Back in the day, Habitat for Humanity staged numerous long walks to bring attention to this new ministry. There was a 700 mile walk from Habitat’s headquarters in Americus, Georgia to Indianapolis to celebrate Habitat’s 7th Anniversary. There was a walk from Portland, Maine to Atlanta celebrating the 12th Anniversary in 1988. I joined this particular walk for a day in 1988 in Richmond, Virginia as we were launching our new Habitat affiliate in Lynchburg.
I remember reading a book several years back by U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. It is entitled Walking With the Wind, his memoir of growing up in substandard housing in Alabama where his grandmother literally told the family to walk to certain corners of the house during thunderstorms so that they house would not blow off the foundation. Then, of course, Rep. Lewis led the fateful walk across the bridge in Selma, Alabama to be greeted by police dogs and fire hoses.
We dedicated our most recent home on Waldo Street in Cary this past Saturday. During the dedication we heard the story of the father of the family literally walking hundreds of miles from his native Myanmar to Malaysia to seek work and income to provide needed medicine to their young son. Thanks to the relocation efforts of local Wake County churches this family reunited in Raleigh in 2009 and now t has secured a home in which they can thrive.
When you take your next walk think of a young fledgling organization that has now touched millions of people worldwide. Think of a young John Lewis rising to become a leader in the civil rights movement. And then think of the dedication of a young father walking miles and miles into an unknown future to secure needed medicine for a son. There is abundant faith in each of these journeys—something that encourages me and gives me hope.