Walt's House

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

My father died in June of 2008. In June 2009, his farm where my siblings and I grew up in Northwestern Ohio, was sold at auction. We were glad that the farm was sold to the farmers that had farmed the land for probably twenty years and maybe more. My dad and the farmers mutually respected, admired and enjoyed each other.

Dad was an uncomplicated, good man. He always had a desire to serve God and do the right thing. When Dad married my stepmom 20 years ago, he moved to town and rented his house. Sometimes we would ask Dad, how are the renters doing? Are they paying the rent? Frequently he would admit that he had not received any money for several months—one time as long as nine months. Yet, he always believed that they would eventually pay. It was just that times were bad or they had just lost a job or gotten a divorce or any number of similar reasons. We marveled at his patience but also recognized that he was glad to help people with needs.

After retirement, Dad worked for many years part time at Sauder’s Museum in various capacities. His favorite was making buckets in the cooper shop. For most of his years of employment, his supervisor was Cecily Rohrs. She felt the Lord calling her into a fulltime ministry with homeless individuals and families and opened a home in 2002 called Friendship House.

Dad also volunteered in his church and wherever he saw needs. Someone encouraged him to get involved in prison ministry and so he went regularly to share his faith and try to encourage the men in jail.

This week we received an email message from Cecily Rohrs. “Your dad was always so supportive of me and the people I serve, I just had to tell you some good news. The Rufenacht boys (the farmers) that bought the farm had no use for the house. They were going to remove it and farm the land. Then someone, inspired by God, no doubt,” suggested that the house be offered to our local ministry. The farmers offered and it was gratefully accepted.

"The home, called Walt’s House, will house up to four males that have made bad choices and want to start over making better choices," Cecily Rohrs explained. “The Shepherd's Circle, a community-wide mentoring program, has taken the project under its wing.” The first resident moved into the home on Wednesday.

“It's a great, great opportunity. And surrounded only by fields and factories, the men with their checkered backgrounds won't make any neighbors nervous. Each will have a mentor (and most will have a parole officer.) Since we have been given the house, we'll only pay some land taxes and the utilities. It's a gift beyond all gifts!”

Cecily went on to say, “Knowing the kind of heart your folks had, and particularly your father, I just wanted to let his family know! We are so tickled .”

“The blessings continue to not just shower but flood us with confirmation of God's presence and power here! God is good. ALL the time!”

The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them. Proverbs 20:7