Last weekend, 45 people dedicated their time and hard work to make a difference in the life of a Fort Wayne family.
Last December, the family’s daughter, who had been adopted from Ethiopia, developed an infection that stole her life. Since then, their home has been a place of sadness. Haunted by memories of that day, the family has been struggling to find peace.
When they reached out to us for prayer about their situation, Mark and I offered to come over and maybe help them pick some paint colors. What started as a simple request for prayer, God turned into a three-phase makeover!
From creating a new nursery for their 18-month-old daughter to transforming a living room filled with difficult memories, Pathway was committed to help them discover peace and community as their home became a place filled with new hope.
This was hard.
Sure there was a lot of planning and coordinating. Every room of their house received love and attention and prayer, from changing closet knobs and light fixtures to complete overhauls. In 48 hours.
But this was also easy.
It was easy to say “yes.”
It was easy to show love.
As the scope grew, and as God brought new partners into the project, we knew that this was from Him. Every step of the project was annointed by him. Because we said “sure, we’ll take a look.” Because generous people heard the story and said “sure, we’ll help.” Because we have a pastor and church staff that said “sure, run with it.”
We’re Wrecked.
Next week, a new book is coming out from my friend, Jeff Goins. ”Wrecked” is about letting the pain of a broken world slam into our comfortable lives, and then getting off the couch and doing something about it. It’s about changing our lives into ones led by love and not seflishness.
It’s about doing stuff like this.
What has wrecked you? Leave a comment…and then check out a few photos:
Family Room
Before:
After:
Master Bedroom/Bath
Before:
After:
Living Room
Before:
After:
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That’s beautiful, Christine. Great job, guys! Thanks for the update.
Katie
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Thanks! It was a lot of work, but really rewarding.
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Wow! This is awesome. I LOVE the living room with the tree on the wall. Very cool. This is so great. I love this idea.
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The tree was Mark’s idea…it actually came from a iPad wallpaper app that “hung” the icons on a tree. We found the vinyl tree decal on Etsy and got frames from Kohl’s.
The butterflies were from Target; the family had used them at the funeral…and the purple butterfly at the end represents Lilah. Purple butterflies were her favorite.
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Such a lovely story Christine! And, I agree with Tammy – that tree is beautiful.
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Thanks, Chrystal! The tree turned out even better than we had imagined. God so had His hand on the whole project!
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God is amazing! I can’t even imagine what that family is dealing with!
Janis
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I’ve used that exact phrase a lot in the past couple of months, Janis.
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So beautiful!
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Thanks, Denise! It turned out well thanks to all the amazing efforts of everyone who helped…
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Wow, Niles! It turned out great! 45 people?!?!?! Very impressed and challenged to love like that….. Wow.
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Don’t be impressed by me…be impressed by God! This was His project.
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Absolutely love this! You guys do such a great job at blessing the people around you! So thankful that God allowed our paths to intersect 6 years ago!
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Lisa, you’ve been a huge part of inspiring me to be the best me I can be…I thank God for you too!!
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This looks great- beautiful, home-y, and welcoming. I especially love the living room!
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Thanks, Sarah…the need for a major change in the living room was what started this whole thing. We are so happy that they are finding peace in that room now!
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I LOVE what ya’ll created! And mostly what I love is that you and your friends did this – you had a call to action and did it! So very proud of each of you! I am positive this has been a bright moment in the hearts of your friends as they find comfort in their redesigned home.
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It has been great. They are able to relax in the new space and they feel able to move forward and honor their daughter’s memory in a positive way for their family. We are just really touched to have been a part of helping them heal.
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Beautiful. All of this is just beautiful.
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Reply
I am a writer, a project manager, and a corporate refugee with a heart for orphans around the world. My two daughters were adopted from Ukraine at ages 12 and 14.
I post two to three times a week about orphan issues, chasing dreams, and making a difference in the world, and on Fridays we have some fun with some fiction that’s in progress.
Get Wrecked With Me
Pray. Encourage. Share. Go.
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