WELCOME to ABBA’S HOUSE!!!
That is what we said over and over the evening of July 21st as we threw open the doors and welcomed our community in Houston to the Grand Opening and Dedication of Abba’s House of Welcome here in Cypress, TX. Over 200 folks came through the home that night, getting to tour the house, enjoy foods from around the world, hear inspiring stories from our Rwandan friends, worship, pray, and fellowship. What an amazing evening!
Here are just a few highlights!
A special “thank you!” to Robbie Seay for leading us in worship and prayer dedication early in the evening, and to Laurence (Grandpa/Doc) Meissner for leading us in song during Compline at the end of the night. Also a huge “thank you” to our fantastic Ministry Team that took care of so many aspects of the celebration, from preparation to serving to clean-up. We could not have done it without you!
On the heels of such a special celebration, we just received the news from Refugee Services of Texas (RST) that our FIRST FAMILY will be arriving Sept. 5th!!! We are overjoyed to begin what God has put in all of our hearts to do! This family of three (a mom and her two toddler boys) are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and come to us from their refugee camp in Kenya. We are eager to welcome them and ask that you begin praying for them as they prepare to leave all they have known and make the long and much-anticipated trip to their new country in the U.S.
We have a few initial needs before they arrive: mattresses for the trundle beds for the little boys to sleep, and high chairs. You can find these and other needs on our Amazon wish list. Abba’s House of Welcome Link
Now that construction is complete, our next adventure to tackle is the development of the campus. You can learn more about this on our Current Needs page. Fred Billings of Buds and Blossoms has developed our campus plan, and Rick Sims (project coordinator) will work with groups such as men’s ministries, Eagle Scouts, youth groups, etc. to complete each of these outdoor projects to finish out our campus.
In April and May we held two orientations for interested volunteers, with over 50 in attendance between both dates. Then in June and July we held three specific training sessions to prepare our volunteers: 1) Life Skills Team, 2) Children’s Education Team, and 3) ESL Team. From these three groups we have 40 trained and ready volunteers to welcome and walk alongside our refugee guests! We give thanks to God for providing such wonderful people with hearts for the nations and these vulnerable ones.
We also give great thanks and glory to God for those who built this house and made it possible for us to begin this good work.
Abba’s House was built by GOD through the love & generosity of MANY people. We especially want to thank the professionals and vendors who gave of their time, labor, and products, either at greatly reduced cost or no cost at all, quite often upgrading their products and supplies to those far above our budget. To all of you men and women: THANK YOU!! You have blessed this work beyond what we ever hoped or imagined! “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.” ~Matthew 25:23
Paul Morrisett – Construction Oversight
William David Homes (David Sanders) – Interior & Exterior Finishes, Appliances, Plumbing & much more
Buds & Blossoms (Fred Billings) – Master Outdoor Campus Plan & Landscaping
Julie Sims – Interior Designer
Air Innovations, LLC (Troy Behrens) – Air Conditioning & Heating System & Labor
Flaherty’s Flooring America (Patrick Flaherty & Chris Lisowski) – Bathroom Tile & Wood Flooring
Matt’s Custom Decks (Matt Larberg) – Front & Back Porch Finishing
Ferguson Enterprises (Rebecca Arrington) – Lighting, Fans, Appliances, Plumbing Fixtures
Mattress Firm – Mattrresses
Garland Insulating (Chris Smink) – Insulation
Custom Cabinets Koncepts (Victor Reachi) – Bookcase
EPI Plumbing (Daniel Mikel)
Pat Henney – Dirt Work & Pad Site
Chris Schultz – Tractor Work (Rough Grade & Cut Out)
Hoelscher Weatherstrip (Charlie Hoelscher) – Exterior Doors, Weather-stripping & Interior Lever Handles
DPIS Engineering
Paramount Electric
Derrick Ross – Electrician
Global Construction – Sheetrock
Andres Trim – Trim & Cabinets
Jose Paz – Paint
Edward Sanchez – Roof Decking
Philip Morrisett – Mantle Beam & Bead Board
Bud Clark – Dining Room Light
Crown Electric (Ernest Levya) – Installation Dining Room Light
Nelson Design Group – House Blueprints
Bob the Handyman
LifeBridge Church – Funding
St. John Lutheran Church – Funding
Bayou City Fellowship – Funding
Access Evangelical Covenant Church – Funding
Our MANY generous Individual Donors
Thank you!
Abba's House 