Saturday, September 17, 2011

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

I will never be able to watch reality television the same way after this week. It's Hollywood, people...lots of staging and lots of re-takes. I have often watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and wondered what really went on behind the scenes. Well now I know! Ty, Paul, Ed, Paige, and the rest of the awesome crew from EMHE pulled into town and surprised a very special and deserving family this week: CJ and Lindsay McPhail and their three sweet boys (whom I have met on several occasions!). I was excited and honored to be able to help out in some small way...even though my shift was after the big reveal. I watched the house go up all week and saw the community come together to raise over $50,000 and help in so many ways. For hours I waited in anticipation with nearly 1,000 others to yell MOVE THAT BUS and see the family's first glimpse of their fabulous new home. Then after all the excitement was over I spent the day picking up garbage, moving barricades, taking apart signs, dancing, singing, and chatting with the crew and some great local people with big hearts. The day after the reveal the family was still filming their reactions to the inside of the house and twice I was asked to be in a scene, but then they canceled on me. O well...I don't have a need to be on television or be famous. It was just exciting to help.







Everybody wanted to be a part of this project or at least talk about it...but why? I have been asking myself this question, as I know some of the rest of you in this area have too. It's fun to have a project that the whole community can be involved in. And of course it is exciting to have film stars like Ty Pennington in town, and camera crews, and the chance to get a few seconds of fame. Maybe it's the chance to get one of those signature blue Extreme Makeover t-shirts to prove that we were involved. But when there are no shirts involved, no camera crews or publicity, and no movie stars, there will still be thousands of hurting and needy people in this valley-people with no home at all, children who struggle with illnesses, mothers who fight every day to be able to feed their children, families that are breaking apart. Will we care about those people? Will we do something about it? Will we rally around those in need to love them and meet their needs? Will we pool our resources to take care of one another? I loved watching this community rally around the McPhails this week. It is my hope and prayer that this would be the beginning of a revival here in the Rogue Valley. Let's continue to love and serve one another, people. Let us glorify God and live in true community as he intended us to live. What do you say? Will you join me in praying for this community and reaching out to those around you?

1 comment:

  1. As always I love your heart. When the camera crews aren't watching will we be there to help the need that is still there? Very true. May your words encourage that.

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