About 12 noon today, I got a tweet from my boss, Merlin Gonzales, telling me that someone had written a testimony about FHL Week 2011.   He said: “This kind of testimonial should be heard all around Indiana!”  He mentioned the man’s name, Jim Cotterill, and I recalled the day Jim emailed me  to ask where he and his son, Ted, should report to do landscaping work.

We had only received the projects for our calendars just a few days before, which is not unusual for FHL Week.  And so I directed Jim to the area coordinator I knew would be doing landscaping and construction work, Facundo Cortez, the Pendleton/Anderson Area Coordinator.

Two days after the official end of FHL Week 2011 – the Year of Faith, Jim wrote a piece about his experiences with FHL for the National Christian Foundation Indiana entitled “Taking Back What’s His“.  He began his testimony with this observation:

“I’m gonna kill your mom” said the spray-painted van across the street from our inner city mission site.

Welcome to the mission field! Where a house of God had once ministered to the hearts and minds of this south-east side neighborhood, evil and degradation had crept in and set up housekeeping along with mice, spiders and mold. Overgrown bushes hid vandals and illicit behavior from parents and police and we were there to reclaim the church from drug dealers, prostitutes and the ravages of misuse.

It sounded like a warrior’s words going into battle for the Kingdom of God here on earth! I had to agree with Merlin’s observation: This kind of testimonial should be heard all around Indiana!

Jim had really caught onto the  spirit of backyard mission work and the vision of Faith, Hope and Love.  We were very blessed that the Lord had directed him to FHL in order to work with us and the WellSpring Church in Pendleton, Indiana. As Jim said:

I had met Merlin Gonzales of Faith Hope & Love several years ago and always thought that his organization’s concept, A Mission Trip in Your Own Back Yard, seemed like a really good idea—helping people right in your own city or area is a concept that is a mirror of much of New Testament ministry.

We couldn’t agree more!  All through this week we have been receiving blessing after blessing  of words from those who had been touched by God’s hand and His love as a result of working on the many outreaches during FHL Week 2011.  And Jim felt the same:

Ted and I immediately felt the love that our team members showed not only each other but to us as well. Although they had spent Sunday night sleeping on the floor in the parsonage in 90+ degree heat and no air conditioning, there were no complaints only joking references to the situation.

Yes, in 90 degree heat with heat indices  between 105 to 110 degrees, the volunteers still came and the hearts of people in need were touched by the hand of God during this backyard mission work:

In every mission adventure, Christians set out to make a difference for others, to gain a global perspective, to reboot their faith and try to be the hands and feet of Christ, Ted and I were no different. And as others have experienced time and time again, we ended up being discipled to, being initiated into God’s Kingdom as active participants and, most importantly, experiencing how it feels to love like God loves.

Jim and his son, Ted, and the people they touched at Wellspring Church as well as the neighborhood residents who were inspired to have hope that their lives, their neighborhoods and their hearts can be restored in a right relationship with God  are what Faith, Hope and Love International is all about.  Making a difference in the lives of others through relationship – one backyard mission at a time.  Recalling what Jim observed at the beginning of his backyard mission with FHL and Wellspring in Pendleton,  the neighborhood transformation was nothing short of miraculous:

We were instructed not to walk outside the fenced area alone. The painted van parked across the street from the church was an ominous reminder of the sadness and danger that lurked in the area. Despite this, a few afternoons the young people did venture out into the community with their youth pastor to pray over the area, to distribute invitations to a Wednesday night block party and to deliver food. They were greeted cheerfully by people telling them how much they appreciated what we were doing, others praying for them and people offering time and money to help.

We encourage you to read Jim’s full article for your encouragement and share it with your friends and family.  And we thank God for all his blessing to Faith, Hope and Love during this wonderful week.

Looking forward to another wonderful year of Faith, Hope and Love with you!  God bless you!

Jim Cotterill is the President of the National Christian Foundation Indiana