DONOR STORY - Bill, Janelle and HabiJax

A Ministry Tailor-Made For Us

When Bill and Janelle Parrish read a news story about the very first Jimmy Carter Work Project in New York City back in the ‘80s, they looked at each other and said “now this is something we can do.”

Janelle recalls: “We had been married a short time and were looking for an outreach ministry to do together. Most of what we found involved cooking. Although feeding the hungry and homeless is a noble outreach, cooking was not on our list of things we enjoyed. But building houses really struck a chord with us. Bill was already a good handy-man, and I was ‘artsy-crafty.’ It looked as though this ministry was tailor-made for us.”

Their discovery coincided with the creation of the HabiJax chapter. Bill and Janelle got involved from the very start. Bill, being Chairman of the Outreach Committee, was sent to oversee the grant.

“We went to the second organizational meeting and came home all fired-up and ready to go. At the next meeting, Bill became Chairman of the Building Committee,” she said.

For several years, Bill and Janelle were fixtures every Saturday along with regular volunteers. “It was a great time, meeting the homeowners, working with them and the other volunteers. We could hardly wait from one Saturday to the next to pick-up our hammers, don our nail aprons and get to work.”

Bill and Janelle watched as more and more groups from churches and businesses around town became involved with HabiJax, and their regular participation became less necessary. “That is when we learned of work opportunities out of town. We have been to Jimmy Carter Work Projects in South Dakota, Hungary, Kentucky, South Africa, Alabama, Mexico and the 2000 Build in Jacksonville. We have participated in Global Village Projects in Northern Ireland and New Zealand. Each place we have been has had its own special stories and special people with whom we have worked.”

Janelle said she and Bill are often asked why they do so much for HabiJax. She always gives them the same three answers:

“Everyone has some skill to offer, and these skills and talents are God-given. Helping others is why we are given such skills.

“We are so grateful for all we have received from God. We want to share this bounty with others.”

“It is such a joy to be a part of an organization which changes the lives of others.”

“Helping others changes our lives as well. We feel that we have received so much more than we have given.”

Janelle and Bill recall that seeing the world through Habitat for Humanity’s windowpane has been another very rewarding benefit. “Building in other countries is fun! It is interesting to spend time with the ‘real folk’ in these far away places, learning about their everyday lives and becoming familiar with their individual situations,” she said. “Tour groups may show you the ‘sights’ but don’t introduce you to the daily life of the people there. While building, we usually have an opportunity to see the sights as well, but we return home with a deeper appreciation of other cultures, and the realization that we are all more alike than we are different.”