Such a time

The photo above is a before-and-after of the first of 6 units that will be used for housing for our friend Rodrigo and his family (from Columbia) as they dedicate their lives to the children of Casa and to the outreach to the Anahuac community. The rest of the units, to be used as emergency housing, also have the potential of being used as family housing for students and/or a Bible school is established for theological students.


Thoughts on: “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

This verse has come to my mind several times during our short time in Mexico. For me, personally, I think back to getting my first “real” job where I lived totally off of the money that I earned. I was fresh out of college and hungry, so I took the first job that I could find. It was at Foster Lumber Company in Broomfield, Colorado. I was hired as a delivery driver and soon took on more responsibilities as I became more familiar with the building materials that we sold. That led to a job driving semi-tractor trailers for a wholesale building products supplier. At that time, I took an interest in the cabinet shops to which I made deliveries. This interest eventually led me into making and finishing custom cabinets, then to boat building and repair, and eventually to being self-employed, designing and fabricating high-end custom interior woodwork. My last 15 years have been dedicated to different phases of the hardwood flooring business.
As you have probably already deduced, all of this interest, experience and training has led me to “such a time as this” right here and now at Casa de la Esperanza in Anahuac, Chihuahua, Mexico. Grace and I are amazed at God's hand over the years as He has chastened and prepared us for this time at Casa. He knew the future as He molded and shaped both of us, me through my woodworking experience, and Grace through her 22 years of teaching and mentoring kids in which God shaped her compassionate heart for this time and place.
For me. childhood carries some great memories, but it was also a time of hurting and confusion over what a “normal family” should be like. I love being able to hug the kids here, put a smile on their faces and spend time with them. In a way, it helps to heal the time that I missed when  I was a kid. As we get better with the Spanish language, we know that it will allow these relationships to grow even stronger. We think that the kids perceive us as being “old,” but on the other hand, a lot of my best memories included my grandparents!
On further reflection, I think of Grace's missionary grandparents dedicating their lives in China for  “such a time as this,” during the time that China was changed forever by the communist party. I think of our grandsons and their “tech & games.” They are in a very different “such a time as this;” their battles and blessings will match the time that God has planned for them. For those of you who are considering coming to Casa, I believe that if God has put it on your heart, then he has prepared you to have a special place here “for such a time as this.”