My first home dedication

It’s a Project Homecoming tradition that whenever we finish a house, there’s a dedication ceremony to formally welcome the family back to their home.  We dedicated Rudolph and Carol’s home on Friday, the first ceremony since I’ve been here.  A volunteer group from Denver was there, all the Project Homecoming staff, and the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Advisory Committee was in town to tour all the work along the coast.  Carol’s two sisters were there as well as Rudolph and Carol, of course.

As you could probably guess, this was a seriously moving occasion.  Rudolph and Carol were absolutely beaming the whole time, so proud and joyful to be back in a home of their own.  Churches around the country sponsored the home and sent gifts and greetings which the staff presented to Rudolph and Carol.  Jean-Marie, the coordinator of Project Homecoming, shared some reflections as did the head of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  Then, the family told some stories and shared what it meant to them to be back in their home.  We closed with the group singing Amazing Grace a cappella.  We did the four verses on the sheet and everyone thought it was over.  There was a moment before Rudolph started singing “Thank God” to the tune of Amazing Grace.  No other words, just “Thank God.”  We caught on and soon the whole room was singing along.

Just before we ended the ceremony to have some refreshments and tour the house, Rudolph made an announcement: “If you’re ever in the area and can stop by, do.  If you need safe haven, if you need a cold drink, if you need to rest, if you need food, it’s here.  This home is your home for as long as we live here.”  I think Rudolph and Carol were sad to see everyone leave.  They were obviously over the moon to be back in their home but it was a hard moment to leave there knowing that we wouldn’t be back to work.  We would be back to take Rudolph up on his offer, but the relationship is different.  Where before, we were the folks helping them move back in their home, we’re now… I don’t know what we are.  I promised Rudolph I’d be back when I was working in the neighborhood.  There was this sense of accomplishment but also the lingering question, “Where do we go from here?”  I wonder how the relationships we build with homeowners will be maintained now that some homes are occupied again.  I can already tell that we go through so much together and I feel like we should build on that, but I’m not sure how.