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Business North - The Daily Briefing - Business Newspaper Online
Thrivent Financial Duluth manager returns from trip to El Salvador
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10/1/2009 |
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(Photo: Jeff Hakala and two of his teenage children, John Hakala and Jessi Corrick of Bovey helped build a community of homes for families in El Salvador.)
Poverty and inadequate housing have a whole new meaning for three Bovey residents after building houses side-by-side with Salvadoran families during a Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip last summer. Jeff Hakala and two of his teenage children, John Hakala and Jessi Corrick, fully expected to work hard and change the lives of Salvadoran families for the better during this mission-style trip. While these expectations were met, it came as a surprise that they were also strongly impacted by the experience.
“Volunteering in El Salvador really grabbed our hearts,” said Jeff Hakala, a father of six in Bovey, Minn., and the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Launch Manager in the Duluth and northern Minn. region. “One of every three people in El Salvador lives in substandard housing, partly as a result of a lack of job opportunities in the country, so by our American standards, the Salvadorans have very little. In spite of that, the people we met were caring, generous and hospitable, hard-working and so excited to live in their own home.”
July 24-August 2, 2009, a team of 18 people from Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio, including Jeff and his teenage children John and Jessi, both students at Grand Rapids High School, assisted with the construction of homes for families in Santa Ana, El Salvador. In the 90-degree heat, volunteers sealed and painted homes, laid tile floors, dug deep holes for septic tanks, dug trenches for the road curbs and enjoyed building with the partner families who will eventually live in this community of Habitat homes. Each home under construction includes a living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms.
“We worked with the low-income families who will soon live in the houses,” said 16-year-old John Hakala, “and I learned that having money doesnąt make a person better.” His step-sister Jessi, also 16-years old, added, “This experience taught me to be grateful for what I have in my life.”
The teamąs contributions gave a boost to the community-building efforts of Habitat for Humanity El Salvador. Itąs very difficult for landless Salvadoran families to own a home, so Habitat El Salvador has developed a more holistic way to help poor Salvadoran families improve their quality of life. This new community‹funded and built mainly by members of U.S.-based Thrivent Financial for Lutherans‹ will provide each resident family with land, a house, basic services and social infrastructure such as green areas and community buildings.
On behalf of its members, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has committed $1.3 million to Habitat for Humanity El Salvador to build this community of up to 75 homes over 18 months. At least 50 percent of trip participants must be members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and as a benefit of their membership, each of the Thrivent members receives discounted trip costs.
This team of volunteers also had the opportunity to put down their work gloves and have some free time to go on a boat ride, eat Salvadoran foods, shop and hike through the mountains of the Salvadoran “Ruta de los flores,” or “Route of the flowers,” a popular tourist attraction, and attend a Lutheran church service on Sunday.
“I was really touched by all the children,” said Jessi, “even though we couldnąt communicate with them very well. I tried some Spanish and we used a lot of body language and smiles.”
“Even though it was a week of hard work, it was exhilarating at the same time, knowing we were doing something to make a difference,” said Jeff. “I went into this knowing that the community of homes would better the lives of those we served, but now it has changed our lives, too.”
While this family and their fellow volunteer team traveled to El Salvador, other Thrivent Builds Worldwide volunteer teams help build homes in other parts of Central America, in the United States, eastern Europe, Africa and beyond. All trips bring together Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members with other Lutherans and volunteers to build homes with families in need.
To learn more, visit www.thriventbuilds.com/worldwide/elsalvador.
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