Homes in Spartanburg are glowing with gratitude

When Hurricane Helene sent a tree crashing through his house in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Johnny thought his family home was ruined forever. The storm struck in September 2024, and he moved to Maryland, at least temporarily, while he sorted through the damage.

Don Lichti (Right) in Spartanburg, SC

“The house was totally ruined,” said Don Lichti, who served as the Mennonite Disaster Service project director during the last months of the response in Spartanburg in early 2026. “The only option was to rebuild it.”

By the time Lichti was onsite with the weekly volunteers, the house was nearly complete. “Johnny came to see the house under construction several times, and he kept talking about how pleased his late mama would be,” said Lichti. “Johnny was probably 75 years old.”

Johnny and his sister were able to move back into the house, where the family had lived for decades.

“He has a little spot in the corner of the living room that has his mother’s picture, and a Bible,” said Lichti. The house was dedicated with Johnny and 50 other people attending the ceremony.

“That dedication really stuck with me,” said Lichti, “because in this case the family home got rebuilt.”

Lichti also expressed gratitude for the flexible volunteers who not only built three new houses but repaired dozens of others, in jobs that ranged in size.

“In the end, the volunteers were really pleased with what was going on,” he said.

by Susan Kim