THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 1, 1996 TAG: 9607300116
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CAROLE O'KEEFFE, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 34 lines
While young people from Pennsylvania spent a week in the area tearing down the exterior of a Habitat for Humanity home, they also worked on building each other up.
``We are building hearts and faith,'' said their sponsor, Brenda A. Stilley, 31, who takes teens on community service work camp once a year. 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 had to pitch 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 traveled back to their sleeping quarters at Hope Lutheran to work on their faith in each other, themselves and the 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.
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.'' by CNB