“Kristene’s Cabin Project”
Needs Your Support
Our church’s Juniors/Teens group is embarking on their BIGGEST mission
project yet! Raising funds to help a disabled, elderly member of our community
who is in desperate need of a safe home to live, to replace her current mobile
home.
Kristene has spent most of her youth and adult life caring for others in the town
of Harrison: first taking care of her parents, then working as a home caregiver
for others, and finally, moving back to her parents home to care for them for the
remainder of their lives. After sustaining a fall and breaking her elbow, she was
forced to resign from her regular caregiving job, as she was no longer able to lift
her patients. With no income and exhausting her savings to pay her bills, she
then resorted to selling things around her home to raise money to live day to day.
She sold her family’s tractor, the snow plow, part of her land, and finally her car,
as she didn’t want to rely on taking a public assistance check. Months later, when
she had finally healed from her injuries, she found a caregiver job that was
walking distance from her home. She also volunteered at her local food pantry
each week, as she didn’t feel that she could take food for herself without serving
others in return. Years went by, and somehow (or as she says “By the grace of
God”), she lived on an income of $200.00 a month!
Kristene received assistance from the town she lived in for heat and electricity,
all of which she tried to pay back, bit by bit each month when she had worked
extra hours. PROP also assisted in making repairs to her 1970’s mobile home, but
this was more than 20 years ago! Kristene was also able to get caught up in
paying her property taxes, all on her own by paying installments of $20.00 each
month. During these years of tremendous financial struggle, she continued
donating money to her church. A few years ago, Kristene suffered a stroke, which
left her completely disabled, and unable to return to work. Now she receives a
disability check each month, increasing her monthly income from $200. While she
is able to pay for her groceries, and utilities (regular monthly expenses), her home
has fallen into a state of utter disrepair, so far that she really needs a new mobile
home to replace it, for health and safety reasons. Even with the $35,000 grant
that we have applied for on her behalf, the banks have told us that with her
limited income, she will not qualify for a mortgage to cover the remaining costs.
So we have stepped up to help her get the new home that she deserves. It’s time
for our church and the Oxford Hills community to come together to help Kristene!
We will be updating the church website regularly to keep everyone informed on
where we are in the process. So please keep checking to see how you can help.
Checks for tax deductible donations in whatever amount your heart feels led to
make, to support this important mission project, can be made out to the Oxford
7th Day Adventist Church for the Childrens’ Mission Project Fund. Mail to:
Oxford 7th Day Adventist Church – Attn: Lori MacLeod
P.O. Box 520 Oxford, ME 04270
If you are able to assist with site work, concrete slab pour, etc., please contact
Sue Proctor at 207-318-3452 (calls & texts). God bless and thank you for your
support.
