The Meadows, located in Del Valle, Texas was our first community of a new year. It was a wonderful, nerve-wracking, amazing, challenging, emotional experience for all of us at Impact Cares as we begin a new year of blessing communities.
To start with, before we even stepped into the community, we were given the impression that this could be a dangerous place to be. There were, we were told, ‘gangs, guns and growlers.’ Young kids walking around brandishing guns. Dogs on the loose terrorizing the community. Not a safe place to walk alone. And, if that was the actual situation on the ground, this was not going to be fun! However – I am reminded of the quote by Edmund Burke, ‘The only necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.’ So, was this the case? Was it a war zone of sorts? Well, come with me and let’s see what the actual situation on the ground was and how it turned out.
To start, Impact Cares was joined by another new couple, Danny, Lucrecia and their daughter. We are now up to three couples and we’re still growing the team on the ground. Adding to this mix we had over 80 volunteers show up to help. This was a very diverse group of people also. From far away and close by, from church groups to Young Life, from local residents to local high school students, from a Christian college organization to 19 staff from our sister company, this proved to be an amazing picture of people helping people. We had different ethnic groups, to different languages, to young kids to the elderly, all coming out to help, encourage and be a part of ‘doing something’ to change a community!
Changing a community, one person at a time – that could easily have been the motto for this project. One lady, voicing something we have heard many times, in various ways, said, ‘Last week I prayed asking the Lord to help us get our deck fixed, and what do you know, next week, here you (Impact Cares) are!” It is humbling to hear these sentiments and to see what God is doing in and through Impact Cares to bring change to communities. We met those who are struggling with health issues, to those who are single moms working to not only pay their rent but that of their parents who live next door. We met folks who have bene neighbors for years, each recommending the other for help and yet not knowing their neighbors name! (We introduced them J ) We met grandparents who are standing ‘in-the-gap’ for their grandchildren when a mom has walked out on her children. We met many, all of whom we were able to impact, one person at a time.
Whether it was just a conversation to meet and greet, or a helping hand to replace skirting or build a new deck, or helping to clean up a yard, or inviting neighbors together for a community meal, littles doses of ‘impact’ were being felt all over this community.
The Meadows at Carson Creek also saw the rebirth of ‘Camp Impact!’ This is designed for all the kids, to bring them together, love on them and introduce them to Christ. If you want to change the world, a nation, a state or a community, start with the kids! It was a day of small beginnings with only five kids but it grew to over ten by the end of the week. All the kids were gifted with a bilingual bible home as a gift to them and their families. A great time was had and what a great way to start a new year for the kids.
Come join us on the journey in 2023! Check out Impact Cares to see if we are going to be in your neck of the woods!