Freedom Builders - Rebuilding lives - One home at a time

I was seven months pregnant when we found out something was wrong. In the five seconds it took my midwife to say the words, my world came crashing in. My baby had Myelomeningocele and Hydrocephalus. I didn’t understand the words she used but clearly understood the look on her face. And it was sheer horror when she said “this is absolutely the worst thing I could be telling you about your baby”.

We were told that because of the severity of each of these conditions, if our baby lived, he would have little or no response to the environment, physically nor cognitively. We went to the hospital unsure if we would ever bring our baby home.

The first thing we did was send a letter to all of our friends and family, explaining the situation and asking them to pray for our baby. Then we spent the remainder of the pregnancy trying to prepare and grieving.

As it turned out, God heard the many calls of the people who were praying for him. He has overcome many of the obstacles laid before him to become an absolutely delightful and intelligent little boy. While he is paralyzed from the chest down, he is able to use his arms, thank God, to eat, to play or to shake your hand. Eric makes friends everywhere he goes and brings joy to their lives. It is his gift. He enlightens the world -one person at a time.

This summer Eric received an incredible gift of his own from a wonderful group of people called Freedom Builders. A man named Skip Brown and his volunteers came to our house and built a Handicap accessible ramp for him. Now Eric can drive his wheelchair out into the yard to play all by himself It is amazing to see the look on his face! How he must feel to have that independence. He is so proud of himself.

Needless to say we are forever grateful. It was wonderful to have their help. After getting to know Skip and what he is doing with Freedom Builders, I decided I wanted to make my own contribution. The best way I can help is by writing this letter to ask you for yours.

The purpose of Freedom Builders is to provide vital housing repairs, adequate housing and disabilities assistance to people in our community that need it the most. They leave each job with the clear and simple message that God loves each and every one of us. The help is free to those who need it and they are not pushy with their beliefs. Freedom Builders chooses jobs simply by these criteria, 1) there is a legitimate need, 2) no other resources can be found to solve the problem, and 3) there is an opportunity to demonstrate the love of God.

With Skip as their leader, Freedom Builders has quickly become one of the most effective service agencies in the Grand Traverse Area, by providing basic housing assistance, in a cost efficient manner. With 400 projects under there belt, they are moving forward into their _6thyear of service with incredible drive and motivation.

It is in this spirit that I ask you to help. Jobs are lined up and volunteers are standing by, but Freedom Builders can only go as far as the supplies take them. And supplies cost money. So please send what you can, or call if you have ideas of how you can help.

Have you ever felt like you wanted to make a difference in your own community but weren’t sure how? This is the perfect opportunity for you to reach out. Just as a smile is contagious, so is a good deed. When someone does something nice for you, don’t you feel inspired to pass it on? The goodness that Freedom Builders is doing right now is immeasurable as it travels from one person to another, multiplying as it goes. What a great opportunity for you to help make a huge difference!

My family and I are so thankful for the difference that Freedom Builders has made in the life of our little boy. And if you are able to make a donation, I thank you. I know first hand how wonderful it is to have the help of others when you need it. I speak for all the families, like mine, right here in our own community that will be touched by your love and generosity.