Week 9- Build With Mount Auburn Christian Church

One more build done, and one more family given both a house and the word of God. About half of the families we build houses for are already Christians and half are not. This build was special to me because it was the first time I built for a non-christian family. This opens the door to having many intentional conversations with the family about God and what he's done in the team and my's life. 

A verse that I connected with this week is 2 Corinthians 3:3.

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

The team leader I worked with this week loved quotes from famous people and one that he shared with our team that I really liked is “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” This is from Francis of Assisi. This quote fits the Casa ministry very well. Most teams that come down on our builds do not speak any Spanish. However, that does not mean they are not able to share the gospel. Sometimes the family will help the team build the house and that is a great way to build a relationship. During most builds, the team doesn't have full conversations with the family until the dedication when we have a translator. The language barrier does not prevent the gospel from being shared. Building a house for the family shows God's love and in many ways opens their hearts to the word of God. The word of God is shared at the dedication, and pastors are actively involved in the family's life before and after they receive a house. 

I want to talk a little bit about how Casas is run because I think that they do an amazing job of being deliberate and purposeful with how they involve God. First, Casas does not go out and just say "You get a house! and You get a house!" Instead, they want God to be at the front of the ministry and the most important part. In each of Casas locations, there is a pastors committee. Pastors will send applications for families in their area to Casas admin. This is important because it creates relationships between the pastor and the families they are serving. Pastors have many conversations with families before they receive a house and also go back after the family is given a house to check on them again. This helps to get families involved at their local church. Casas believes that by creating a more personal relationship between the families and the pastors there will be more opportunity to bring God into the picture. 

Another great thing about Casas Builds is that teams don't need any prior construction experience to build the house. This week was a really good example of that. The team was composed of a great mix of all different ages and experiences. Although no one had prior construction experience, this team really pulled through and worked well together! Everyone was willing and ready to work- even through the heat. The high for our build was 106 degrees and it felt like 112 degrees! This team did an amazing job of fighting through the heat and keeping their heads up. We defiantly acknowledged the heat, but everyone stayed positive, and not a single person complained about it.  

Something that really stuck out to me this week was that the man we built the house for took the excess materials to help repair his neighbor's house. The people we build houses for either do not have a house or they have a house made of random pieces of wood and metal they have found. After we are done building the Casa house for the family, there is only a small pile of scrap material left. What really tugged at my heart was that while building this man a house he was not solely focused on the house he was getting, but he took the time to recognize that he could help his neighbor too. He took some leftover stucco and other material and helped repair and patch up holes in his neighbor's house. It is just mind-blowing and inspiring to me. It is really easy when one is receiving things to only think of themselves, but this man took the time and extra scaps he had and generously shared it with his neighbor. 

Thank you all for the continuous support and love! I have had an impactful and uplifting experience on this trip that will forever change my life. I could not be here with out you all! Please reach out if you have any prayer requests!

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Isabelle 

Ischeidler02@gmail.com