Action speaks louder than words

About six months after the earthquake that killed twenty thousand people in Gujarat, India, in 2001, I visited there.  The region had been flattened; nearly every house and building had collapsed.  Several of my colleagues and I were there to dedicate the first of hundreds of new houses built through a partnership between Wold Vision, Habitat for Humanity, and USAID.  The resilient Indian people, with some help from outsiders, were beginning to put their lives back together and move on, even though their human losses had been unimaginable to most of us in the West.

During the dedication proceedings, a group of village elders sat just a few yards behind us, observing everything.  They looked like majestic and dignified figures from the pages of National Geographic, with deeply lined faces; long white beards and mustaches; and turbaned heads.  As the event wore on, they were having quite a lively conversation in their local dialect.  They could not have known that one of my colleagues Atul Tandon, had grown up in that very region and understood every word they were saying.

After the ceremony, Atul share with me what he had overheard.  He said the the men were speculating as to why 'these Christians' had traveled thousands of miles across the ocean to help their community rebuild.  They wondered what motivated complete strangers to help them.  They were experiencing the love of God and the kingdom of God in profound ways through the concrete love and action demonstrated by Christians, acting through the Habitat for Humanity and World Vision organizations.

Saint Francis of Assisi understood the power of faith put into action to change the human heart, for it was he who said, 'Preach the gospel always; when necessary use words.'  We had not yet spoken a word in their language, but the village elders had already 'heard' the gospel.

-- Richard Stearns

The Hole in Our Gospel

pages 22-23

Report from BECK community service with CitySquare

We received the following report from our good friends at BECK after a great group of their interns joined CitySquare's WorkPaths' participants in framing houses contracted for construction with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.  What a great partnership all around! 

Thank you, BECK

If you’re a fan of community service, affordable housing projects, nonprofit work or just sweating profusely while you dream of an air conditioned office, then I suggest you look into working with organizations like CitySquare and Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.

This is exactly what BECK’s interns did the June 22, 23 and 24th as part of an intern service project which took place in at 2717 and 2711 Silkwood Drive in South Dallas. It was the result of a group from CitySquare’s WorkPaths department, who teamed up with the BECK interns to frame two houses for Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity in three days.

WorkPaths is a department at CitySquare, a local nonprofit and provides tools and resources to adults who, for various reasons, lack necessary job training and education. WorkPaths partners with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity on projects allowing them to provide further training and implement construction skills they learned in WorkPaths’ construction training program, Build4Success. As for the interns here at BECK, it was not only a chance to get to know one another, but also an opportunity to work with an impressive organization filled with dedicated individuals who are making a positive impact.

The group included Lynsee Turner, Greg O’Bryan, Molly Lyons, Caleb Pritle, Jake Maxton, Trevor Brown, Dane Soren and Dylan Dorsey. It would not have been possible without the contribution of a few notable BECK employees - Greg Powell, Holly Crowder, Jim Gettman, Gillette Berger, Tim Kuykendall, Rachel Baumann, and Beth Butler. The willingness of the people at BECK to engage in a project such as this reflects the values of this company and is a credit to its already admirable standing within the local community.

David Claros, in reference to the workers from CitySquare, noted, “To see people like that trying to get their life back together was very humbling and made me appreciate the opportunities I have been given… It really put in perspective what I have been blessed with.”

Lynnsee Turner felt that “being a part of the summer 2011 CitySquare / Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity Intern Event was an awesome experience! Not only did we get to use the knowledge that we have learned the past few years in different classes, but we were also able to give back to a community in need, while having fun.”

Lacey Helm was fortunate to observe “the effects of hard labor on the body, but also the satisfaction from seeing with your eyes the production you have physically done.”

The opportunity to work with the people from CitySquare, although difficult, was incredibly rewarding.

Participating Interns included Lynnsee Turner, Greg O’Bryan, Molly Lyons, Caleb Pritle, Jake Maxton, Trevor Brown, Dane Soren, Dylan Dorsey, David Claros, Lacey Helm, Nick Jencopale, Javier Altamirano, Andrew Winchell, Sam Gunderson, Abigail Steck, Ricky del Monte, Billy del Monte, and Sean Luke. The majority of these interns will most likely never make their living in the labor side of construction.  However, an appreciation and respect for those who do will prove to be invaluable. Apparently, scorching heat and difficult labor are ideal conditions under which to form friendships. While the purpose of the internship is to provide a glimpse into potential careers, it is also necessary to provide a sense of social responsibility. Thankfully, this responsibility is standard procedure here at BECK.