Why go back after a home is repaired? The work is done, right? Well, rebuilding the walls is just the start. There are people living in the homes! If you’ve been around The Way 2 Serve for even a short time, you have probably heard that we’re all about the relationships. Home repair projects empower us (that is, all of us as the body of Christ) to begin gospel-centered relationships with those we serve.
It is our prayer that as physical needs are met through the gifts and talents of the local church, God uses those same people to meet the spiritual and heart-heavy needs of those who have received physical help.
One of our first home repair projects (more than 10 years ago) led to a long-time relationship between myself and a (then) young man named Wes. We don’t just consider ourselves friends, but family… brothers in fact, both in the gospel sense and even in the home. His mother feels like she raised me to some degree, probably because I spent so much time there with the family.
Over time, many groups of people worked on this particular home. One night the home burned down—it was a tragedy, but the family was safe. God taught me that He was not as much concerned with the house, but rather the people who lived inside it. This was life-changing both for me and for our ministry
Fast-forwarding to the present, we had a recent visit with this family we have known for so long. One of their cousins heard the Gospel message as we read God’s Word, and he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior in that moment. Amazing. I met this family over 16 years ago, and long after home repairs were completed, God is still using the relationships built to restore others to a right relationship with Jesus.
Will you help us follow up?
Multiple homes were repaired on October 19th’s My Jerusalem Service Day. Now, it’s time to go back and check on our new friends. Will you prayerfully consider joining our follow up team? You never know, you may connect for a long time with a family. God may have planned for you to introduce them to Jesus! He may have plans for you to have a relationship with some of the people whose homes have been repaired for eternity.
