Since 1990 Christ’s Body has been Feeding, clothing, and sharing the Gospel in Denver, 365 days a year. They also provide showers and clothes washing for the homeless of Denver. Recently space was made available for 5 respite care patients…people who have recently left the hospital but have nowhere else to go.
Carol Turpin, Brett Ross, Kathy Clemons, Jody Ross, Don Ross, Marianne Selkirk and Wayne Clemons prepare to serve lunch.
I don’t like the dump! It smells and is full of garbage and objects that no one wants. Yet, last week as I traveled with the Healing Waters Transformation Team to the community of Landivar, located in the dump of Guatemala City, Guatemala, I found treasure.
Healing Waters International, or Agua de Unidad, has teamed up with Cristo es el Camino Church in order to meet one of the most basic human needs—safe drinking water. Healing Waters International opened a water purification system at the church in April 2006. Pastor Saul Perez leads the congregation of about 150 people to care for the people of the dump. One way of loving these people in Jesus’ name is through providing clean water.
The most meaningful time of the trip for me came when Pastor Saul brought us to the home of his friend Mariel. She resides on the edge of the landfill. After a short walk through the shacks, we reached Mariel’s home. She invited us in and told us of her life. She and her husband live together with their seven year-old daughter, Dulce. Life is very difficult. Both she and her husband have struggled with addiction and are in constant fear of the violence that permeates the area. She told us of her daughter being threatened by men wielding baseball bats as weapons, attempting to force her into their car. That incident occurred the week before we came.
I’m grateful for our time in Landivar. I’m grateful for Healing Waters International and for Saul Perez and the Church. I’m hopeful for the community of Landivar, as Saul Perez and Cirsto es el Camino Church plan to expand the water deposit to include a training center for women to learn how to sew, a shower facility, and eventually a school for the children. As a result of their work and obedience to God, I’m certain that some will no longer need to call the dump home. Yet as I reflect on the entire experience, I am most grateful that God, for just a moment, allowed me to see and feel a glimpse of the love he has for Mariel and the people of Landivar as they truly are--treasure in the dump.
THANK YOU!
Carla's story is an amalgamation of the stories of those involved in street prostitution. Please allow your imagination to fill in the details of the picture painted below. Imagine the sights, the sounds, the smells, and any visceral responses you may have as you read this story.
Less than $1K Left to Meet the $10K Challenge!
I returned from Russia and I want to give you an update. We spent our time in Ryzan, which is about 2 hours southeast of Moscow. Until the fall of the Soviet Union it was a "closed" city because of top secret military paces. It's a poor, industrial city of 500,000 people today.
I cannot think of a more important time than now for Christian Associates to be planting and multiplying churches in Russia. Thank you for making it possible, and please pray for Russia.
The "Mission Navajo" team returned last Saturday after an amazing and exhausting week on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. We joined three other youth groups (two from the Denver area!) for a week of "Kid's Clubs" and service projects on the reservation. Our goal was simply to be a light for Christ in a very dark place, and this group of teenagers accomplished that in amazing ways. Hopefully we can get some of their stories on here soon, but I can share a few very briefly. 
Our group was split into two teams for the week and paired with other church groups. Each team spent two days running a summer camp for dozens upon dozens of Navajo kids, ranging in age from 4-18 years old. These kids have a violent nature and vocabulary to make any mother blush. Loving them through all of their "rough edges" can be difficult, but our kids did an amazing job of it anyway. They gave piggy-back rides for hours on end, sought out shy kids to get to know them and led times of Christ-centered skits and worship.
The other two days were spent sweating away the hours as we helped with "beautification projects" like house painting and landscaping.
Cindy is a recent widow. Her husband passed away in January after a long battle with cancer. She has 3 children at home – 2 of them with serious health issues of their own. With their constant need for medical attention, Cindy tries to work several part time jobs that work with her children’s schedules. Because of her grief and stress over the death of her husband, she found herself pulling away from family and friends, and isolating herself from any real sense of community. Cindy came to us with a need to get the brakes replaced on her Dodge Dakota. As we visited, her deeper need was for a place of comfort and support...for the rest of the story, click here
The Hands of The Carpenter Team: (l-r) Doug McCrimmon (Hands of The Carpenter, Board Chair), Mike Mulkins (Hands Automotive, Board of Directors), Randy Pickering (Hands Automotive, Board of Directors), Dan Georgopulos (Hands of The Carpenter / Hands Automotive, President), Rob Liley (Hands Automotive, Board of Directors) and Juli Hobin (Hands of The Carpenter, Client Services Director)
Shev writes: It's early Tuesday morning and I am counting down the hours before I and eleven others embark on an adventure some only dream of. We set out at 8:41am on the 13th of July for the country of India. We are going to Kolkata to spend just under two weeks serving with the “Sisters of Charity” more commonly know as “the thing Mother Teresa started.”
love the kids of this community! They were also praying about the possibility of trying to create a community center in that area. 
