As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. – 1 Peter 4:10
Eight Days of Hope is a story of people coming together, all using the gifts God has blessed them with to love and serve those facing disaster.
The idea was for a few people to take a trip to the Gulf Coast to rebuild a home or two. What actually happened was a volunteer effort of 684 people loving and serving 84 families — something only God could do.
It eventually became a movement through which He would touch thousands of people’s lives and impact communities forever.
The number eight means “new beginnings”. When we considered the real reason we were going to the coast, it wasn’t necessarily about rebuilding the damaged homes — it was about sharing the hope of our God. And hence, the name “Eight Days of Hope” was born.
Since then, EDOH has gone on 19 rebuilding events. These trips occur months after a disaster and include roofing, carpentry, electrical, painting, and more.
In 2014, EDOH started a Rapid Response arm to respond 48-72 hours after a disaster strikes with tasks such as gutting homes and tarping roofs.
In 2018, EDOH put the plans in place to build a National Headquarters in Tupelo, Mississippi. The headquarters opened in May 2019. We also eventually opened a Northeast Satellite in Buffalo, NY, and a Midwest Satellite in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
In the fall of 2019, EDOH launched the Safe House Ministry: building or remodeling safe houses for survivors of human trafficking. To date, we have served 13 organizations across the United States.
In 2023, the newest arm of EDOH began, our Mass Feeding Ministry. Now, we can travel across the United States providing the most basic needs to those impacted by natural disasters: a warm meal, a hot shower, and fresh laundry.
Eight Days of Hope is a Christian, nonprofit organization that exists to love and serve those in need.
Our commitment to those we serve is to use the resources that God has blessed us with to bring hope and healing.
Our commitment to churches is to partner with the local body of believers to meet the community’s spiritual needs.
Our commitment to communities is to work with local businesses and local governments to meet the community’s physical needs.
Our commitment to volunteers is to provide them an opportunity to use their skills and talents to glorify God.
Our commitment to donors is to use the resources they give to the fullest potential for the greatest good among those in need.
We believe the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God and constitutes completed and final revelation.
The Bible, in its original autograph, is without error in whole and part; including theological truths as well as geographical and historical details.
We believe God has existed from all eternity in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God, having come in human flesh, being fully God and fully man, except without sin.
We believe all men are in violation of God’s righteous requirements and His holy character both by nature and act: and are therefore under His wrath and just condemnation. The central purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ was to pay the penalty for man’s sin through His substitutionary death on the cross and subsequent, visible, bodily resurrection.
We believe salvation is offered as a gift: free to the sinner. The gift must be responded to in individual faith, not trusting in any personal works whatsoever, but the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ alone.
Dear EDOH Family,
In 2005, when my dad called me wanting to go rebuild a house or two after Hurricane Katrina, I never expected how much God would change my life and the lives of tens of thousands of others because of that phone call. Honestly, I had no idea what I was saying yes to, but God did. He always does. And every step of the way, He has been guiding Eight Days of Hope to love and serve those in need – even when it didn’t look like how we originally imagined it would!
A home or two has turned into almost 10,000 homes. One disaster has turned into almost 70. Rebuilding has led to Rapid Response, which opened the door for our Distribution and Safe House Ministries. Each and every day, God shows us just what He can do when we are willing to continually say “Yes!” to Him.
When I stood on shore of the Gulf Coast, looking at the slabs of concrete where homes once stood, I felt the hopelessness of those devastated by Hurricane Katrina. And when I visited the largest safe house for child survivors of human trafficking in Texas, I felt the deep sorrow of those impacted by the fastest growing crime in the world. And when I see the destruction caused by each tornado, flood, blizzard, and hurricane, I see an opportunity for the Church to come together: to be unwavering strength when people feel they cannot stand, to be a blanket of comfort for those seeking peace, to be light in the midst of unimaginable darkness.
My prayer for this ministry is that our commitment to honor God by loving and serving others will continue far beyond me. For years to come, may you – our faithful volunteers, prayer warriors, and supporters – stand in the gap for those who are facing natural and human disasters. May you continue to say yes when God calls us to be His hope and never grow weary of loving and serving those in need – regardless of how that may look from day to day. This ministry is not mine, and it’s not yours. It’s God’s. And as long as we remain faithful stewards of His blessings, I believe that we will continue to see hope brought to the hopeless, restoration offered to the weary, and love given to everyone we serve.
God bless you for your commitment to Him.
Stephen Tybor III Eight Days of Hope President & Founder