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If you ask four-year-old Dacey Heath where she got her beautiful blue eyes, she will give you a look that not so subtly suggests that a grown up should know such things without having to ask. Then she will tell you matter of factly that God gave them to her. God not only gave her two beautiful eyes, God also gave her two wonderful people to be mother and father to her and her older brother, Quinton. Brian and Amy Heath do the best they can to make a home for Dacey and Quinton. They live together in their McCreary County, Kentucky home.
Their home is the reason that Christians have come from Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina and Tennessee this summer to meet Dacey and her family. Well, not the home, as much as the house. The house they live in is substandard in many ways. This past March Jim and Rita Cmolik, the directors of Hills and Hollers Ministries, decided to do something about the Heath family’s living condition. After taking a visiting pastor to meet the Heaths and see the mobile home in which they live, Jim asked that pastor what he heard the Lord saying? Having just been inside the mobile home that was literally coming apart at the seams, the pastor said that he could not imagine God saying anything other than to build this family a house. Of course, Jim was already sensing that the Lord was leading in that direction.
The Heath family illustrates well the difference between a house and home. The house they live in is in bad shape. The home they have together is filled with warmth, love and faith. There is a sign in the bathroom of the mobile home where they are living right now that says, “A house is made of brick and stone, a home is made of love alone.” The Heath family daily lives the truth expressed in those words.
Fifteen members of Ball Camp Baptist Church were privileged to meet the Heaths and work on their new house last week. We were only there for two days, but accomplished much. Steps were built to the front porch and the back stoop. A door was built to cover the opening to the crawl space. A pull-down access to the attic was installed. The walls and ceiling were insulated. The foundation was waterproofed. Drainage pipes were covered with gravel. The pipe to the septic was prepared for the inspector to come and give it the OK. A truck load of drywall was unloaded for the team that would follow ours.
Watching dedicated people share Christ’s love and accomplish so much was truly a blessing. Everything that our team did was essential to the completion of the house. Yet, one thing occurred that I don’t think we were altogether prepared for, and that was the way the Heath family reached out to us. Perhaps we thought we were merely building a house and all the while God was building a relationship. Amy, Brian, Quinton and Dacey were outgoing and engaging. Each one in their own way expressed their appreciation for what we were doing. More than that, we were able to see the love that Brian and Amy have for their children and their desire to make a good life for them. What a joy it was to be a part of that effort. The Heath Family was used by God to speak to our hearts. From the phone calls and emails that I have received from team members since the trip, I believe we were listening. In fact, I am pretty sure the conversation is still in progress. Listen carefully — there is no telling what you might overhear.
Joy and Peace,
Ed
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