Blog Posts - House of Mary

Current building cost

6/3/2019

We have some big prayer requests and praises with our build and we wanted to give you an update on where we are financially, the cost of the build, and what we need for the future.
In January, our bank account had $242,432.07. We started building in March and right after dirt started moving we had our Ladies Tea fundraiser where we raised $3,974.

Building the house has been exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. We have been so blessed by several companies who have offered their services to us free of charge so you will not see them in the following list of expenses we have paid.

Dirt work - $43,875
Dirt work on road - $19,700
Concrete - $12,720
Labor for concrete - $6000
Rebar and other concrete items - $3702
Builders insurance - $576
1st and 2nd draw for framers - $16,000
Indoor sprinkler system (required by city) $10,290
Materials including wood, sheet rocks, shingles etc. - $48,000
Insulation - $4200
Electrical bid not including temporary power pole - $19,000
Roofer - $2500
For a grand total of $187,331

So...where do we go from here? We know we have some major expenses left before the house opens -which include but are not limited to; labor for all things installed, cabinets, flooring, furniture, fixtures and so much more. We have a huge fundraiser coming up in September (it is something new and exciting that we can't wait to share with y'all) but we know we will need our Village to step in before September comes. We need your help. This post is a very humbling post and we felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to lay out our finances before our supporters. We are so thankful for all of you and we know with out a shadow of doubt that God has gone before us, and that no matter what man can do, God CAN and WILL do so much more than we can ask or imagine.
Praise: God has provided each and every penny that we have needed to build this house so far. He truly has gone before us.
Prayer Request: the rest of the money we will need to finish the house with excellence

If you feel the need, urge, or want to give you may do so by clicking on the link below.
https://www.homlivingston.org/give.html

Construction Update

5/29/2019

After a bit of waiting (okay, a LOT of waiting all thanks to the crazy non-stop rain) construction has officially begun! Boy, did we hit the ground running too! Dirt work began on March 11, 2019, and it's been pretty much full steam ahead ever since.

We've been documenting all of the progress as it happens on Facebook and Instagram, so be sure to follow House of Mary to stay up to date on the progress! Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. We couldn't do this without you!

Scroll through the photos below for a recap of the progress made so far!

HOM Scripture Writing & Prayer Night

5/28/2019

We are so thankful to everyone that came out for the House of Mary Scripture Writing & Prayer Night Friday evening. All of the scriptures and words written on the studs throughout the house were truly beautiful and heartfelt. From the encouraging verses in the future house mom suite to the words of hope in the bedrooms. We were so moved by every last word!

The pictures below were taken by the amazing Aubrey Cruse of A.R. Cruse Photography. We are so thankful that he is always willing to use his talents to document these special moments for House of Mary!

Ladies Tea 2019

3/5/2019

We are so happy to announce our third annual Ladies Tea! This is definitely one of our favorite events of the year. We are especially excited about our special guest speaker, Kelly Needham!

Kelly Needham is married to singer/songwriter and speaker Jimmy Needham. She first began writing and speaking to his fan base in 2008 as they traveled together and has since garnered a much wider platform. Kelly is the author of the upcoming book Friendish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion and is a regular contributor for Revive Our Hearts. Her writing has also been featured at Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, The Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission, Eternal Perspectives Ministries, and Crosswalk. She has been on staff at two different churches, serving in youth, college, and women's ministry. Whether writing or speaking, Kelly’s aim is to convince as many people as possible that nothing compares to knowing Jesus. She and Jimmy live in the Dallas area with their three children, Lively, Sophia, and Benjamin. You can find more of her writing and speaking at kellyneedham.com or follow her on social media.

We hope you and your friends will make plans to attend this sweet afternoon of tea and fellowship!

For full details and to purchase tickets click here.

Progress Update

11/27/2018

Hi friends,

With the Giving Tuesday push came a few thoughtful messages asking about a progress update. We know this is much overdue and ask that you graciously bear with us as we attempt to lay it all out for you.

Where we were:

We launched HOM to the public with only a couple hundred dollars in our bank account and have been trudging through what we’ve called the “fundraising phase” ever since. Our first fundraiser (Be The Good shirts) brought in a little over $5,000 and we’ve been slowly building from there while heading towards a rough goal of around $300,000 to build a 3,600 square foot house. As a faith based organization, we don’t qualify for government grants, so private donations and fundraising was/is our main avenue of income. We knew this would be tricky for a small community already saturated with amazing organizations.

Where we are:

After 3 Miles for Marys, 2 (almost 3 – thanks, Harvey) Savory Septembers, 1 Silent Night, 2 Ladies Teas, a few t-shirt fundraisers, 1 exhausting garage sale, church love offerings, and private donations we currently have a balance of $225,271.43 in the HOM bank account. By the Grace of God, every fundraiser has turned a profit with the exception of one that thankfully broke even. Every cent has been saved or multiplied through fundraising.

