Losing her 6-year-old son, John Luke, in a four-wheeler accident was more than Johnna Carver could handle. She removed photos of him from the family’s house in Boaz so she wouldn’t have to look at them. She even prayed not to dream about him. But God wasn’t through using John Luke’s memory in her life.
Johnna dreamed that her missionary friend Kim Pate told her John Luke was doing great things in Honduras. The next day Johnna received a check in the mail in honor of John Luke. The donor wanted to fund missions work in Honduras — where Pate served and the Carvers had planned to travel on a short-term trip. The providential confluence of circumstances stirred Pate, Johnna and her husband, Ben, to think. Maybe John Luke’s memory could indeed inspire great work in Honduras.
With the donated funds they founded John Luke Carver Homes of Hope, a ministry that builds houses in Honduras for needy families. To date more than 80 homes have been erected, with plans for 100 by January — which would have been John Luke’s 10th birthday. God turned tragedy into hope.
‘Total surrender’
Had John Luke’s accident not occurred, “I don’t think that I would have ever totally surrendered my life to Christ because I didn’t need Him like I need Him now,” Johnna Carver said. “While I miss John Luke and I wish that he were here, that was not the plan. Had the Lord let me keep him here, I don’t think I would have experienced the goodness and the grace and the faithfulness and dug into the Word and learned about His promises. I was able to see His promises and feel His presence.”
The accident occurred in March 2020 with a four-wheeler John Luke received as a Christmas gift. He died four days later. Organ donations saved a boy in Texas and two people in Birmingham. Still, the Carvers knew God wanted to do more with his legacy.
They coordinated the Homes of Hope with In the Midst Honduras, a ministry founded by Pate. Each house is a 16-foot square with either a wood or dirt floor. All 82 homes built thus far are in La Ermita, Honduras, a valley town in the central Honduran mountains. Each home takes 4–6 hours for volunteers to build and costs about $2,100.
The project is a collaborative effort. Most of the funds have been given by Alabamians who heard the Carvers’ testimony. Plans for the houses were donated by the International Mission Board, which has done similar building projects elsewhere.
Hope through tragedy
Along with each home, the recipient family receives groceries to get started in a new phase of life. Most importantly, they also receive spiritual food; they are told the story of John Luke and the gospel.
“They’re told these homes are temporary, just like this life is temporary,” Carver said, “and that if we serve Christ, we can have an eternal home in heaven.”
That witness has yielded an eternal harvest. Several people have received Christ as Savior along with receiving their new homes. Among them was a man who shared his testimony with the Carvers when they made their first trip to Honduras this July. Because he couldn’t provide a home for his family, the man felt sad and attempted to medicate his feelings with sin. Receiving a home made him feel dignity and softened his heart to hear and believe the gospel.
Encouragement
Providing houses has encouraged not just the Carver family but also their church, Carlisle Baptist Church in Boaz.
“When In the Midst approached the Carver family and our church about using donations to build homes for people in Honduras, I thought this was a great way for our church family to remember and honor John Luke,” said Paul Lackey, pastor of Carlisle Baptist. “What God has done with ministry in Honduras and in our church since that time has been utterly amazing. To God be all glory and praise! Through tragedy, God has brought hope to so many.”
The ministry’s impact is poised to continue for years to come. Currently, more than 270 people are on the waiting list to receive a home.
“I was so desperate in those early days and months (following John Luke’s accident) for the Lord to use me,” Carver said. Today, “I am honored that He is using something that was so precious to me to grow His Kingdom.”
For more information on John Luke Carver Homes of Hope, see the ministry’s Facebook page.
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