Whew!
After watching the presidential debate, a friend made me chuckle when he suggested that I immediately start sending the President and Joe Biden our weekly Note of Encouragement. I was going to interrupt him but instead, let him finish by reminding me that perhaps now, more than ever, we need to practice the advice from the Gospel of John to “love one another.”
I know that our audience includes people on both sides of the aisle. So while we live in a world with a media that wants to stoke the fire and promote divisiveness, I sense that most people want to be able to live their lives with a sense of peace and harmony and focus on things that can bring us together.
One of the things that has brought my family that sense of peace and harmony are the various ministries that highlight what can happen when the focus changes from what separates us to what can bring us together. In fact, it is amazing what can happen when we take the focus off of ourselves and instead, focus on serving others.
In a recent Note of Encouragement, I highlighted one of my favorite ministries, the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Homes of Hope program. As I mentioned, when someone signs up to build a home, the only things we care about are whether you can swing a hammer, use a paintbrush, and are willing to serve others.
Some of you asked me for more information about Homes of Hope. In 1992, Sean Lambert’s youth group from a church in Minnesota went to Tijuana to build a home for a family. After the build, his 3 ½ year old daughter Andrea, asked him: “Are you going to build a house for the bus people?” Sean said “Yes,” and gave birth to what is known today as the YWAM Homes of Hope program.
Our family has participated in the Homes of Hope since 1997, and I have had the privilege to serve on their board of directors. One of the coolest things we’ve done as a family was during the Homes of Hope Celebration in 2015 where we built 25 homes in just one weekend.
I know that you are probably extremely busy, but if you have the time, I know that you’ll enjoy this five minute video about the 25th anniversary celebration. As Sean noted in the video, it’s amazing what can happen “when you are willing to say yes.” Twenty-five years after saying “Yes,” 5,140 homes had been built and that number continues to grow.
As we get closer to the election, I have a question for you as you look out and consider how you can serve others: “What are you willing to say, ‘Yes!’ to?”
I know that as November 3, 2020, approaches, the energy on both sides of the aisle will intensify. But with the announcement last night that the President and First Lady have tested positive for COVID, perhaps we can hit the “Pause” button, put aside our differences for a moment and offer some prayers for their health.
And perhaps, we can draw strength from what can happen when we say “yes,” look for opportunities to serve and look for the opportunities to love one another. Because as Gandhi himself reminded us: “When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won.”
