Love Thy Neighbor once again provides valuable services to those in need

“We take all the churches in Dent County, and come together, all denominations, to bridge some gaps between denominations, between ages, and skill levels. We just try to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in our community and serve people who need something done that they can’t do for themselves, just like Jesus did for us, what we can’t do for ourselves,” said Privett.

Privett and her crew were just outside of Salem on Thursday morning, working on making a property safer for the homeowner.

“This project, we stabilized a ramp. We’re building some new stairs for an exit out back. We’re kind of just making safe entry, I guess you could say. So, we try to focus on safe entry, safe exit, a lot of handicapped ramps, decks were built; we do a lot of decks every year. Some roofing, but not very often. We get those requests sometimes but not as much as handicapped ramps and stuff,” she said.

The effort is supported by around 20 local churches, multiple area businesses, and many volunteers, said Privett.

“(Dent County Rentals), they support us a lot, they let us use power washers, backhoes, and rental equipment for free. They support us a lot,” said Privett. “Phil Christesen (Christesen Construction) is the one who heads up all of the construction crew bosses. We have three main crew bosses this year, and they each have a helper crew boss. A lot of them have been or are contractors also.”

Many of the volunteers of the program are children. According to Privett, the older kids (sixth grade and up) help the construction crews and learn the skills that are being used on the projects.

“It’s not a construction crew that’s going out and slamming up a job. We try to take the time to teach the skills to the younger generation as well,” she said.

The younger kids, fifth grade and under, have their own special role as well.

“The kid’s team is from first grade to fifth grade, and they usually stay at the church; they do a VBS type of Bible study, and they do a lot of crafts. The crafts are for the homeowners,” she said. “When we finish a project, then our team that worked on the project, plus the kids’ team, they’ll come out here and present them with all the crafts they’ve been doing.”

The group also has a “Care Team”, and though they do not build with the construction crews, they have their own work to do.

“The care team is like our spiritual, the relationship building team,” Privett said. “Their job is not to work, but to just go out and make connections with the homeowners. They visit every homeowner every day, and they’ll come out and present them with a bible, a project T-shirt, and also we make a homeowner journal. A little booklet, where everybody signs their name, favorite Bible verse, and what church we’re from, because there’s about 20 different churches involved. We’ll give all that stuff to the homeowner too, so they have something besides just a work project.”

Privett said this year had been a challenging one for the group; several key volunteers were sidelined due to health problems, or the health problems of close family members. Privett said she feels that, while difficult, the hardships are evidence that the program is moving in the right direction.

“It’s been one of those years where it feels like we’ve really been attacked,” she said. “When I was growing up doing (work ministry) as a kid, my youth leader would get excited when things were falling apart, because he said, ‘if God is going to do big things, then the devil is going to do everything he can to get in the way of that.”

The program certainly accomplishes big things, as Salem resident Tammy Donovan found out. On June 9, the kids’ team, the care team, and a construction crew headed by crew boss Matt Milligan came to Donovan’s house to dedicate a new deck porch the group had completed for her over the week.

“This is a wild operation. Love Thy Neighbor is multiple different churches getting together, obviously from ages from little bitty to really old,” Milligan said. “Multiple churches involved all over the place, that are just coming together and working for one purpose: That is to spread the Gospel through the love of Christ.”

The group presented gifts to Donovan, including a Bible, a journal with bible verses, and the arts and crafts that the kids made. Donovan exchanged tearful hugs with members of the ministry.

After the dedication, Donovan said the ministry helped her with something she couldn’t do for herself since her diagnosis.

“They did this amazing deck. I’m a cancer survivor. So, at the time (of my application) I was needing a ramp. But, by the grace of God, I was able to get out of the wheelchair, to a walker, to a cane, but I still need help up stairs, so they were able to make my stairs to where I could actually get up,” she said.

The new deck was well constructed, with thick footings and sturdy rails. According to Donovan, the old deck was in need of replacement.

“(Our old porch was built) on top of the concrete, but the steps were just really high, and they were starting to wear out because we weren’t able to maintain it. We were back and forth to the hospital, because I had stage three bladder cancer,” she said. “My other kids were still working because we had bills to pay, because I couldn’t work, and…things just kind of went downhill. But they’re starting to go back uphill now!”

Donovan said she was particularly touched by the gifts from the children. Donovan knew several of the children from her former job at I Can Too Learning Center in Salem.

“They made me a little birdhouse, isn’t that amazing? Little arts and crafts,” said Donovan. “One of (the kids), she just turned 11, and I’ve had her since she was two years old at my old job, and one of the little ones, I’ve had him since he was a little bitty baby. It’s amazing because I know like those two go to different churches, and then one of the grandmas, I had her little grandson. I’m like ‘oh my gosh, all my little babies are coming back!’ I mean, they’re getting big, but they’re still my babies,” she said.

Donovan said she’d like to see the generosity displayed by Love Thy Neighbor spread beyond Salem and Dent County.

“It’s been amazing. They’re so generous. I don’t know any other people that would do that. It’s just so sweet,” said Donovan. “That’s what you need to do, not just here, but everywhere. This just needs to wrap around the whole world. Everybody gets along. Just love each other,” she said. “It’s just amazing.”