Peggy Kalis sums up her feelings this way: "I love Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity! It has been a real honor to work in concert with our home office, our local Habitat affiliates, and some very extraordinary volunteers to bring this project to fruition."

I love Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity!

A leap into faith

When a group of leaders from the Thrivent Financial corporate office visited the Eastern Great Lakes regional financial office, manager of Lutheran community services Peggy Kalis learned for the first time about Thrivent Builds.  Brad Hewitt, senior vice president of Fraternal Operations, told Peggy and her coworkers that he had a great new idea to share and wanted Peggy’s team to pilot it in Southeast Michigan.

“Little did we know what that statement meant,” Peggy says.  “As they shared more of the vision with us, we just kept getting more and more excited.”

The project they learned about involved building a home for Julie Jarrell, a single mother who felt called to adopt children who had no home and give them a loving place to live.  “When you meet Julie, you know instantly that God is the one who directs her every step,” Peggy says.  “Her children love her and we do, too.”

Peggy signed on as the project lead.  “It was important for me to be part of this project because I have a passion for taking new ideas, breathing life into them, and actually seeing them come into existence.  Plus, any time you can help create new possibilities for a life to be changed, I’m all about that!”

Peggy notes the incredible impact the Thrivent Builds project can have on an individual’s life in such a short time.  “Not only does it change the life of the individual purchasing the home,” says Peggy, “it changes the lives of all the volunteers who contributed to make it possible.”

Peggy offers this advice to Thrivent chapters that may be considering taking part in a Thrivent Builds project.  “Leap, look and learn!  Just dive right in and trust that the work is God’s work and he will bring all to you that you need to get the job done.”

She has seen Lutherans transformed by the experience.  “Many people have wanted to do this kind of work before and we have just created an easy opportunity for them.  They come back energized and more willing to serve.  ‘When can we go back?’ are words I heard over and over again.”