Casa de Paz - House of Peace 

Casa de Paz is a 14’ x 60’ trailer house in Parkside Mobile Estates, SE Rochester. The estates are not really very mobile. People who need to move rarely have the several hundreds of dollars it takes to disengage and haul a trailer to another site. There are many hopeful “for sale” signs on trailers but it is more likely they will be abandoned for back lot rent when a family moves. Some families live there six months a year and in Texas the rest of the year, where there is agricultural related employment.

Our hope is that everyone who helps at Casa can give a reason for their faith in Jesus when called upon to anyone who comes to the door. Matthew 26:31-46 comes alive when ministering at Casa. We are told the King will say, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it for Me.”

 There are layers of ministry from the trailer. The largest group, in the outer circle of ministry, are the families who know they can come for material and spiritual help after emergencies such as house fires. They also have begun to look forward to the annual summer Gran Fiesta in the park, which began two years ago by a co-operative effort headed up by Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Word spread, and by the second Gran Fiesta, most of the neighborhood was outenjoying the sunshine, free food and games, Tae Kwon Do demos, and many testimonies and spiritual songs. Several young “at risk” gang members sat on their bikes at a distance, listening to the testimony of a prize-winning Christian unicyclist, as well as the moving personal testimony of Fred Gommels, Tae Kwon Do master. I had so little faith, I felt sure they would leave before both demonstrations and testimonies were finished, but they stayed!

Those in the middle circle might send a fleeing battered woman to Casa, where she receives supplies, clothes, a box of food from In His Name, and personal prayer. Or their water pipes freeze and young people from south Texas come over for advice. We lend them hair dryers to thaw the pipes. Often, visiting kids who have never been to any church come for pancakes and games on Sunday and hear about Jesus.

The center circle includes families whose children come to Casa nearly every time it is open. Some have received Christ as their Savior, been baptized, received Bibles, and become serious about their faith. We pray for the kids privately and try to meet to pray for the families by name weekly. We have some knowledge of their family situations and can help in different ways. For example, one of these families was taking cold showers for months before we found out and got their water heater replaced.

Families tend to move in and out of the trailer park, so transportation becomes necessary. The kids want to continue to come and need pick-up and drop-off service. Several families don’t have a car, and some would never go out of their way to bring their child to Casa. Right now there are seven apartments or houses within a mile radius where we pick up one to three kids at least weekly. For those who are helpers at Casa, flexibility and openness to the needs of the people are essential as things change on a regular basis.

Casa de Paz is one of those places where a person can “hear these words of Mine and put them into practice” (Matthew 7:24). By God’s grace, it is a place to give of yourself for the King and not a place “everything they do is to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5a). Most of what is done is quiet. Patience is essential. Sometimes 18 “wound up” kids come after school, sometimes just three preschoolers and a teenager. Usually the number is somewhere in between. Then we decide if it is a play dough day or a day for the taped testimony of a former drug addict!

Playing “house” and “dollies” is a ministry as our helpers guide the little girls to care tenderly for their dolls. Many Casa children have been cared for very well by their parents, but others act out family problems as they play. Few have been read to.

One family who is persevering and struggling to make a success of daily life recently asked for help to pay for the laundromat. Instead, we picked the mom and her laundry up at 7:30 a.m. and let her use the washer and dryer at Casa. When I came to get her hours later, she was sitting with her folded laundry with tears on her face as she watched a worship DVD. The singer was a young woman of her own race singing from the heart about our Lord. Could there be a greater privilege or joy than serving a woman like this with respect and love?

Help is Welcome!!

There are many ways you are invited to participate and support Casa de Paz.

• Volunteer to pick up and then spend time with kids between 12 - 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoons.
• Volunteer on Mon., Wed., or Friday after school to spend time with kids and help with homework.
• Bring a kid-friendly dinner and a gallon of milk for Boys or Girls Night.
• Volunteer for Boys Night (Wednesdays), Girls Night (Fridays), or Teen Night (Tuesdays).
• Pray with us for the kids by name 
• Play Redemption Cards (A Christian card trading game) with the boys and take them to the monthly tournament the second Saturday of each month.
• Bring a special activity or craft.
• Mentor a child by committing to spend an hour or two a couple times a month with him. We are greatly in need of mentors for the boys.
• Volunteer to help clean once or twice a month.
• Donate paper plates, napkins, cups, towels, or toilet paper as they go fast!
• Contribute Financially. Casa needs regular monthly financial support to make this ministry happen. This support helps pay for lot rent ($265 a month), utilities, food for the kids, and many Christian CDs and DVDs given as prizes for Bible memorization, among other things. Of course, occasional or onetime gifts are much appreciated also. Gifts may be given to CEFC and designated for Casa de Paz, or checks can be made directly to Casa de Paz and mailed to the address below. If you would like to be a monthly donor, please let us know!

For more information on how to help in any of the ways mentioned above, please contact Deborah McIntire at prayrochester@magnaspeed.net This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Come and visit Casa!

Casa de Paz, 2006 7th Ave NE,

Rochester, MN 55906