Thank you notes are often brief but contain a great deal of heart. Such was a note TBM received from Ann: “Thank you for reminding me that God didn’t forget about me.”
Sabrina Pinales, director of missions and discipleship, received the note from Ann, whom she met during a service project at Haven of Love in DeSoto.
“I could barely hold back the tears as I read her message,” Pinales said.
Short-term service projects are emerging as a popular ministry of TBM: Texans on Mission. It joins two emphases: Missions and Rebuild.
In the draining heat of this past Texas summer, TBM organized volunteers to work on varied service projects in the Dallas area – replacing a fence at a residential facility for women in crisis, repairing a wind-damaged home, and removing water-damaged materials from another home.
Ann, who wrote the note to Pinales, is a resident at the women’s facility. The two met while working on the TBM project that involved removing an old fence and then clearing the property and installing a new fence.
Volunteers spent three days at Haven of Love, the women’s facility in need of a privacy fence.
“It was extremely hot, with temperatures well above 100 each day,” Pinales said. “Quite honestly, I thought we had lost our minds in agreeing to take on a fence project during the record-breaking Texas heat.”
Pinales and Ann met the first day.
“Ann had just arrived the day before and was so excited to be the first resident at Haven of Love,” Pinales said. “She was a joy to get to know and a very hard worker. She talked with everyone and made sure that she was always available to serve in any way possible.
“Ann loves the Lord and has made a decision to follow Him and make positive changes in her life,” Pinales continued. A week after the project was completed, Pinales received thank you messages from staff and volunteers, including the one from Ann.
“Praise the Lord for his redeeming love and for allowing our team to play a small part in sharing His love,” Pinales said. “Heat or no heat I am ready for the next project. Bring it on!”
(“Ann” is a pseudonym to protect the resident’s identity.)
