Our Story

The idea of an organization to help people with home repair was birthed in the summer of 1990. And it happened as Jeff Heft was traveling with his church youth group to work on building projects in South Carolina. As only God can orchestrate, Jeff’s group stopped for lunch at the same time and place as did another youth group traveling to Chicago to work on building projects there.

It didn’t take him long to appreciate the amazing coincidence that unfolded before him and to realize that there was much work to be done “. . . in our own back yard.”

Early in 2000, Jeff began praying fervently that he could go into full time service for the Lord. After several weeks of praying with no seeming answers he grew frustrated with God’s silence in the matter. One Sunday morning as he was preparing for church, Jeff noticed an article that was titled, “Who wants to be a Servant?” Totally exasperated Jeff called out to God, “I do . . . but I don’t know what You want me to do!”

God’s reply was, “Help others.”

Jeff fairly yelled back, “I don’t know how!” At that moment, he remembered the encounter in South Carolina with the other youth group and a conversation with a friend just two days prior. Suddenly, he had the answer he had long been praying for—a not-for-profit organization that would provide handyman services to individuals in need regardless of their ability to pay.

Shortly after, Jeff noticed that he was waking up at 2 AM each night and couldn’t get back to sleep. Though annoyed at first, he decided that perhaps God wanted an appointment with him and was waking him up in the early morning to make that happen.

Jeff recounts, “I left my bed to get on my knees and talk to God. For several nights it was very hard to focus—my mind was flooded with so many different thoughts regarding the idea. I finally realized that I needed to take a pen and paper with me to the nightly appointment. When all of those notes were flushed out, they formed the foundation for what is now His Helping Hands, Inc.”

His Helping Hands, Inc. became a reality in November of 2000 when the organization was incorporated in the State of Illinois. Since that time, His Helping Hands, Inc. has assisted more than 500 individuals and families, and has completed in excess of 1600 home repair jobs of various types.

Truly, one individual’s willingness to be used by God has touched thousands of lives right here in Central Illinois.