Hands & Feet |
September,
2008 Newsletter
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Extreme Makeover
Okay, this is not HGTV! It’s real life. It’s not a publicity event; it’s ministry in the name of Jesus. It’s not actors; it’s ordinary followers of Jesus doing what he did and what he said all of his followers should do.
As one of several projects conducted by Germanton Baptist Church in Operation Inasmuch in April of this year, a dozen volunteers nearly remade the home of a local family referred by Social Services in one day! The father is disabled and recently suffered a heart attack. The mother struggles with drug addiction and has put in time behind bars. The children—2 boys, 7 and 4--struggle with numerous emotional issues and general neglect.
Here is what the Germanton Baptist OIAM team did:
Installed a donated set of outside steps
Purchased and installed 8 new windows
Installed and serviced a donated window A/C unit
Installed 2 donated light fixtures
Installed donated blinds
Ripped out rotten sub flooring in a bedroom and 1 bathroom and replaced it
Ripped out old carpet and installed new padding and carpet and linoleum throughout the home
Purchased and installed a new toilet
Repaired the kitchen sink (there had been no hot water there)
Repaired the bathroom sink (barely any water source there)
Repaired the tub and installed new back splash
Repaired large hole in the exterior of the home
Donated a vacuum cleaner, furniture, fresh vegetables, lamps, table and chairs, sofa bed, comforter set, cleaning supplies . . . and toilet paper (“I have never seen anyone so excited to have toilet paper!”
Germanton Baptist Church has been using Operation Inasmuch to touch their community for several years. Brian Layman has coordinated the most recent Inasmuch events for the church. He said “Of all the Inasmuch events we’ve had at Germanton Baptist in 7 or 8 years, I have never received such positive feedback from our volunteers as I did from this project.”
Operation Inasmuch may never be featured on HGTV, but it will quietly enable thousands of Christ followers to demonstrate the love of the Creator God for people who need it. Then again, God may decide to use HGTV to get the Inasmuch story out to more churches and more communities. Stay tuned!
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