Home Renovations in West Virginia Running Smoothly

Hope Force Program Director Craig Snow recently reported that construction on the home of J.R. and Ellen Stinson of West Virginia is moving along quickly after several teams of Reservists came to work on the house this summer. Craig dubbed August 5-11 "Miracle Week" after the number of people coming to help rose from one to 19 at the last minute. The "Miracle Week" team included 10 volunteers from Windham, New Hampshire and eight from Ashburn, Virginia.

"We are so grateful to have so many who, within a week, dropped all that they had on their schedules to come help us," Craig said. "This truly was a special week of great fellowship where we reached several encouraging milestones."

The team finished all the framing and sheetrock, installed siding on one end of the house, and turned the back room into a new bathroom. The bathroom renovations were especially exciting since the brand-new tub and shower were acquired at half price after a team member noticed a small blemish.

"The work that we accomplished together was so encouraging to J.R. & Ellen," Craig said. "When Ellen saw the siding, she stood there and cried for a long time. And seeing how all the supplies have come together has been nothing short of a miracle."

The next step in the process is to paint the walls and install flooring in the children's rooms. Although additional funding is still needed, Craig plans to seal off the children's rooms September 17 and finish them off before a big reveal that Friday.

"We want to surprise the kids with new bunk beds and matching dressers," Craig said. "Our hope is that by investing in this today, each day they wake up in a room that isn't fancy by most of our standards, but will be luxurious for them, that the love this represents will continue to impact those kids for years to come."

Derek, one of J.R. and Ellen?s four grandchildren who will be receiving this gift, has served as a special helper to Craig through the home renovation process. During one week this summer, seven individuals from four different states all had to cancel their deployments to West Virginia, leaving Craig with only his seven-year-old helper. 

"Derek has been eager to help since the beginning of our work with his family," Craig said. "Whether it is cleaning debris, carrying lumber or hammering a nail, Derek is often there to help."

At the end of one long day, Craig asked Derek if he could help him clean the tools. Derek immediately squatted down, looked straight into Craig's eyes, and said, "Sure I would Craig," and then repeated, "I sure would Craig."

"There have been a lot of moments for me, but this one came as a sweet spontaneous expression of gratitude and love," Craig said. "I will cherish this moment as one where I was the recipient of compassion from a seven-year-old boy named Derek."