Faith, Fellowship, and Framing
The sound of hammers and saws fills the air this week at the Home Builders Blitz as professional builders, volunteers, and Habitat for Humanity of Omaha staff work to erect nine houses on a single block. One street over, volunteers from St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church are giving their time to build another home that will soon be purchased by a local family. It’s not a new concept for St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church members; this is just the most recent of their annual weeklong mission trips. The first mission trip was held in 2009, working on a home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Other locations church members have traveled to include Cedar Rapids, El Reno, and Boulder.
This year St. Timothy’s members decided to focus their efforts at home by building with Habitat Omaha. This has allowed a lot of people to work single or half days.
“It opens up to more people the opportunity to work on the house. Not everyone can give a week of vacation to work on a site outside of Omaha,” shares Dana Messerschmidt, a member of St. Timothy’s. This is his first year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Omaha. “We have a handful of first-time volunteers onsite with Habitat.”
Other St. Timothy’s volunteers are more familiar with working on a Habitat Omaha home. “Some of us have worked on the ELF Coalition,” says Merle Schlines, another member of the church, “so it was natural to contact Habitat about what we could do for a weeklong basis.”
Not all of the St. Timothy’s volunteers can be found outside working on construction. Some decided to dedicate their time to helping in the Hospitality House.
Fallon Savage has always been intrigued with the idea of volunteering with Habitat Omaha. “I’m not very handy,” she says, “but I can still contribute by serving meals for the heavy lifters.”
For Jane Peterson, a retired teacher, it was a chance to help out. “I just wanted to give it a shot,” she explains. Denise Fischer couldn’t participate in past mission trips, but in Omaha, she said she had “no excuses this year.”
The team of volunteers were requested to provide ten volunteers for construction each day as well as five volunteers to serve meals at the hospitality house. But St. Timothy’s had more volunteers than the allotted amount that wished to sign up. Turner Morgan, Habitat Omaha Volunteer Manager, worked with the church to allow more slots, up to fifteen per day.
The team just started the basement floors Thursday, and they’re hoping to finish the trusses today and start on the roof. “Once the roof is finished, it’ll be closed to the weather,” says Messerschmidt.
One aspect that stood out to St. Timothy’s volunteers is how much Habitat Omaha puts into the Builders Blitz. “The teamwork onsite is great,” says Schlines. “Not to mention the meals.” Messerschmidt also appreciated the good job Habitat Omaha does organizing the event, and the amount of coordination that goes into making it a success. “They look after the crews by keeping them stocked up with water, Gatorade, and ice,” he adds.
The biggest challenge this week was the weather. “Tuesday was a really hot day. We ended up stopping early and then starting earlier the next day,” Messerschmidt stated. He says their overall experience has been positive, and it has been a great way for St. Timothy’s members to be a part of the community.
“The fellowship we’ve attained is great,” says Schlines. “We’ve gotten to know each other on a personal basis.” It’s also been an opportunity for volunteers to practice spiritual work. Every day they start with a devotion. “We’re called to God’s work and here we use the skills we have to help others,” Messerschmidt explains.
Joann Wellsandt appreciates the importance Habitat Omaha puts on homeownership. “It allows a sense of stability to the family, and a sense of community.”
Savage voiced similar thoughts on homeownership, saying, “you know your neighbors and there’s a bigger sense of safety, especially for the children.”
Being part of Habitat Omaha’s efforts to revitalize a whole neighborhood struck a chord with these volunteers. It’s a noticeable and dramatic change that can be seen within the five days of the Builders Blitz. Messerschmidt says he’s also impressed by how Habitat Omaha works to educate future homeowners. “Many don’t realize the upkeep and maintenance that goes into a home,” he says. Habitat Omaha sets up homeowners for long-term success.
As the Builders Blitz comes to a close, the volunteers reflected on the week’s experiences. Wellsandt remarked how nice it was to see people from all over helping out. Fischer noticed the same thing. “It’s been awesome seeing the progress and meeting people,” she says “Some have come a long way, like Texas.”
This was Peterson’s first time volunteering with Habitat Omaha, and she says that the experience has been great all around. “I definitely want to come back again. I’m looking at other opportunities with Habitat as well.”
