Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

By Bobbi Dumas

From Hearstone, a publication of Habitat for Humanity Dane County, Spring 2008 edition

The words are elegant and inspiring. Words like love, joy or spirit, swirled creatively in wire, set for hanging on a wall or displaying on a coffee table.

Deb Josephs, the artist behind the handcrafted wire sculptures, and her daughter, Hanna, sold them to raise money for a Habitat build trip to the Dominican Republic in March. “In fact,” says Deb, “this is a return trip. We went last year, and it changed our lives. Even this project was inspired by our experience:”

Fifteen-year old Hanna says a little girl from EI Factor, the Dominican community where they were building a house with Habitat for Humanity International, ran up to her and shyly handed her a small, fragile wire sculpture of two entwined hearts. “From my heart to your heart;’ she said in soft Spanish.

“We were all touched at the time, but I didn’t realize how deeply I connected with the simple yet powerful gift. I’m a graphic designer and the image of those two tiny hearts just stayed with me.  A few months later, I found myself taking some craft wire and bending it into a few words that I hung on my walls. I love the way they look and the words really do remind me of important concepts we sometimes forget in the rush of everyday.”

Then, it occurred to Deb that she could design a few more and sell them to help pay for their return trip this year.

Last year, each traveler was responsible for the trips costs and expenses, but the cost of the house being built was covered by the sponsorship through the Habitat Global Village program. This year, participants committed to raising their portion of the cost of the house. Twenty-four people signed on and these 24 individuals paid for their trip and housing, and would split the sponsorship costs of the El Factor home ($500 per person).

So this year, despite having to raise about $1,500 each, Deb and Hanna will be returning to Nagua, and this time Austin, Deb’s twenty-year-old son, will be lifting 30-pound cinder blocks right next to them. “When I asked Hanna if she wanted to go back, she didn’t even blink. ‘Yep!’ When your fifteen year-old daughter wants to spend a full week away from her friends, building a house in a poor country in a completely different culture, then you need to jump at the opportunity to offer her that experience. I don’t think we could possibly spend our time or money in any better way.”