Melo's Family Story

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Melo Lawson and her family are an incredible reminder of these powerful words. Since coming to the United States from Togo in 2003, Melo and her four young children have waited patiently to settle into a home of their own.

Melo first applied to be a Habitat homeowner in 2006, over four years ago. With advice and encouragement from Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity staff, Melo continued to apply until she became eligible to purchase a home in 2010. Shortly after applying to Habitat, Melo began a lengthy visa application process to bring her husband to the U.S. permanently.

In the years that passed, Melo kept praying and kept busy, taking care of her children, working as a literacy tutor with the Minnesota Reading Corps, and attending school to get her teaching certificate. Melo carefully placed each rejected application between the pages of her Bible. "Every morning I prayed and I prayed. And I believed."

After years of waiting, Melo’s patience and prayers were finally answered. Melo happily recalls, "I got the news from Habitat, and three days later, I got the news from the National Visa Center. I was so excited." Upon hearing the news, Melo and her children, ages 3 through 11, "jumped for joy," she remembers, laughing. Not long after, Melo shared the joyful news with her congregation, many of whom will help with sweat equity hours on her new home in North Minneapolis.

Melo’s family is eager to reunite together under one roof. With their new home, the family will be free to play outside, invite friends over, and have space to devote to their studies, "the main purpose," Melo explains. In time, Melo’s patience and prayers have been answered with a simple but remarkable gift, a home of her own for the family she loves.