Working with the Thrivent Builds volunteers has been a memorable experience for Monyca Wells. "I just love working with them all. They’re all very, very nice people. I like coming out here."

"I just love working with them all. They’re all very, very nice people."

Space to Grow

Monyca Wells, a young, single parent, and her daughter lived rather simply in a one-bedroom apartment on the west side of Chicago.  But she was determined to become a homeowner one day. 

Monyca had never heard of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans before being accepted into the Habitat for Humanity program in 2001.  “I have an aunt who had a friend that applied for a Habitat home, probably seven years ago,” Monyca says.  “My aunt called my mom, who called me and said, ‘This is a good thing for you.  I’ll find out when the meeting is going to be.’”  Monyca and her mother went to the meeting, and the rest is history.

At the time Monyca was accepted into the Habitat program, Thrivent Financial had not yet started its alliance with Habit for Humanity. She was placed on a waiting list, where she stayed until Thrivent Builds was launched in 2005.  Thanks to this alliance, she was moved off the waiting list and began working on her new home soon after.

As a home purchaser, Monyca is required to provide 350 “sweat equity” hours on her house.  “We aren’t professionals or anything,” she says, “so I kind of stuck to where I could get the most done: painting, nailing nails into the plywood, and siding.  I don’t know that much about building a house.  So I kind of stayed where I felt most comfortable and I wouldn’t make that many mistakes.”

Working with the Thrivent Builds volunteers has been a memorable experience for Monyca.  “I just love working with them all.  They’re all very, very nice people.  I like coming out here.  It isn’t like I’m coming to do something I don’t want to do.  I wake up on Saturday morning being very happy to come out here and work on my house with the volunteers.”

Moving into their new home will be a big change for her and her child.  “In our apartment, we have her bed in the living room,” Monyca says.  “So she’ll have her own space now.  She’s getting older and she needs that space. 

“For me, being the age that I am, I think this house will grow with me and my family.”