Jeff’s Heart
After our youngest daughter left for college, my wife and I decided to make a radical move in our lives. We sold our large home in the suburbs and moved into a poverty-affected neighborhood located less than a mile from our church. More than four years later, the experience has pushed us into a completely new understanding of the question once posed to Jesus, “Who is our
neighbor? The answer for us has been that living with, instead of ministering to, brings opportunities for lasting change and ongoing vibrant relationships that were simply not possible when we dropped in from the suburbs to “help”.
Living in a house with an open front porch rather than a secluded back deck has caused a tremendous transformation in our relationships. We now experience life with our neighbors. We laugh and rejoice at the good things of life, and cry and lament at the bad things. There is a new richness to the texture and depth of our lives that has grown out of living among people and not seeing stereotypes.
As a result, we have a heart for helping those in poverty; especially young men (and their moms) who are trying to break the chains of low expectations and lack of hope. We work to break these bonds and replace them with knowledge of the power of integrity, the value of community, and the benefits of taking responsibility for each other. It has not always been easy. The
doorbell rings most evenings. But as we have continued to develop relationships with our new friends, an amazing thing has happened: many of our old friends from the suburbs have now developed relationships with our new friends in the neighborhood, and they are helping us tremendously. We are a bit of a conduit that allows two worlds to come together.
The future holds great promise, and we are committed to working with Uniquely the Same to address the issues of poverty and disability and the need for every person to have a chance to live a life of dignity in a supporting community.
Jeff’s Bio
Jeff is a married father of three daughters.
Jeff brings his background and skills to Uniquely the Same where he is one of the three founding board members.