project home belongs to Wanda Patterson. Wanda is a wonderful lady in our church who lost her husband last year. When I made my first visit to her home, I walked away nearly in tears. I told myself over and over again, no person, especially a widow in our church should have to live in a home like what I just saw. It was literally falling down around her from so many years of damage. James tells us "true religion that God accepts is to look after the need of widows and orphans in their distress." So even though the project in the natural seemed overwhelming, we trusted God.

The first day was demo day where we literally had to tear down part of the house and gut 80% of the rest to even begin renovation. For seven days we watched prayer after prayer being answered.

One of the great blessings of this endeavor is the effect it has on the neighborhood. For example, there had been a lot of tension between the next door neighbor due to a tree that had fallen partway and no one claimed ownership. So one day we took the tree down and cleaned up all the debris around his house. It changed the whole neighborhood. From then on, people from all over the area began to work on the house with us, bring us food, equipment, anything we needed. It was incredible. I could go on and on with the miracles that God provided such as favor with businesses and how he always had the right people show up just when we needed them.

The project was completed at 5 a.m. 6 days later. On Sunday after church, Wanda was picked up in a limo and brought to the revealing. Needless to say, her life has been changed. The longer I am the pastor here, the more I realize I do not deserve to lead this group of people. This church is made up of a group of people with selfless attitudes and a willingness to follow the heart of God. They preached a message to a community every day for seven days of this project with their sacrifice. I am humbled to work beside them.

Jennifer asked me to post some before and after pictures of the house, I am still trying to track those down. However, if you would like to see the video, you can go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj9oWXx7j6o.