This year we welcomed on Bill Johnson as Hope City Construction Manager. We have been delighted by he and his wife Wendi, and today we wanted you to get to know them, too. Bill first met Wendi at Bible college, he was new on campus and played basketball, Wendi was a cheerleader. Because of how small she is, Wendi was always on the top of the pyramid. When Bill saw her, he told a friend, “I’m going to marry her.” His friend laughed because Bill was so shy he didn’t talk very much at all. Luckily, Wendi talked to him first and now they’ve been married for 37 years!


Bill spent many years combining construction work and ministry. He gained most of his experience early on in the military working in civil engineering in the construction shop. From there, he became a youth pastor with a dual career. He owned and operated a remodeling business in Southern California for 8 years. Wendi and their children served as his staff for his business and as they grew up, Bill would take them on missions trips across the world. The more they travelled the clearer it became they wanted to serve in Asia. They started Heartbeat of Hope and served in Thailand and Cambodia. Eventually, they’d like to serve in Cambodia again.


All of this has lead them here to Northern California. Bill and and Wendi joined the staff of Hope City in May, bringing his construction experience and leadership to work with volunteers on rebuilding homes in Lake County. Since joining us, 8 homes have been completed and families have moved from their temporary housing to a warm welcoming home. Bill said, “We really love it here at Hope City, this has been a great opportunity and the people have been really good to us.”


Bill says that waiting for inspections can be the most nerve racking part. Meeting the expectations of inspectors isn’t difficult per se, but it does put your work under a microscope every time. One inspector may be satisfied with an installation and the other inspector might demand it be done a different way. However, Bill appreciates the inspectors. They’re there for Hope City’s benefit and the benefit of the homeowners we serve. Everyone wants the homes done right, and Bill is here to see them to the end. He has a good relationship with the inspectors, but there have been quite a few changes with inspectors as well.


As we continue building, it’s great to have Bill and Wendi on our team. While he’s not on every job site, he does oversee all work done on our Lake County homes. His duties include a lot of ordering materials, planning work crews, and not much hammer swinging anymore. He has a lot on his plate and he’s more than up for the task. They especially love working with our volunteers, and the challenge that brings along with it.


Bill and Wendi have become a part of our family, and we love that their hearts are pointed towards doing the Lord’s work. We can’t wait to see what the new year brings for us and the blessings that will be on our camp.

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