News From Christian Service Mission: Housing Ministry Hammers Out Hope

Carl Jackson in his new home, built with love by our SWAT Team and with the invaluable help of Wells Fargo's financial contribution to the project and hundreds of volunteer hours

Aaron Parsons and Randy Sain light up when they tell how the CSM housing team recognizes the opportunity to be life on life with the families and individuals we help. Our housing ministry is directed at homeowners who do not have the financial or physical ability to rehabilitate their house. This month we were blessed to dedicate two homes to the glory of God after months of work involving donated funds, strategic resource direction, and strong volunteer support for the work that had to be done.

Aaron Parson is always happy to be a part of CSM miracle stories.
He says, "This is simply people being with people, letting God
use us to create transformation, live out the Gospel and participate
in other's lives. Jesus chose to work through us."

One of our main projects this year has been on behalf of Carl Jackson. About twenty years ago, Carl was in a life-threatening motorcycle accident, after which the doctors told him he would never walk again. But Carl has been determined to become independent and is walking again with great difficulty. He had been living with his mother, Eula Jackson, who has been volunteering at CSM every Wednesday at the front desk for the past two years. The opportunity to have his own home became a possibility when a neighbor died and the house became available to purchase. But after taking possession, they found that the house was in extreme disrepair, needing new doors, a new roof, and extensive remodeling in the kitchen and bathroom. The house was essentially unlivable from the basement to the leaky roof.

Mrs. Jackson heard Aaron and Randy talking about another project they were working on. So she decided to ask Aaron and Randy for an estimate for the roof. They went to Carl's house to take measurements and confirmed that he needed a new roof. Carl had applied for a roof at the city twice in December, but was not getting assistance. Aaron and Randy found an obstacle stopping the city from doing the work and fixed the problem. CSM gave Carl the helping hand he needed. Through donations and a lot of manpower - from the basement to the roof - the work was completed. Carl spent the first two nights on his own in his house this past Friday and Saturday.

"Prayers for peace and protection around and in this house."

At the dedication Mrs. Jackson said, "Through all the downfalls that Carl was having, we didn’t lose faith in God. Christ came through for us, and CSM came through for us. Carl needed a helping hand not a handout. It would’ve taken us five years to get this project finished, but CSM expedited the process in miraculous ways. It really impacted us to see how the churches and volunteers who came to help were so joyful in their work. If I had a thousand tongues, I would still not be able to express how grateful we are for everything CSM and all these volunteers have helped us with."

The other house dedication we enjoyed this month was for the Wesley home. Mrs. Gloria Wesley lives two doors down from Mr. Dodson (see story) with her husband who is going through cancer treatment. We became aware of her house repair needs during the weeks we were working in their neighborhood. She had applied for a City grant to have her house painted, but she was concerned that it would need painting again before she would qualify for the next grant (a long process) since her house had already been painted a number of times with several layers of paint. It became obvious that the best solution to her problem would involve siding rather than paint. She knew that we had been able to find a way to have Mr. Dodson’s house repaired with siding. We got a siding estimate to see if she could pay for the additional material cost, but it seemed prohibitive for her.

When CSM shows up... miracles happen!

God had another plan! An unexpected Wells Fargo grant was offered, so we applied on behalf of Gloria, and she received the needed funds for the siding on her house! We got busy... our SWAT team did all the prep work, a volunteer Wells Fargo team worked on siding and then SWAT came in behind them with the finishing detail work. Teen volunteers from YouthWorks painted the foundation to complete the job.

Once again, a strong bond was forged in the Lord with someone who previously felt hopeless and neglected. We are so privileged to walk out the Gospel in this way with your help and support! There is always a project to be accomplished, but the relationship is the most important part of the process. Investing in people, like Mr. Jackson and the Wesley family, is what your donations allow us to do.