It was a rainy day. The last day.

The renovation work had been completed; a substantial Freedom Builders project with significant needs.

She was a mother, raising a teenage daughter who was now a mother herself. Her life was weighted with heaviness – a near-uninhabitable home, a teenage daughter and her live-in boyfriend, and now a new baby. Grateful for the gift of a renovated place to call home, she stepped outside in the drizzle to speak to Skip. They spoke of church. Of the children. Perhaps this would be where hope would shine.

But still, more brokenness remained. The sort that takes more than sandpaper and nails to make new.

“With all that I’ve done in my life, not even God could love me.”

Skip listened to the words delivered flatly by the struggling woman. God? Hope and love? These weren’t friends she was familiar with. Surely, given all that she’d seen and done, neither God, hope or love was interested in her.

Freedom Builders exists to demonstrate the love of Christ tangibly to the “least of these.” To love and serve the countless members of our Michigan communities in need – just like this woman who, upon experiencing the practice of love, unveiled her own hidden despair.

Many times, the good that God has promised to raise up through our service goes unknown to us. But not always. Sometimes, when we serve in the way he’s called us, God offers a glimpse of his mighty works.

Ten years passed, full of projects and people. We received a call from a young couple asking for help. They had experienced the love and sacrificial service of the body of Christ before; the impact was profound. God’s love had changed their lives and hearts eternally.

God’s surprises never fail to bring joy. The husband and wife were none other than the two teenage parents in the woman’s home – now married, having given their lives to the Lord, and raising their child to know Christ. And the despairing mother?  She has hope. She knows God. She knows love.

We are most like Jesus and most effectively share his love when we are serving others.

After washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus said “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 14:14-15)

Many people mistakenly believe that being “called” by God is something only missionaries, pastors and other church leaders experience. But the Bible says that everyone is called to serve God by serving others.

Through Freedom Builders, people become a bridge from God to those who believe they are hopelessly far away from him. Just like this woman. You have the opportunity to answer his calling: to show up and show someone that they matter. In doing so, God will work through you.

Will you prayerfully consider serving God through a Freedom Builders project? Get involved today.