By Rebekah Cowen
How did you spend your Saturday? I spent my Saturday laying shingles on a roof. I was doing that because I was helping the community by participating in Builder's Care. There were nine other people helping with Builder's Care that day. I was the only girl but it was worth it because I helped a lady who didn't have money to get her roof repaired. It was very exciting to help her.
I learned a lot from my experience working with Builder's Care. I learned that you don't help people so you can get something in return. When I help others, I am rewarded by knowing that I obeyed God and that I made someone happy. I found out that when I start something, like helping another person, I don't want to stop. It makes me feel so good inside. I felt like I was showing people what being a follower of Christ is all about by working my hardest on a house that belongs to someone else. Someone I didn't even know. It felt really good to obey God and help someone in need.
You might be wondering what Builder's Care is all about. I want to tell you a little about what my Saturday was like. The first thing we did was gather together and pray. We had a chance to get to know each other. Then we went to the house we were fixing and carried the shingles to the roof. We had to lay the shingles down in a pattern and nail them. We kept doing this over and over until we reached the top of the roof. When we got to the valley of the roof, we had to over lap the shingles in a special way. For the finishing touch we had to shingle the peak of the house. That required a lot of cutting. After the shingles were laid we had to sweep the roof and get all the leaves off of it. We worked really hard but time went by so fast because I was having so much fun. People said I am young but I know how to shingle a roof. That's surprising to me!
Have you ever wondered how Jesus feels after you've done something right? I have! I think Jesus felt very proud of all of us last Saturday for helping the community. I know He is proud of us! We worked very hard to fix her house. I worked harder than I ever thought I could and we finished her entire roof in three hours. I think that is fast, which shows that with God anything is possible.
I am so happy that I was able to help this lady. I am sure she was very excited to see her new roof. Maybe, because we helped her, she will decide to help the community one day. Maybe she will even become a Christian too? Builder's Care needs more volunteers to show God's love in the community. The more volunteers we have, the more lives we can change! Please join us next time!
(Rebekah is an up -and-coming 11 year-old roofer. She's excited to start the 6th grade this coming week. She loves to read, write, draw and help with Builder's Care.)