Christmas comes early for North Baldwin family

By Tina Covington / For Gulf Coast Media
Posted 12/21/16

BAY MINETTE, Alabama — When Kassie Betts arrived at El Bethel Church on a recent Wednesday night she was met with the news more than a year in the making: she is getting a brand-new home through …

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Christmas comes early for North Baldwin family

Posted

BAY MINETTE, Alabama — When Kassie Betts arrived at El Bethel Church on a recent Wednesday night she was met with the news more than a year in the making: she is getting a brand-new home through Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat representatives were joined by Betts family and friends for the surprise reveal. Construction is expected to begin this spring in Bay Minette on a home big enough for Kassie and her five children.

One of those attending the reveal was Carla Dyess, a co-worker at Pine Grove Elementary, who had encouraged Betts to start and stick with the long application process.

“She is the most hard-working, committed and deserving person,” Dyess said of Betts, who works as a custodian at the school and a part-time job at Walmart.

Betts said she was surely surprised by the news and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support. “Wow. Just, wow. I just know that God is good. He is awesome and good and amazing. I am just mind-blown,” Betts said.

Betts started the application process in June 2015 and was accepted in January 2016 after a long evaluation of her income, current state of housing and the ability to partner with Habitat.

Habitat homeowners pay a 30-year interest free mortgage making it affordable and manageable. Build families are also expected to invest 400 hours of “sweat equity” in the program by assisting with other builds, their own build, and attending financial education classes, monthly budgeting meetings and homeowner preparation classes.

Betts has already completed 200 hours of service and attended the Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.

Betts said she squeezed in the lessons and work-days during the summer and with the assistance of her Walmart manager who allowed her to have Saturdays off to help with build days.

She said the financial lessons have paid dividends in so many ways. “They were so very helpful. I learned how to get out of debt,” she said. “I love Dave Ramsey and everything he talks about is Bible-based like the ‘borrower is always a slave to the lender.’

“You are working forever to pay somebody back and I don’t want to be that someone. The budgeting class was just very helpful and it really opens your eyes on how money really works and how it can work for you instead of you working for it all the time.”

Beverly Spicknall, Family Services coordinator, said the application process is an “exercise in patience” because of its comprehensive nature.

"She’s worked hard over the last year to put in her sweat equity in spite of having two jobs and a busy life with five children,” Spicknall said. “She is an amazing faith-driven woman with a humble and gracious heart."

Having her own home is an answer to prayers, Betts said, but it is also the realization of a dream she wrote down in a notebook nearly five years ago. “I knew I was going to get a house, I didn’t know how I just knew it was coming,” she said. “I showed it (the notebook) to my girls last night … I didn’t know how I just believe it was going to happen.”

The new home will give the Betts family a better, safer place to live. The current rental has several boarded windows and others are nailed shut. But the best part, she said, is that she will own it and can decorate it however she sees fit. “I don’t have pictures up in my house because it’s not mine and I didn’t want to put holes in somebody else’s walls,” she said.

She also feels blessed by the people who have helped her along the way, including Dyess who encouraged her to persevere through disappointments along the way. “I love that woman,” she said of Dyess. “It’s awesome that someone sees you in a better way than you see yourself.”

Betts also had high praise for those involved with Habitat for Humanity. “They are wonderful, really genuine people. You can just feel it and they don’t look down on the situation you are in but they look to help you out of it,” she said.

While there is still work to be done and money to raise, Betts said she is one blessed woman. “I know God put all the people and all the pieces in place,” she said. “I don’t deserve any of this and if it would have been someone else I would have been happy for them. I am just mind-blown. I don’t know what to say but God is Good.”

Donations are still need to help fund the "Circle of Faith Build" in Bay Minette. Donations can be mailed to Habitat for Humanity, attn.: Circle of Faith, P.O. Box 854, Summerdale, AL 36580.

During the build, both skilled and unskilled laborers are need at the job site. Work days are typically 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. All tools and supplies are provided. Lunch is provided to the volunteers on Saturdays so donations of those meals are greatly appreciated.

Since its inception, Habitat for Humanity has completed more than 100 homes in Baldwin County and repaired numerous homes for veterans and other residents.

For more information about how to help on this or other Habitat projects, visit the organization's website at baldwinhabitat.org.