Grace House Ministries

*** Warning, there is alot of run on sentences and grammatical errors. My grammar isn't so great when I get excited.***

I am a Social Work major at UAB and with that comes alot of volunteering. Literally, I have classes that require it. Alot of people complain about it and get annoyed by having to do it but I love it! I feel like it is preparing me for what I will face in the future!

Remember HERE in the spring, when I mentioned I was working with The Clay House and then HERE when I told you guys about my friends working with The Well House. Well, this semester is no different! This semester, I am volunteering with Grace House Ministries. I had a friend that volunteered with them in the Spring and she absolutely fell in love with them and I had been dying to get the opportunity to work with them too!

Grace House Ministries is a group home facility that is located about 10 minutes from my driveway! I have lived around this area my entire life and never even knew about it! Anyways, so this ministry is in place to provide long term living arrangements from girls 6 to 18 years old that have experienced "abused and/or neglect and have been removed from the custody of their families or parents and are placed at Grace House through the Alabama Department of Human Resources."

The founder of Grace House Ministries, "Mama Lois" was described today as a woman who just simply wants to tell everyone about Jesus. Period. She sees the big picture. She sees that this community and these girls need to know Jesus. The little things-- the technical parts, do not worry her.

So, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get to spend two hours helping them out in whatever needs they may have. Whether that be folding pamphlets or folding clothes for their huge closet! I've been there about 3 weeks and have loved every minute of it! One thing that has really gotten my attention is the closet.

How it works is, people donated new or gently used clothes to Grace House and then someone on staff or a volunteer (like me!) sorts through the donations and then arranges it all in the "closet". The closet is in the basement of one of the homes and as you can imagine, there is alot of clothes. Remember this closet is full of clothes to fit girls from age 6 to 18.  Sometimes, the girls come with very little possessions and with this closet, they are able to go down there and pick out clothes that they may need.

As I began to work in the closet, I quickly became overwhelmed because there is racks, like in stores, bunched together, then there is racks on a wall, then there is tables with stuff on them and that doesn't even include the 20 garbage full of clothes that need to be sorted through. Basically, everything is just crowded together.  In my mind, I am thinking that if I can install shelves alongside the walls then the racks can be removed and the girls will be able to clearly see what they have to choose from and all their options.

With that being said, I have decided to take over the closet! My heart, my conscience and Matthew 25:40 will not allow me to leave this closet how it was when I first came. I think these girls deserve something nice, something "store-like". And I am going to do whatever it takes, to establish that for them.

From what I can tell, it is going to take around $250 to purchase all the items needed to install the closet. I know that one of two things is going to happen. Either the Lord is going to bless Jade and I, and we are going to be able to purchase all the items needed by ourselves with money that we can't explain where it came from (knowing He is ultimately in control of our finances) or He is going to lay it on someones heart to help Grace House. Either way, He is going to get all of the glory and we will get all of the joy. Then one Saturday, Jade and I (and whomever would like to help) are going to spend the entire day down there installing it all so that we will not have to pay someone to install everything.

This is where YOU come in...

Would you be willing to donate to this project?

Could you come help us the Saturday we install everything?

Do you have any new or gently used items that you would like to donate?

Would you like more information on Grace House Ministries?



The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." -Matthew 25:40