A Day @ Orrville Laundry Love

Check out this awesome video that Noel & his friend Grant made for their church about the first Laundry Love Project event in Orrville, OH!

Orrville Laundry Love Project

Meet Noel Arroyo, an awesome dude with a huge heart for his community in Orrville, OH. Noel held his first Laundry Love Project in Orrville on March 24th, 2012. I couldnt be more proud of the way the community has responded to the call of Jesus.

Attempting Great Things

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" — William Carey

I was recently on the phone with a man who has given his life to the mission of Jesus in St. Louis, MO expressing my desire to help folks in the most effective way possible. I told him of the pressure I feel to succeed and to do everything perfect as a leader when it comes to being incarnational amongst those in need and leading others to do the same.

I told him how this fear of failure in mission work almost served to immobilize and paralyze me some of the time. How my awareness of my own inadequacies served as a road block to going out and loving others in tangible ways. 

He simply told me: "I would rather you step out, take action, fail, and learn than do nothing, move slowly, and be perfect."

Laundry Love Projects are an attempt at great things for God. After how God has transformed my life and redeemed me from the most impossible of situations, including my own battle with poverty growing up, it has become increasingly hard for me to be ok with low expectations of God and his church.

We serve an enormous God, who is absolutely capable of redemption, he IS redemption, and he calls us to be his agents of restoration in this world.

In the month of March we did 3 laundry love projects in 3 cities in Ohio: Canton, Orrville, and Canal Fulton. We helped a total of 44 people do 143 + loads of laundry this month.

There are many individual stories of hope that make up those numbers. Folks like our friend Celeste whom we were able to bless with a $25 gift certificate to a local beauty salon, something that brought great joy to this hard working mother. It is our great joy to see our friends consistently at these projects, to see joy and laughter shared, to see burdens lifted, if only the small burden of having to pay for laundry. 

And that is why we do it, for the one. Just the one. The one in front of us that has need, be it big or small. The one in front of us that is wholly loved by God and therefore by us.

And while we definitely arent perfect and make mistakes, I am proud of all those involved with this project. I am proud that we are stepping out and trying, doing whatever possible to let folks know that they are loved and cared about.

Thank you for your support, thank you for your willingness to be an agent of restoration in this world. And no matter who you are or what your circumstance may be, know that God loves you in big ways, and has great things he desires to do in and through your life :)

-Corey

God is Mighty.

$7,780.30.

Let me repeat that.

$7,780.30

This is how much money was raised for The Laundry Love Project this past weekend at Rivertree Christian Church. To put that in perspective for you, our total budget for LLP before this weekend was maybe, and I mean maybe, $1000.  I still sit here in absolute shock of the generosity of heart and spirit from the folks at Rivertree.

For those of you who don't know, I was absolutely blessed to have the opportunity to do an Interview with pastor Greg Nettle about my story, Laundry Love Project, and the bigger picture of what God is doing in our area. During the interview I shared of my past history growing up in poverty, how God had transformed my life, and how he placed the desire in me to transform the lives of others who may be struggling daily. I shared of the lives we have seen transformed through our project, and how we serve a God of redemption and restoration who is more than capable of fixing the broken messes we've made of our world.

The response was nothing short of amazing. At the end of all 3 services, during communion time, Greg issued a call to the people in the audience, that if they felt so led, to come up and place money on the altar for our Laundry Love Project (which I had no idea he would do). My heart was filled to overflow as I watch person after person at each service flock to the stage to give their offering.

I'm thankful for the money, but what I'm more thankful for is what it represents. Each dollar represents something that God did in a persons heart. Something he did to inspire, to challenge, to encourage.

God is doing it. God is faithful. God is powerful and almighty. And I am so thankful to be a part of what he is doing. I am so thankful to be serving with so many out there who are seeking to bring his kingdom to this earth, who are seeking to take up the cause of the orphan, of the poor, the oppressed. Who understand that its not "us" and "them" but that we are in this together.

We are the church. We are the chosen vehicle to carry out God's love on this Earth. This weekend was a reminder to me that what we do, we do it together. That we are a part of an amazing cloud of witnesses. That what we accomplish when working in community is so much more powerful than what we do as individuals.

So thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you to those who have prayed, who have volunteered, who have donated, who have done anything to support. Because of you and our amazing God, this man has seen first hand the beauty of the creator and his ability to redeem.

-Corey Easterday

Interview @ Rivertree Christian Church

Today I was honored to share about Laundry Love and God's redeeming power at Rivertree Christian Church. You can check out the interview below. God is capable of anything my friends :)

 

<p>Untitled from RiverTree on Vimeo.</p>

Stories From the Feb.18th LLP

It never ceases to amaze me how God can use something so seemingly trivial as laundry to connect people in a tangible way with his love.  At every Laundry Love Project I am reminded why the work we do is important. Not only do I constantly interact with people who have a genuine need for clean clothes, but they  also have a genuine need for relationship, love, and for people to care about their well being. I’m reminded that behind all differences we possess as humans, there lies a commonality of the need to be loved, and that puts us all on a level playing field. When we have Laundry Love Projects, we are trying to foster this kind of community that breaks down the outer differences and focuses on that common need for love and friendship, and free laundry is just a means to that end.