Where we’re going:

We’ve got enough money in the bank to finally begin building a house. We’ve got plans, permits, land, a general contractor, material suppliers, volunteers, house mom position inquiries, and dozens of phone calls and messages from would-be residents that we’ve had to refer elsewhere because we don’t have a house yet – which is heartbreaking Every. Single. Time. We’ve even had our official ground breaking, but the one single thing we are lacking is dry land. That’s it. We “broke ground” and it rained. And rained. And rained some more. As soon as we think it’s dry it rains again. The ground simply won’t dry out enough to dig down to the required depth to be able to build up for our foundation, per the geo-technical survey done for the land in that area.

That’s the long and the short of it. It’s exhausting and exciting and discouraging and encouraging all lumped together. All we can do as we wait is continue to raise funds in hopes of getting ahead on building costs and future operating expenses.

We are so grateful to all of you for sticking with us since the very beginning and hope for your continued support as we keep pushing forward. Please pray earnestly with us for DRY GROUND!

With love,

HOM Board

Breaking Ground - A long awaited post

9/17/2018

These last three years since launching House of Mary have been a whirlwind. Raising the funds to build a large maternity home is no easy task. Building a house is no easy task. Yet throughout the nitty-gritty process, God has poured out His sweet mercies on this ministry time and time again. By His grace, and through the overwhelming generosity of our community, we are excited to announce that we have officially broken ground on the first maternity home in Livingston, TX.

We would like to say a great big “THANK YOU” to each of you that continuously support House of Mary through prayer, financial gifts, volunteering, or attending events like Miles for Mary, Ladies' Tea, and Savory September. We are so grateful. And while building this house is so very exciting and finally within our grasp, we must remember that it’s not the finish line... It’s only the starting gun!

With love,
House of Mary Board
Cyndie, Anna, D'Ann, Rusti, Suzonna

Savory September 2018 - That's a wrap!

9/17/2018

Savory September 2018 was a great success! It was so wonderful to bring this event back to our community after Hurricane Harvey’s unwelcome arrival derailed many plans this time last year. From the delicious food to the exciting dessert and live auctions – it was definitely a fun night! We loved seeing each and every one of you there. Overall, a grand total of $29,000 was raised for House of Mary!

This event would not have been possible without many amazing individuals and businesses.

Thank you to Jacob Jones and Big Jakes for catering our delicious meal and Chicken Express for donating all of the tea. Thank you Livingston Commerce Center for the use of their facilities and Debbie Mays for always being so accommodating. Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers! LISD National Honor Society and FFA students, Mrs. Janie and her FBC team, and our always faithful HOM volunteers. Thank you Clarke Evans and Kevan Wood for facilitating our auction and always being willing to serve!

A very special thank you to our amazing Savory September Fundraising team Emily Read, Holly Lewis, Susan Witte, Kayla Pitts, and Misty Allen. This truly would not have been possible without your help.

And of course, thank you to each and every person that bought a ticket or table, donated items, shared the event, the list goes on. We are grateful!

Savory September 2018

8/2/2018

It’s back!

Last year, Savory September turned into Service September to aid families in rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Harvey. After what has seemed like an eternity, Savory September is back! We are excited to share an evening with you, while eating delicious food and raising funds to build and furnish the first HOM home.

We are collecting auction items and donations currently. There are also sponsorship opportunities available. If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of the board members for more information about Savory September. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Consider joining us in an evening of fun, fellowship, fundraising and food. We look forward to seeing you!

Savory September Tickets and Tables

Exciting things are happening

7/19/2018

Recently the city gave us the green light by approving all plans and giving us approved permits! What does this mean?? Well, it means that we are breaking ground ASAP!

We also have our very first building on our land! Economy Portable Buildings in Livingston gave us a storage building. We feel beyond blessed by this generous donation to HOM. When we announced that we had a storage building on our social media sites we also asked if someone would partner with us to finish out the inside - insulate, rough in and just make it to where we can store all types of items inside. A generous donor contacted us and paid for all materials to make this shed 100% usable for all situations! We then were contacted by Rick McGibney and his family and friends and they graciously did all the work for us (in the hottest summer ever I might add).

Thank you again - Economy Portable Buildings, our Gracious supply donor, and the Rick McGibney family for blessing House of Mary with your services.
Savory September is coming up on September 13th and tickets are on sale now! With the house being built we need our village now more than ever. We are excited to see things that only God can do in the lives of Polk county through House of Mary.

Save the Date M4M 2018

1/26/2018