House becomes a home for St. Joseph family of four

By Riley Funk

St. Joseph Habitat for Humanity and community members welcomed a St. Joseph mother and her children to a new home Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting and house blessing ceremony.

Samanta Mujagic, along with her three children, will now live at a house on East Highland Avenue, which was once a dream.

“It feels amazing. It just feels like I’ve been waiting for this break, and it feels like a new beginning,” Mujagic said.

Friends, co-workers and members of the community gathered for the blessing of Mujagic’s home. The completed house is one of many Habitat for Humanity projects.

To receive a Habitat home, individuals have to complete 500 hours of volunteering. These hours can be completed by an individual building their own home, helping other recipients build or other service opportunities with the organization. The houses are then paid for by the homeowner through a 20- to 30-year mortgage, according to Habitat.

The family is feeling a great sense of relief now that their home is completed.

Tatiana Stewart, Samanta’s daughter, said that she helped with some painting on the house, including the doors and window panes. She said that she feels an overjoy of excitement that she and her family have a forever home.

“My mom got really happy and I’m really happy for my mom, like, ‘cause she really deserves that. She works so hard and I’m so proud of her,” Stewart said.

Doug Walter, the lead pastor for the Ashland United Methodist Church, led the blessing ceremony on Wednesday. He said it was a great opportunity for the community to come together and support one another.

“God has given this great gift of being connected with one another. Today was an excellent example of that,” Walter said. “People coming together to make this home possible, seeking God’s blessing … going forward, we just ask that God would lead the way.”

Mujagic said having her house blessed is something that is a great testament to her and her family’s resilient journey.

Mujagic explained that she moved a lot as a kid, and the same can be said for her and her three children. Now that she owns her first house, she plans on it being the foundation for her kids to grow, graduate and have a permanent place to call home.

“I’ve never been a really big religious person, and sometimes I didn’t understand the way things go. Like, you lose people and sometimes you lose your faith. And you know what? Without God, this isn’t possible,” Mujagic said. “Everything that’s meant for you, it’s going to happen for you. You just need to be patient and don’t give up on yourself.”

Now, Mujagic looks forward to what the future will hold for her family.

“I hope to build a lot of memories here for my kids. This is going to be my family home,” Mujagic said.