The construction team of Christian Service Mission had the opportunity of experiencing the truth of Acts 20:35 by knowing and serving Mr. James Arrington. God connected us to Mr. Arrington while we were working on another home in the area. Aaron (our Director of Construction) knew right away that he felt the Spirit of God in Mr. Arrington’s life. We quickly learned that Mr. Arrington had a stroke six years ago and struggled to move around his house. Through each one of those years, his faith in God’s goodness has only grown stronger. He claims that he “knew God would work it out… God always works it out.” That saying is a staple of his, and he responded to every concern we had about the project with faith-filled statements just like it!
Acts 20:35 claims that “I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
We began this project with the help of volunteers from RJ Mechanical and Smithville Baptist Church. We repaired the siding, painted, and built new entrances and exit decks into his home through a grant with Wells Fargo and a donation from Smithville Baptist Church. While doing the exterior work, we realized that Mr. Arrington was having difficulty moving around inside his home because of some health problems. We are raising funds to do renovations inside his home in the future. While the groups did great physical work on the house, the heart work was where many of us experienced God the most.
Mr. Arrington spent the majority of the week outside with us, despite being the hottest week of Alabama’s summer. While his radio blasted Tony Evans all day, he would sit among the volunteers, telling us stories of his life and imparting the wisdom that God has gifted him. He made sure to give every volunteer something special, from t-shirts to posters, by the end of the week; “God has blessed me with you all, now let Him use me to bless you.” The heart of Mr. Arrington is a glimpse at God’s heart, and we could not be more thankful for the opportunity to serve and know him.
If you or your church family have construction experience and are interested in partnering with CSM in the future, please see our volunteer page!
