In preparation for the online gathering on September 9 at 9 am, ELCA Coaching is excited and honored to offer you a FREE book, What If I Said Yes? The House That Love Built, by Sarah Jackson from Casa de Paz.

The House that Love Built is the quintessential story of one woman's questioning what it means to be an American--and a Christian--in light of a broken immigration system. Through tender stories of opening her heart and home to immigrants, Sarah Jackson shines a holy light on loving our neighbor.

If you submit your request by Sunday, August 30, a book will be mailed out on Monday, August 31, thanks to the incredible generosity of our presenter, Sarah Jackson! We recommend submitting your request as soon as possible, as we know the mail is slower in many places lately.

For those who would like to donate to this entirely volunteer-run ministry, you may do that here: https://www.casadepazcolorado.org/donate. Your tax-deductible donation helps provide visits, shelter, meals, transportation, and emotional support to those impacted by migrant detention.

You may also listen to chapter 1 of the book here: https://www.casadepazcolorado.org/book. (There's a link at the top of that webpage.)

Excerpts from the book:

“I remember the first time a guest asked me, “Why are you doing this?” His first language was French, which I didn’t know, but his second language was Spanish, which was my second language, too. We struggled to communicate, and I had trouble finding the words to describe my faith to him. “Porque . . . porque . . .” I stammered, and finally landed on something I knew to be true: “Porque usted es mi familia.” You’re my family. That seemed about right. He nodded, smiling. I decided then it was more important that people in our care experience the love of God instead of hearing any words about God. I fell back on the old saying I’d learned as a homeschooler, something ascribed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Speak the gospel, and when necessary, use words.” 

“A young man from Africa came to stay after being released from detention. After dinner, he said softly, “It feels like home here.” He had no idea how deeply those words went into me. To know we belong, to know we matter, to know we’re worthy of kindness, even from a stranger—isn’t that what we all want? When we create that kind of space—one where people feel they’re home, even for a few hours—together we experience a bit of heaven on earth. I believe that every small act of hospitality is a step forward toward Jesus’ desire: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, NIV). When someone is treated the way God values them, we all taste something of heaven.”

We are looking forward to having Sarah with us on September 9. Mark your calendars for that Wednesday at 1pm Central. You can find that weekly login information on the home page of the ELCA Coaching website: https://www.elcacoaching.org/.