By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer
Hope with a Hammer has left its fingerprint on Campbellsburg on more than one occasion now. Starting next month, the organization will be starting phase two on the project called “Ryder’s House.” Phase one was the concrete slab and plumbing, and phase two will commence construction on the house.
Ryder lives in an old trailer handed down from 1955 with his father, mother and 9-year-old brother. Ryder has Chromosome deletion Q23, which is a condition that only 11 people in this country have. This has left him with numerous setbacks: 50% deaf, poor right eye sight, nonverbal, unable to regulate body temperature, delayed muscle growth and lives with a feeding tube. Not only that, but he is confined to a wheelchair. The temperature and climate are very hard to regulate in the old trailer, and Hope with a Hammer is determined to remedy this.
The most recent completed project was the upgrade on Jerry and Alejandra Hartlage’s home, also located in Campbellsburg, called "Miracle Acres." Jerry was an ex-Marine from Kentucky who had been diagnosed with two forms of stage four lymphatic cancer in 11 different parts of his body, and Alejandra was the interpreter for Jerry in Mexico on his missionary trips. Thankfully, Jerry is now totally cancer free. Jerry and Alejandra ministered together in Mexico where Alejandra held citizenship before becoming a U.S. citizen. At one time, he even helped run 29 churches.
The Hartlage’s originally lived in a 125 square foot camping trailer. They bought the 2.2-acre site about 3 ½ years ago, but Hope with a Hammer, the Maryville, Tennessee based organization, built the home they live in now.
The crew arrived and took care of business, and the cost was around $5,500. The electrical system had to be upgraded from 100 amps service to 200 amps to handle the new heat pump system. All money used in Hope with a Hammer projects is donated by generous community members all across the nation. The funds for this particular project came from six states and two countries.
The house was not only built by Hope with a Hammer, but they also furnished the appliances and cabinetry. The ceiling is knotty pine, and the trim is clear wood which the couple loves. The barn Jerry has was built by the Amish. The Amish call this a “Frolic,” which is simply a gathering in which many Amish men and boys come together to accomplish a large task.
Jerry spoke of many difficult moments during their time in Mexico. Gangs and religious persecutions were ongoing dangerous obstacles. Their missionary location was in an extreme southernmost area of Mexico called Chiapas on the border of Guatemala, which is a hotbed for conflict between the general population, government and cartels. A gang once told a missionary named McGill to tell the people he was lying about the Gospel; he refused and they cut off his ear and hung him. When I asked Jerry what his denomination was, he replied, Pentecostal, and he spoke of many miracles and conversations he and Alejandra had witnessed. The Hartlage’s have written a book called, “Redneck & Mexican in the Hands of God.” However, it is now out of circulation.
One of their current projects is to furnish motorcycles to enable people in Mexico to spread the word of God. These Italian-made motorcycles cost roughly $1,400 each. If you would like to give to this mission, mail a tax-deductible donation to: Freedom Ministries, 5886 Old State Road 56, Salem, Indiana, 47167. The couple are available to speak to any church, Bible study, or anywhere else at any time. Their email is
Photos by Jerry Curry.