08/31/2026
“I love the idea of treasure hunting…”
That’s one of the things Dawnita shared with us this weekend as we gathered with participants from our Faith-Based Animator Network.
And Dawnita has done a lot of treasure hunting.
During FAN, she had more than 10 holy listening conversations—taking time to really listen to people and discover the gifts, passions and stories already around her.
Dawnita told us she almost didn't participate in a faith-based cohort. But she ended up loving the opportunity to openly talk about faith with others. She said the experience even gave her the confidence to share one of her own passions—growing closer to Jesus—at a gathering she hosted at her home.
And her home has a pretty great neighboring story of its own.
Years ago, Dawnita and her husband fell in love with a dilapidated 1910 house in Wichita's Meadowlark neighborhood—especially its porch. They reached out to the owner and asked whether he'd consider selling.
His response came with a wonderful bit of history: more than 20 years earlier, he had knocked on that same door and asked its previous owner if he could buy it.
One neighbor's leap of faith became another's.
Today, Dawnita and her husband are caring for that same home—and using it as a place to gather people.
And that beautiful board she's holding? It was designed by her daughter, Leigh the Designer, to capture some of what Dawnita sees in her neighborhood: flourishing, belonging, health, beauty, ecology—and the reminder that “I am because we are.”
This is what we love about neighboring. There are already so many gifts, stories and possibilities right where we live.
That's the kind of treasure worth hunting for.
