The crowd cheered as Demetrius Williams cut the ribbon to her new home and a new day for housing in Jonestown.
For Williams and her family, the journey has been a winding path of patience, prayer and perseverance. The new home was built by But God Ministries, along with many volunteers from the Jonestown community and faith-based organizations. Even some individual volunteers from across Mississippi contributed time and resources to make the house a reality.
But God Ministries is a nonprofit ministry, based in Madison, that works to improve the lives of those who need help with places to live and medical care, among other needs. Much of their charitable work focuses on the Mississippi Delta and the nation of Haiti.
“But God Ministries now has a headquarters here in Jonestown,” explained Rusty Hall, President of the ministry. “Our work here with this project began around 2017, when we started talking about this, building houses in Jonestown.”
Williams and her husband were chosen for the home, but during the intervening time between the project’s beginning and end, Mr. Williams tragically passed away. “This is bittersweet today,” she explained. “I’m so happy to be in this house with my family, and also sad because my husband and I started this together. But I know he’s proud and he’s smiling down on us today.”
The house is a three-bedroom, two-bath home on a cul-de-sac in the downtown area of Jonestown. On this day, the normally quiet street was lined with the vehicles of those who had come to celebrate a new home, a new beginning and a new era for the Jonestown community.
The dedication event began with remarks to the gathered crowd by Jonestown Mayor Vivian Burnett. Mayor Burnett spoke about the meaning of the new home for the family, but also for all of Jonestown. She thanked the many from the community who helped alongside the ministry to make the dedication ceremony possible.
The community help went far beyond what one might expect from volunteers, especially from local youth. “We came and we laid the pipe for this home,” said Robert Watkins, a volunteer who also organized help from local youth. “That was real work.” Watkins, like many who contributed their time and sweat to the project, did not already know Mrs. Williams.
Williams’ son, Mishon Jones, is excited about the home but even more grateful for the way it will bless him mom. “I’m just happy that we made it this far because my mom put so much work into this house,” he said.
Despite the full support from the community and outside sources, the success of the project was not without moments of suspense. “We had no one to frame the house,” Hall recalled. “So our ministry prayed specifically for a framing crew to just appear and volunteer to frame the house.”
Hall and his colleagues did not have to wait long. “Within forty-five minutes of our prayers, I received a call from someone offering a framing crew for the house.”
Bennie Brown, a local leader in Jonestown and also a member of the Coahoma Community College Board of Trustees, was proud of the way the community came together. “We have this home and But God Ministries, and we have our new business incubator in town,” he said. “There are great things happening in Jonestown.
Both Mayor Burnett and Hall spoke of this house being only the first in an effort to transform Jonestown. “This is our first house,” Hall added. “But we plan to build many more.”
