Tonya and Albertha
I caught a lot of funny looks when I said I was going to Hilton Head on a mission trip. I was even skeptical a bit myself. Was I qualified to go? I can’t quote scripture and I don’t have honed skills with power tools, but I felt led. The one thing I did know for sure was when GOD told you to do something, you better do it! So here is a summary of my experience.
Hilton Head Island has an amazing history linked to the civil war and to freedom from slavery. There are families who have lived here for hundreds of years and their land is their heritage. Unfortunately, land ownership does not make one wealthy. Selling it means selling the thing your ancestors worked in slavery for. Most individuals who live on their own land cannot afford traditional housing. They reside in trailer homes and repairs are costly. I had the privilege of being with a team that worked on a home owned by a 70 year old woman whose family had been here for five generations! Albertha’s trailer home needed a face lift (painted). We began with prayer and I felt God nudging me to talk to Albertha. I am naturally a talker so up I went and knocked on the faded door. Behind that door was the bright smile of a grey haired woman with a walker who talked with a thick creole type accent. I listened as she told me her story of being a mischievous child and even a whiskey drinking adult. She openly shared how God washed away her sin and has always taken care of her. Alberta’s trailer got a face lift as I got a FAITH lift! No one is worthy of our GODs love, but he graciously gives it to us. I helped finish the painting and stood beside a proud homeowner who needed a skeptical, unqualified Christian to touch her heart and home.
Emma, Albertha, Forest, Reagan, Corrine
