Homes Giving Hope: Ora Et Labora with Sara Boven
Sara and Brian Boven started their Homes Giving Hope nonprofit with a different vision than the one God eventually brought to pass.
“We initially created Homes Giving Hope to help men recovering from addiction but, when we tragically lost some of our residents and decided to close, we thought that it was all over,” Sara told members of the Kuyper community assembled in the Vos Chapel for Ora Et Labora, a weekly time where speakers come to campus to talk about their work and how their faith impacts that work.
Now, however, Homes Giving Hope exists to help disabled adults to find dignity by living semi-independently in a communal setting.
“Our hearts have always been for the people we are serving, and we see now that this was God’s plan for us all along,” said Sara, who serves as the organization’s executive director.
And the opportunity to restart Homes Giving Hope came to the Bovens in a way that only He could have orchestrated, she added.
In his work as a realtor, Brian came across a large, beautiful house on an expansive piece of property, one that had been designed to accommodate a disabled adult.
“I thought I had a buyer but, when that sale fell through, God whispered in my ear and said, ‘That house was built for more,’” said Brian in an informational video shown to the audience.
The Bovens decided to follow God’s leading and carry on the legacy of the family who built the house for their son by creating a place for disabled adults to live and grow in community, and they are overjoyed to see where that direction has taken them.
Homes Giving Hope is now in its third year of existence and will soon be opening its fourth home, but the Bovens emphasize that it is more than just a place for their residents to park their cars or rest their heads at night.
“We’re creating a Christ-centered family. Our prayer for Homes Giving Hope is that, through living in one of our houses, our residents will get to know Jesus and enter into a personal relationship with Him,” Brian said.
