“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25
The Lord’s hand has been evident throughout Casa de Gracia’s entire history. His provision always arrives exactly on time. He is bringing talented and dedicated people to walk alongside us in this journey. He is moving in the hearts of faithful and generous donors to support his work here in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala.
He is building his house.
During our first meeting after the new year, our team reflected on how 2024 is going to be a critical time for laying firm foundations for Casa de Gracia’s future. We will be building physical infrastructure to support essential functions for all the buildings on the property. We are also ramping up our efforts to design the vocational, mentorship, and discipleship programs that will serve all the young people that come through the doors of the transition home and workshops.
We feel an urgency to finish this project. Young men and women are aging out of the system every day and entering the world alone. We want to be there for them as soon as possible. However, we recognize that we cannot rush the foundational work for Casa de Gracia. It would be easy to take shortcuts with both the physical construction and program design. But in order to be good stewards of the resources that God has entrusted us with, we need to take the time to do this well the first time. We believe our young people deserve our best efforts as we invest in their future.
Our amazing architect is taking the time to go over plans in painstaking detail to ensure everything is structurally sound and safe for our young women. We’ve spent time building relationships with the construction crew, trying to provide a work environment that recognizes their dignity as image bearers and thanking them for their contributions.
We’ve started weekly meetings to brainstorm and plan for everything that’s needed in the transition program, from bedroom furniture to how to help young people find employment. We’ve met with other transition programs to learn best practices and we’re doing our own personal studies of books of the Bible and other resources that we’re planning to use in the curriculum.
We are committed to basing everything we do on the word of God. We want to be faithful in our planning and dependent on the Lord for wisdom. We know that we won’t be perfect when we open the home. We know that the floods and the rains will come. They already have. But as much as it depends on us, we want to be ready for whatever lies ahead during this adventure. We’re doing that by recognizing that the Lord is the one who is building this house to care for the orphan and he is our firm foundation.
Comments