From loss to legacy: Etowah County family is building homes in Honduras in son's memory
An Etowah County family has turned tragic loss to a life-changing legacy, through their ongoing mission to build homes for those in need in Honduras and the life-saving gift of organ donation.
John Luke Carver, 6, suffered grave, ultimately fatal injuries in an ATV accident in March 2020. As parents Ben and Johnna Carver and older brother Braden grieved, they wanted to honor the memory of the child they'd never forget.
John Luke Carver Homes of Hope was born, as a part of the In the Midst ministry in Honduras, as a way to build homes for families in need.
When the effort began, Johnna Carver said, the family thought they would do well to raise money to build one home for a family facing poverty in the third-world country. The cost at that time was about $1,900 to buy materials for a modest home and a small supply of food staples; rising material costs have increased it to $2,156.
Instead, they've raised money to build a total of 35 homes — 31 of them constructed last year, she said. But there's still work to be done there, she said; 110 people are on the waiting list for homes.
Carver said she's been drawn to foreign missions since a trip to Ghana. "We have so much here," she said. "People couldn't imagine what its like in a third-world country."
She said her family had to replace a bathtub around the time the first homes were being built. The cost for a tub was almost as much as the cost of building one of the homes people in the community in Honduras are waiting for.
The family plans to mark John Luke's eighth birthday with a fundraising drive Jan. 22, to raise money for more homes in Honduras.
Carver said the family is anxious to visit Honduras and see the homes built in their son's memory — just one part of their little boy's legacy.
When John Luke was injured, the family made the difficult decision to donate his organs. His kidneys and liver were gifted to other children in need, and the Carvers have been able to monitor the progress of the young boy who received the liver transplant.
He's doing well now, she said. Previously, he needed daily dialysis, a feeding tube and he was swollen and jaundiced. She said they've learned that eight-year-old is now able to walk and continues to regain strength. She said he's been out of the hospital for the longest stretch of his life.
When the family was talking to doctors about organ donation, Carver said, she had hoped John Luke's heart could go to another child — so that she might someday hear his heart beating again. However, there was no perfect match in the region for his heart and lungs.
There could have been searches for a match outside the region, Carver said, but it would have taken time — something the child who was a match for the liver did not have. He needed the transplant then, she said, and she's grateful he was able to receive it.
While those who received his organs are living legacies of John Luke, the family plans for the home-building ministry to be a long-lived as well. Carver said they plan to continue the effort "as long as the Lord will provide."
A team in Honduras works to build homes, sometimes building two a day, when funds are raised to purchase supplies.
The families who will live in the homes get to pick choose where the door and window in their homes go, Carver said, and sometimes families will choose to leave a dirt floor in the home and use the lumber that would have gone underfoot for something else.
It takes four to six hours to complete construction of the small structures.
When the homes are built, Carver said the team talks to recipients about John Luke and about what happened to him, and shares the gospel.
"They tell them this is a temporary home, and about the eternal home where John Luke is now, with Jesus Christ," she said.
Sharing that message is as vital to Carver as providing shelter for people. "Thirteen people have come to know Christ after receiving their home," she said. "They have also started attending the church with In the Midst and they are even bringing more family members along with them."
Carver said the family plans to go to Honduras to see the work done in John Luke's name. They'd planned to go earlier, but the COVID-19 pandemic interfered, plus the family was blessed last year with twin boys.
She's anxious to see the homes and meet with the people who've been helped by the ministry.
There are several ways people can donate to John Luke Carver Homes of Hope:
• Checks may be mailed to Carver at 51 Smith Chapel Road, Boaz, AL 35956, made out to Carlisle Baptist Church, with JLC Homes in the memo line.
• Through Venmo, donate @inthemidsthonduras and include HB JLC.
• To donate online visit http://www.inthemidsthonduras.org/donate.html and scroll down to John Luke.
• To give via Paypal, the address is https://www.paypal.me/johnlukehomesofhope.
Carver said 100% of the money donated goes to the ministry and into the homes being built through it.
Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Etowah family remembers 6-year-old son by building homes in Honduras
