Kimberly Cooper said she didn’t realize the new Habitat forHumanity house on Grenn Street was going to be hers until she’dalready been to look at it unaware.

“They called one day and told me they wanted me to come and lookat a new site,” she said.

When she got there, Habitat officials surprised her and told herthe little white house with the brown tiled floors was hers. Shesaid she didn’t know how to react when they told her.

“I was so grateful,” she said. “I’m just very, very gratefulthat they chose me.”

Friends, relatives and neighbors of Kimberly and her daughterAkierria Cooper, 14, gathered at the residence at 407 Grenn St.Sunday for a reception to dedicate the home.

“We’re so honored to be an instrument of the Lord’s hands,” saidHabitat for Humanity spokeswoman Betsy Smith. “We’ve housed 12families since 1997, and while that’s not as fast a pace as we’dlike, it’s 12 families who wouldn’t have had a decent home. We wantpeople to have decent and affordable homes.”

Smith went on to describe Habitat’s mission as a discipleship tohelp families in need of a place to live.

“Our mission is to put words into action,” she said. “So we haveraised our hammers in action for Habitat. It is the heritage of theGospel to serve each other in the name of Christ.”

Reverend Charles Avery blessed the home, saying the fact thatKimberly Cooper saw the need to get her home blessed was the firststep in having a peaceful and happy dwelling.

“We’re here to anoint this house so nobody can come into thehome that means them no good,” he said. “We want the people whoenter this house to be blessed. We want to set a hedge ofprotection around this home.”

And the women from Habitat presented the new homeowners with aBible in honor of building their home on the word of God.

“May the God of all of us bless you with his grace and love,”said longtime Habitat member Roberta Johnston as she handed Cooperthe Bible.

Smith told the gathering that many churches give their time andmoney to Habitat For Humanity.

“Even though churches sometimes have different ways of prayerand different ways of baptism, this is a ministry where a lot ofchurches jumped in to help,” she said. “People come and go as theyhave resources for Habitat. This is a really good way for peoplewith an overabundance of talent and resources to get involved inmaking the world a better place.”