August 22nd, 2008

Backpack Rally

For the second connsecutive year, Grace is teaming up with World Mission for Christ in NE DC to give backpacks to the inner city kids.  If you have any interest in helping at any level from providing backpacks to being apart of the event, contact Joshua Hadder at josh@trygrace.org.

August 30th, 2008

Carpenter’s Shelter

Every month that has a fifth Saturday, Grace prepares and serves breakfast at the Carpenter’s Shelter in Alexandria.  This is a great and quick way to serve and meet folks from Grace.

August 28th - September 1st, 2008

Mexico School Build

Though 45 of us just returned from a week of building houses in Tecate over July 4th, we are taking another group down over Labor Day weekend to build a school.  We love Mexico and are adamant about making a difference!

November 7th - 11th, 2008

Grace is heading back to Appalachia in Kentucky for our 4th time in under 2 years.  We’ll spend Veteran’s Day weekend rebuilding and fixing up some impoverished homes in one of the poorest areas in our country.

If you have any interest in being a part of any of these events, please contact Joshua Hadder at josh@trygrace.org

I built a man a house. We payed for the materials, took time off from work, spent money on travel expenses, and worked from sun up to sun down to build this man a house. My hands ached, my feet blistered, my shoulders were worn and my eyes glazed over, desperate for sleep. But, I built this man a house. I left my nice home and cozy bed for a community dorm with tattered, dirty mattresses. I came to cold showers, dirty water, and thought nothing of my luxuries back home, for I built a man a house. I sacrificed a lot this week to build a man a house. I never met the man, but i smiled at his children and used my three Spanish phrases in the all too awkward conversations with his wife. Though I never met this man, I built this man a house.

I assume he’s in a factory or working overtime in a field. I’m certain at the end of the day he’ll stagger home just as exhausted as i am after laboring for hours. I have a sense of the economy and the low pay, I’m sure he’s doing what he can, as best as he can, and that’s why I built this man a house.

The day has ended, the house complete and a man emerges from the shanty which the new house will now replace. He walks to me, without looking at me, in fact constantly looking to the ground. He extends his hand, not a firm handshake, with a low, barely audible “Gracias.”, he turns and shuffles away. I just built this man a house?

The head of this household, has gone for months without a job. He’s trying, but has no education and speaks no English. For three days he peeked through the cracks of his shanty watching us build his new house, consumed with shame. He is suppose to be the leader, the provider, macho, courageous, strong and confident, yet he’s humiliated and ashamed?

It couldn’t be because of the well-to-to Americans, shoulders back, the do gooders, aware of our own sacrifice and how good we are in our humanitarian ways. Our air of confidence, there more to say we built a house in Mexico than to truly meet these peoples’ needs. I just built this man a house and he is not thrilled? But I just built this man a house!

Tecate, Mexico, Summer 2008 from Grace Missions on Vimeo.

2 Samuel 12:15-23

After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.

on the seventh day, the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought “While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.

David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. “is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

His servants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted an wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should i fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

NO ANSWERS

The “Big Give” was an idea that would enable people from our church to seek out those they love, know, or know of and to find a way to help them. Many in our church brought many names and stories of people they saw had a need, to the “Big Give” committee to be nominated for the give. The committee discussed and analyzed each nomination and narrowed their decision down to the Cassell family.

The Cassells are an amazing family from Purcellville, VA. Dave and Linda have two children, Alli and Christopher. Christopher is almost 12 months and has been terminally ill for almost all of his life. Totally devastated, Dave and Linda have devoted the past 11 months to being by his side and trying every test and examine that could possibly save their son’s life. The Cassells have undergone hardships that are impossible to imagine.

Grace is dedicated to helping this family with their multitude of burdens. They are faced with overwhelming medical bills, finding daycare for their 4 year old daughter, a cluttered home that they have rarely seen as they spend most nights in the hospital with their son.

Presently, Christopher is at Capital Hospice, in Arlington, VA. When he first arrived there 17 days ago, they gave him only a few more days to live. Since then, he’s had no food nor water, and yet he still fights to hold on. Dave and Linda remain diligently at their son’s side, and are growing tired and weary, however their love for their son and their hurt for him is clearly evident.

Daily, people from our church visit them. Giving them an ear to listen, words of encouragement, an excuse to laugh, and a slight break from their constant watch of their slowly slipping child. I’m am no alone in my constant amazement at the love and companionship shared with this family.

In a desperate time, when there are no answers, Dave and Linda somehow find the strength to continue living out each day side by side with their beautiful boy, with his long brown hair, huge eye lashes and pudgy cheeks. When they ask me why, how can this be happening? I offer up only a shrug of my shoulders and eyes full of tears. I don’t know, I just don’t know.

I continue to pray that God’s love breaks through the sadness. That His presence is somehow felt in each person’s heart as they enter that room and see beautiful baby Christopher.

I can’t even look at her. With each glance in her direction, I cringe, yet aren’t I to love her? Her smile is huge, its the three overly spaced teeth that look extra long due to huge recessions in her gum lines, that make me uneasy. Normally, I love eye contact, but I’m too afraid to engage as if in someway she’d too easily see right through my shallow shell and know exactly what I’m feeling and thinking. I walk back to the truck reeling in shame. Lord, show me how to love!

The steam from my cup of coffee drifts quickly across my face as I sit some what hunched, attempting to retain at least some heat. Yesterday began with gray skies and rain and ended very much the same. This morning holds new promises as the skies are blue, however, 6:00 am in Mexico is deceptively cold.

Rancho La Paloma is beautiful. the grounds have been neatly landscaped with brilliant flowering bushes standing to heights of 10 feet. Varying palm trees are scattered about. The morning air is consumed by a multitude of voices of varying birds darting this way and that. On the out skirts of the ranch are several different farms, peacocks can be heard screeching, there’s a pig farm and many other critters adding to the music of the morning.

Ephesians 5: 15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Today, I ask for wisdom. Wisdom in my words that i may say the right things at the right times to the right people. That i let His words become mine, words of love, compassion, insight, encouragement and humility. I pray for wisdom in my silence, that i may not say what is unnecessary, what is not uplifting, what is selfish or proud. I ask for wisdom in my listening. That i may hear what is being said, implied, or what is too hard to say. Let me listen to my heart, His heart, and the hearts of others. I pray for wisdom in my actions, that I may do what is right and act in a way that blesses those He loves. Wisdom in my/for my eyes that i may not miss opportunities to love, people to serve and his hand at work. I pray for wisdom in my heart that i may not be fooled by deception, tricked by falseness, and misguided by this world. “I pray for wisdom and revelation that I may know Him better!”

Service Blitz 2008 (Grace) from Grace Missions on Vimeo.