Casa de Paz

After a long, exhausting day of traveling I collapsed into a little heap on the dirty Phoenix airport floor. I just spent three weeks traveling and was ready to be home. My return flight was delayed until the following day. My feet ached, the muscles in my body were sore and the front of my head throbbed with every beat of my heart. All I wanted was to fall into bed and sleep for hours and hours and hours. But I decided to spend the night right where I was – on the cold, hard carpet. After a few minutes of unsettled rest I called my mom. She listened to my situation and immediately went into action. She’s the queen of connections so after a couple calls she told me to go outside Gate A in 30 minutes and some friends of hers would be there to pick me up, take me to their home, feed me a home-cooked meal and offer me a bed for the night. In the morning they would take me back to the airport. I thought I was dreaming. But it was real. A few hours later I enjoyed a satisfying meal, warm shower and clean pajamas given to me by my hosts. I crawled into bed and laid my head on a soft, clean pillow. Here was a family I had never met before and they were willing to open the doors of their home to make me feel comfortable in a time of need. This was one of the most beautiful expressions of love I had been given in a long time. This kind of hospitality is what we are striving for at Casa de Paz. On May 1 we sign the lease to our new home which will offer free lodging and meals to families visiting their loved ones being held inside the immigrant detention center in Aurora, CO. Our current immigration policies are separating families and this is one simple way to show the love of God during a traumatic experience. We are creating a space to make it easier for families to connect. Our guests may be in town to support their family member who is in trial proceedings. They might be in town saying one last goodbye before they’re deported. This is a community-driven expression of love. Everything is donated – meals, rent money, furniture and toiletries. We have volunteers who will spend the night at the house as guest hosts. Casa de Paz is modeled after El Refugio, a hospitality home located outside of the gates of Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Our hope is that when people lay their heads down for sleep at the end of their exhausting day, they will know there are many in this community who not only care about them, but genuinely love them. Sarah’s desire is to show the love of God to immigrants in Colorado. She is the Director of Casa de Paz and lives there full-time to personally host those who come through the doors. One of her biggest passions is to help people find a way to have their hearts transformed by creating unique opportunities for them to connect to the hurting in this world.You can find her on Facebook, via her website or contact her via email at sjackson@casadepazcolorado.org. Please note that the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of everyone associated with G92 or any institutions with which the blogger may be affiliated.  We’re always looking for new guest bloggers; please check out our Guest Blog Submission Guidelines if you’re interested.