On your mark.... get set...

A couple of weeks ago, we had the BEST PARTY EVER.

It may not have measured up as “the best party ever” by most party scales…

It was not the party of the year because of its exclusivity and illustrious details.
It was on a Monday afternoon, with 100+ not-technically-invited people roasting in the summer sun between parked cars, two shacks, and a brand new house.

It wasn’t written in the books for the perfectly timed, ultra-smooth flow of entertainment.

We did have dancing DJ’s.

And some dancing guests of honor rejoicing in traditional African style.

But we also had that one drunk guy who kept trying to steal the show. And the electricity, and therefore the music, went out by the end of the party.

It was so fun, so joy-filled, and so absolutely perfect. It was a perspective-shifting party for me.

At Ten Thousand Homes, we always throw a party to commemorate the completion of a new home. I really, really love them. There's something so sweet, so sealing, so family about them.

I love the planning, the decorating, the secretly stocking it full of treasures, the sharing the gospel to the community, the blessing of the home, the handing over of the keys, and that drum-roll-please moment when a new family enters their new home for the first time.

Carla giving Mama Charity her new home keys.

She's going in! This is our "Move that Bus!" moment.

It’s like the Grand Finale on the 4^th of July.

It’s like waking up late on sleep-in Saturday after a hard week’s work.

It’s like... I would assume (and won’t ever actually know)… crossing the finish line after a marathon.

We snuck in the backdoor to capture the moment.
Decorated inside and stocked with all new furniture and home supplies.
Thank you for your generosity and for making it possible!

For me, the “Welcome Home Party” is the moment where all the weariness in my body and heart is replaced with gratitude and satisfaction.

It’s when I remember and recommit that every moment I’ve spent away from my family and friends, and every tear I’ve shed over the years has absolutely, 100%, without a doubt been worth it.

I keep thinking about that “finish line” the party seems to symbolize.

At this particular party, with this particular family, I began to understand more and more that it’s not really a finish line at all.

What if what I've been looking toward as the finish line is really the starting place?

What if we don't stop when the building was finished?

What if we started in this built up place of provision, security, and space to plop down in the bed she didn't buy to teach her how to live in the provision, security and space reserved for her in heaven that she didn't buy?

What if this is where the end of the orphan crisis begins?

This was not just a house we built because we saw someone in need.

This home was built on 2 ½ years of discipleship, hundreds of shared meals, hours in hospital, thousands of thankful games.

This home was built on great loss and amazing gain, on a long, winding journey toward understanding and creating a family.

This home was built with two steps forward, and one step back as cultures collided, forging a way for the culture of the Kingdom.

This home was built visit-by-visit, Sunday Lunch-by-Sunday Lunch, laugh-by-laugh, moment-by-moment.

This home was built by birthday parties and Christmas dinners.

Just as real life starts when the wedding celebration has finished and a groom carries his bride over the threshold of their home, I can see now that the real work just began when Mama Charity crossed the threshold into her new home.

The house is finished.

Now we have a starting place to really live like we have a Home.