This past Saturday’s Laundry Love Project at White Rose Laundromat in Canton (our first ever project at that laundromat!) saw over 25 people come in with about 96 loads of laundry that needed done. Our friends came from all over Canton to gather in this laundromat. A few faces were familiar, and most were new, but no matter who they were or how they heard about the project, it was clear that the word about our little operation has spread J

In total we spent more than $300 making sure that every one had clean clothes, and much more than that, a sense of dignity and self worth. To often we take for granted the ability to have clean clothes, and if you have ever been in a situation without showering or cleaning your clothes for an extended period of time, you know how bad it can feel. One friend that I knew expressed to me his gratitude for what we were doing because he hadnt gotten to wear clean clothes in over a month.

I was inspired to see my friend Greg (whom I hadnt seen since one of our projects last summer) in attendance as well. Greg has terrible health issues and hasn’t been given very long to live, but that doesn’t stop him from looking back on his time thus far with great joy and from having a clear hope for what lies ahead even in the midst of uncertainty. Like myself Greg is a drummer, and considering that he attended the Berkley School of Music for a time, he is probably lightyears beyond me J

I wish I could share the stories from everyone we get to meet. Some have always been in dire circumstances, some experienced hard times and fell into the place they are now, but all of them are amazing people with beautiful spirits, talents, and experiences that I love learning from and hearing about. They are children of the Almighty and have so much to offer, and I am truly thankful that I get to experience life with the people that come to get their laundry done.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for all of your support. Please continue to pray for the people we encounter at projects, and pray for us that we may genuinely connect with those that come in a way that leaves both parties transformed. I praise God that he is doing these things, that he is changing lives, and that we get to be a part of it. And you are a huge part of it. You have a great purpose in this life and much to give, please don’t ever think otherwise my friends.

- Corey

Finding God in Laundry

LAUNDRY LOVE PROJECT OF CANTON, OHIO

December 10, 2011

                This is the first blog post of many about Laundry Love Project of Canton, Ohio. It’s been going on for over a year now, yet, each project feels fresh and new. Consistently new people coming to get their laundry done, new volunteers, new interactions, new stories, new things brought to the table (grilling hot dogs, corn hole, Sweetest Day flowers, donuts, Thanksgiving Dinner, etc.) As someone who’s been volunteering for awhile, it’s so exciting to see how the project as grown. Friendships have been formed within the community, people are being helped, and Christ’s love is exuding in such a unique way.

                The thing that strikes me most is God’s undeniable presence. We find ourselves searching for God all the time, and we look for Him in places like church, worship services, retreats, Bible studies, etc. Who’d have thought we could find God in a little laundromat in downtown Canton?

                Today was mad cold. Maybe because we Ohioans have been getting spoiled with 50 degree, rainy weather until now, as opposed to the 10 degree blizzards we normally get come December. Time to get re-accustomed to the blistering cold that is Ohio’s winter.

                Yet, despite the chill, people made their way to Professional Coin on the corner of Dueber and 9^th this morning to do their laundry. And the volunteers of Laundry Love were there, ready to serve and build relationships and show a Christ-like love to the community. It wasn’t quite as busy as some of the past projects perhaps, but nonetheless, there was still a steady stream of people coming to the laundromat. And Laundry Love willingly served them.

                For me, I didn’t do as much bonding with the people there as usual. Except for a select group of people. There were a number of children at the laundromat today and they took a liking to me. So, my LLP experience this month was different than those in the past, as I basically just gave other volunteers quarters and hung out with some little kids. The kids were great, too. The ones that I spent time with were Tanisha, Dejonae (sp?), and Antwon, who were cousins, and Jaelyn. They became fast friends with each other and with me, and I loved every second of the time I could spend with them.

                There were also some new faces in attendance volunteer-wise today, too. Some people brought a dinner to serve to whoever wanted it, which was a great addition. And there were a few other volunteers that hadn’t experienced LLP before, but enjoyed it as much as any of the returning volunteers. There were also some new and old faces among those doing their laundry too. The old faces brought me joy because I love the bonds the project has given me. And the new faces brought a different kind of joy, because it means Laundry Love’s impact is extending, and there’s the chance for new friendships to be made (like the ones I formed with those children).

                The other exciting thing that happened today was that some folks from The Canton Repository came to interview some of the people at the project and take pictures. Laundry Love will be in the Sunday paper, December 11^th.  This is just one more stride forward Laundry Love project has made in the short time it’s been in existence in Canton, Ohio. I, for one, am proud of what Corey and his friends have been able to do in the Canton community. And I’m excited for what the future holds for Laundry Love Project of Canton, Ohio.

Praise God for His presence in Canton. The Bible talks often about reaching out to the poor and oppressed, and that what we do for the least of these, we do for Jesus himself. God is out in the world, among the struggling. He sees those who have fallen on hard times as his children, just the same as he sees the well-to-do suburban folk across town. He continually makes himself known, and Laundry Love has shown me that Jesus likes to hang out in unconventional places, just waiting for his followers to actually go out and join Him. Places like inner city laundromats.