Johnson Family – 2016 Brainerd Thrivent Build

By Christina Johnson

“Rick and I have been married for seven years.  We have two beautiful children: our 10-year old, Alexis, and Kendrick, who was born last December.

We currently live in the old trailer home I grew up in.  It’s two bedrooms, and is literally falling apart.  The back door is caved in, we have leaky windows when it rains, and the tub is cracked.  Our utility bills are pretty high for the space we live in, and the rent keeps going up. We are managing.

We could live with all of that, but the neighborhood is another problem.  There are cops in and out of the trailer court every day, sometimes more than once a day.  Where we live, specifically, is nicknamed “The Drug Court.”

We do not let our daughter play outside without constant supervision, if at all. We are not homeless, but we don’t have a safe place to raise our family.

When we went to the Habitat application meeting, we were nervous because we didn’t know if we would even qualify for the program, how it worked, what we needed to do.  We completed the application process, and then we waited.

Kevin called me when I was in line to pick up my daughter up from school. He said, “I am calling to say you and Rick got approved for a Habitat house.” I started bawling and called Rick. “We got approved!” I managed to tell him.

When my daughter got in the car I told her through my tears, and she was so excited. The first thing she said was, “I want to paint my room baby blue!”

Habitat for Humanity will change our lives because we will have space to live.  We will be able to let our kids go outside to play without worrying about drugs and violence.  Our kids will get to be kids. And we will have a house to call home.  It will be safe.  We can’t wait!”

Your donation today helps the Johnson family have a safe place to call home.