Months of hard work and years of prayer culminated Saturday for Tenesha Artis as the Wilson Area Habitat for Humanity dedicated her home.

“First, I would like to say thank you to God who made all of this possible for me and my family,” said Artis, adding that she house-hunted for a while before stopping. 

She eventually applied to the Habitat program and was accepted at the same time as Christina McMillion in 2018 — the first time the local chapter accepted two homeowners at the same time. McMillion got the keys to her home a year ago, but the pandemic caused construction delays and constraints on the number of volunteers who could help.

“I prayed a lot,” Artis said. “And my family and friends helped ease the times of uncertainty.”

Whirlpool donates a new stove and refrigerator for every new Habitat home and provides a discount on other appliances, but Executive Director Suzanne Coker Craig said a COVID-related backlog caused a two-month delivery delay. Construction was pretty much complete by mid-November and when the appliances were installed and the certificate of occupancy was received, the Habitat board members agreed to let Artis move in despite not closing on the sale.

“It was great to get the Artis family into their new home before Christmas,” Craig said. “We had certainly hoped to get them in much earlier, but with all the challenges we’ve faced throughout this pandemic, it was a relief to get the house completed before the end of the year. We could not have done this without the great support from this community.”

Sponsorships and donations to the ReStore helped cover expenses. Each Habitat homeowner is required to complete 200 hours of sweat equity, but Artis exceeded that with the help of her family members, who pitched in at the store, performed work in the administrative office and eagerly helped with construction of the Grove Street home.

“One of the things I always say about Habitat is these are God’s houses and when he puts God’s children in them, they are meant to be there,” Habitat family selection and support committee chairwoman Tammy Daniel said during the Saturday dedication ceremony. “They are made of wood and siding, but it is the heart and the family that goes in them. It is the volunteers and God’s children who help build them, and I don’t know of a better family of God than this one.”

Habitat officials plan to hold an informational session and begin accepting applications for the next potential homeowner once pandemic restrictions ease. Artis encouraged others not to give up on the dream of homeownership and praised Habitat, which builds quality houses with affordable mortgages.

“If you work hard and that’s your wish, you can become a homeowner regardless of your age,” she said, adding that she hopes the experience set an example for her children Rae’Kwon, Kanthony and Anthony.

A partnership with the Wilson Community College construction technology program hopefully will help the organization serve more families in a shorter time frame, Craig said.

“The past nine months have certainly been a challenge, but I am very hopeful that we can grow Wilson’s Habitat reach to many more families in this county,” she said. “Wilson County is growing, and we hope to grow our support along with it. There are a lot of wonderful families here who just need a hand up, and we want to offer that to as many as possible.”