Thursday fun!

This week Laundry Love was a big success! We had a good turn out and, as always, the food was excellent. There was some very good news. One man got a job the past week which is a huge deal as his baby just spent some time in the hospital and his unemployment runs out in 2 weeks. Another man was hoping that he would not be seeing us again as he got hired back on at his old job. That is awesome news!

Not all the folks are doing that well though. There was a young lady that came in late with her toddler and baby. Her clothes were soaking wet and covered in mud. The 18 months old's baby doll was so muddy that it had to go in the washer too. They had been evicted and all of their belongings were set outside in the dirt and rain. They brought in everything washable to try to get it clean. They had a place to stay and she is trying to get back on her feet.

We have been so blessed and we are so fortunate to be able to pass that blessing on to others. Our church supplies the quarters to pay for laundry, a private donor gave us enough laundry soap for a year, and a great group of ladies provides the food for us. We really desire to do much more though. We want to be able to help local families in a greater way. We want to lavish the love of the Father on them. To do this, we need your help. We are actively seeking donations for these families. We need financial donations to purchase food bags and other items for them. Also, any donations of diapers and wipes would be wonderful. We also need childrens clothes in all sizes as well.

Thank you so much!

Mission Trip to Congo!

We are headed to the Democratic Republic of Congo in March. The people of our incredible church, Grace Foursquare, generously gave the money to fully fund the water project in Luila Village! A small group of us are headed to the village in March to see the project for ourselves and to see how we can honor God by helping the people there. We will be visiting at least one orphanage in the capital and hopefully the HIV positive orphanage there as well.

We will also be taking a side trip to Ethiopia. We are planning on visiting a school, a program for at-risk girls and an orphanage for medical special needs children. I will keep you posted on the specifics of the trip and ways you can help!

Laundry Love this week

We had another successful Laundry Love this week! This is such a great ministry. We get to help people and really get to know them as well. We had a few regulars and some newcomers as well. The clothes were a big hit and we are so thankful to all the people who donated them. The food, as always, was delicious and the help was phenomenal. This time we were blessed to know that one family in particular is receiving some much needed love and physical help. They are coming to Christmas Eve services as well. Praise God! A huge thank you goes out to the folks who come and help and who prepare behind the scenes. To God be the glory!

Laundry Love!

Our Laundry Love program is really taking off and we are so excited to be able to serve the people of our local community. This has been a great way to get to know people in our own small town and really help the great people of Camas and Washougal. The needs here are the same as other places and with the holidays coming up we have been even more dedicated to this great ministry. It is just a blast to get to talk with folks and provide a very real service. Along with the laundry we were blessed to serve folks a great meal provided by the ladies of Graceful Servants and provide clothes of all sizes thanks to the generous gals at Denim and Frills Consignment in Vancouver, WA. Enjoy these photos and let us know if you would like to be a part of this wonderful ministry!

Luila Village, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mama Rose Phambu was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and now spends her energy and time bringing God's love to her village. She is pouring all her love into the village and is trying to set up many programs including clean water, agriculture and education and training for unwed mothers. We are partnering with Mama Rose and Luila Village Ministries to help make these programs a reality. We are working on support for the clean water project as well as developing plans for a boarding school and child care facility (in lieu of an orphanage). The families in Luila are committed to caring for the orphans of their village and are doing everything they can to care for them and take them in as family. We desire to come along side them in their endeavors.