Michigan—It started as a day of fun and excitement. We all packed into three cars which took us to our destination—Benton Harbor. Fifteen junior high teens from Village Adventist Elementary School had volunteered to spend the school day at a Habitat for Humanity site. Habitat for Humanity is an organization which helps low income families acquire houses. Though this house had already been built, there was plenty of work to be done.

We met someone named Bryant who had quit his job to work for Habitat. He explained that to acquire one of these houses, you had to meet their low income standards and put in 300 hours into building the house.

“A lot of people get the wrong idea about Habitat,” said Bryant. “We don’t give away these houses; people have to work for them, and someday pay for the house. By working, they develop a sense of ownership. It makes them want to take care of it more and not let visitors junk it up.” He also said, “For a lot of these people, without Habitat, they would never own a house of their own. By getting help from volunteers like you, and by partnering with businesses, we can get quality materials cheaper. We can build houses for $70,000, and the occupants can pay us later.”

After a short tour of the house, we set off to work. Some of us laid gravel on the driveway, and others helped build a storage shed for the occupants. By the end of the day, we had the shed’s frame up and the driveway ready. I got a chance to talk to the lady who is receiving the house. She said that she was very thankful for an organization like Habitat and thankful that teens like us were willing to help.

Besides the fun we had, we also got the satisfaction of helping make someone’s life better, which is the best thing one can do for someone else.

Steven Mann, Village Adventist Elementary School eighth-grade student