10 May 2010

Each month we will introduce you to a LAHIA volunteer.  We begin with a man behind the vision, Larry Howard.  Larry and his wife Linda live in Hobe Sound with their sons Matthew and Daniel, and pup Cocoa and kitty Scooby.

Larry has recently retired from his remodeling trade.  His interests include landscaping, gardening, travel, bicycling and racing cars.  In his early days he and his dad would go to races and Larry would drag race in high school.

Larry has been a part of the Belle Glade and Martin County prison ministries for 10 years and serves as LAHIAs minister particularly in the Saturday gospel service before lunch.  He is still actively involved in the Men’s Fellowship at the First Methodist Church of Hobe Sound.

Larry loves Jesus and tells everyone he meets.  This love has led him to reach out to the neediest of souls for many years and when his passion was felt by others who wanted to help these folks as he did, LAHIA was born.  Larry’s long time vision for LAHIA has been built into our Strategic Business Plan, and includes a building large enough that we could provide showers, laundry facilities, more food pantry space, a full kitchen and dining area, clothing pantry, counseling, computer services, literacy education, a thrift store to generate revenue, job training, temporary shelter, and more, all the while continuing to demonstrate Christ’s love in tangible ways with the ultimate focus of showing them how to have a lasting relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ.