THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607120221
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CAROLE O'KEEFFE, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 54 lines
While young people from Pennsylvania spent a week here tearing down the exterior of a Habitat for Humanity home, they also concentrated on building each other up.
``We are building hearts and faith,'' said their sponsor, Brenda Stilley, 31, who takes teens on a community service camp annually. Stilley is youth director of Ruthfred Lutheran Church near Pittsburgh.
Recently she and five other adults plus 16 teens traveled via charter bus to Hope Lutheran Church in Virginia Beach where they spent evenings in sleeping bags on the gym floor and days helping rehabilitate a large older home on Dunkirk Avenue in Norfolk for a family who might not otherwise ever own a home.
Not only did the group members volunteer their time to help others, they pitched in their own funds for T-shirts, food and entertainment. The church paid for the bus ride.
After each day's demolition work on the Norfolk home, the youth returned to their sleeping quarters at Hope Lutheran to work on their faith in each other, themselves and their Lord. They built a wall of paper bricks, one brick at a time, for each participation in Bible reading, prayer, complimenting each other on jobs well done and showing faith and hope for an improved future.
``Teens today take a beating on self esteem; they get continually pummeled,'' Stilley said. ``They need to feel comfortable and loved.''
Robin J. Hatfield, 18, said she has been through some hard times but her life has improved greatly. Trips such as this one help. ``This is a week when I can glorify Jesus and show my love for my fellow man. There are people who are less fortunate, so I want to use my gifts, my strong arms that God gave me, to pull shingles so someone can have a house.''
Tom Wright, owner of Wrightway Enterprises Inc., works several days a week supervising volunteers like these from Pennsylvania. He gets paid a token salary for his work from Habitat for Humanity.
He said the young people are like ants. ``They keep me hopping just to keep them busy. They have accomplished a lot with this demolition.'' The outside of the house will be redone in vinyl siding.
Amid the sounds of shredding shingles and moldings, scraping paint, taped Christian music and group chatter, Jim C. Clark, 14, said he came on the outing to help others and for spiritual growth. ``It's nice to be with other Christians and to stay out of the excessive worldly environment,'' where he could be tempted to lose his focus on Christ. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by CAROL O'KEEFE
Brian Schmidt, 29, left, and Tom Wright, 34, adjust a ladder to
reach the roof of the Habitat for Humanity house on Norfolk's
Dunkirk Avenue.
Christine Maurhoff shovels contruction materials into the Dumpster
at the Habitat for Humanity house under renovation. by CNB