Dear Habitat Supporters-

Jaime Stephenson and his children last summer

As the year is coming to an end and construction on my family’s home is almost complete, I want to thank the volunteers, donors, board of directors and the staff at Habitat for Humanity for everything they’ve done for my family. Being a homeowner has been one of my life’s biggest goals and it feels great that I’m almost there.

My family has had to move a lot, usually because the landlord raised the rent or sold the house without warning. We won’t have to worry about that anymore and for the first time, I'm excited to move, one last time into our forever home. It’s such a blessing.

I learned a lot this year. With COVID restrictions, I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to do, but I got to work on my home a lot. Working with volunteers is something I won’t forget. Even though they had to wear masks on hot summer days, they were glad to be there, and I thank them for helping despite the challenges.

We all dealt with so much in 2020. This year, I’ve talked to God a lot and said a lot of prayers. Through His grace, I’ve been able to keep providing for my family. He’s still taking care of and walking alongside us. Building this house with Habitat was an answer to many of those prayers.

In 2021, my kids are going to know what having a forever home feels like. Once we get settled, each of them will pick out a tree to plant in the yard. I want them to have a reminder of this experience they can look at when they come home from college and beyond.

I've been thinking about my future too. I'm considering going back to school and earning a degree. I also want to see what working on a Habitat project is like in a year without a pandemic! My kids and I have so much to look forward to. We want to thank the community for all they’ve done to put us on this strong foundation. We’ll never forget what a blessing this has been for my family.

-Jaime Stephenson

2020 Habitat Faith Build Partner