A House or A Home?

Having grown up coming to Lake Wedowee, we wanted to always have a place on the water where our family could gather. Diving into the cool waters of the lake has always been a reset for my soul.  Being near the water has always been a place I could more clearly hear the voice of my Creator.  There was never a doubt that we wanted a home on the lake where we could all gather together to relax, refresh, recharge, and reconnect.

So, we sold that little place, and built a larger home on the other end of the lake. They say that fewer things end a marriage quicker than death, affairs, or building a house!  But we survived it! And while we have plenty of room for a growing extended family, there are times that I do miss just those 600 square feet. With more room comes more responsibility. More cleaning. More expense. More people. More food. The list goes on...

But these are first world problems. We travel to Honduras a couple of times each year for medical mission trips. My aunt and uncle run a ministry in a remote part of one of the poorest and most crime ridden countries in the world; they primarily offer a food ministry and build homes for families. We have the unique opportunity to provide medical care, but we have taken part in their regular ministries as well. And I often think about what a house, or more importantly, a home means to us when we visit this part of the world. 

When I say that a mission team builds a house for a family in need, I often wonder what people picture in their minds? It is a traditional 3 bedroom, 2 bath American ranch? Or more of the 600 square foot tiny home? Because it is neither of these. The homes being built for these families are what we would call shelters. A 16’ x 16’ room with a floor that is wooden and off the ground, four walls, a tin roof, a small cut out for a window(no glass), and a wooden door that locks from the inside. A family of six will cry tears of absolute joy at no longer sleeping on the ground, in a gutter, or under a bush-built shelter. The teams provide a full size mattress, bed linens, and a Bible, and you would think that these teams were Ed McMahon handing them the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes check. It is a beautiful, but humbling, sight to see. These homes provide a family who previously felt exposed and vulnerable, unsafe and unseen, with a chance for improved health, safety, security, and protection. 

 As the days lengthen and the weather starts to warm, my heart starts to sing for the coming lake days. “Camp Key Wedowee”, jumping off the rock, taking turns on the wakeboard, learning to drive the boat... we have created so many fun summer traditions with our family and friends. We will grill and chill and play and stay until long after the sun sets. But in all our good times together, I pray that we will remember what really makes any house our family’s home: the love that lives there. And whether you are in 200 square feet or 20,000 square feet, surrounded by the cacophony of childhood chaos or quietly alone, on the street where you were born or millions of miles from home, I hope we all remember this candid and accurate quote from one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis: