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The House that Love Built with Sarah Jackson

**Note: Be sure to enter the giveaway below for one of two chances to win a copy of The House that Love Built!**

My grandma, who lives with us, is 90-years-old, and I never tire of hearing her stories. Her parents were immigrants from Michoacán, Mexico. I wish I knew more about my great-grandparents’ story. I do know that my grandmother grew up in a boxcar that her father turned into a small house for his family. They had an outhouse and one pipe with cold running water. I know my great-grandparents had friends in the community, but I wonder if there was anyone who reached out and helped them when they first arrived in California? How had their lives changed after leaving their family in Mexico? I like to think there was someone who cared and who welcomed him in this new country.

For many people the issue of immigration is a political one. Yet as the dilemma of undocumented people continues to hover over America, it raises urgent questions for every Christian:

What is our responsibility to the “stranger” in our midst?
What does God’s kingdom look like in the global-political reality of immigration?
What difference can one person make?

On today’s podcast, you will hear the difference one person can make. It’s an amazing story! Sarah looks at it differently. Seeing a need, Sarah offers true care and hospitality.

Personally, I’ve learned a lot about hospitality over the years. I’ve learned to enjoy the people around my table. After all, the dishes can wait. I’ve learned that our open arms matter more to people than what we serve them. And as 1 Peter 4:9 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling,” A smile goes a long way. I think you’ll love hearing how Sarah Jackson shares true hospitality. She truly is a young woman who read the truth of God’s Word and decided to Walk It Out! Enjoy!

Who is Sarah Jackson?

Sarah Jackson is the founder and executive director of Casa de Paz, a hospitality home in Denver, Colorado. Casa’s family of more than 2,000 volunteers ministers to immigrants and families separated by detention with visits, meals, shelter, transportation, and emotional support through the arduous process of reunification. Sarah’s mission is to help end the isolating experience of immigrant detention one simple act of love at a time.

You can order The House that Love Built HERE.

About the Book:

“Jackson’s visionary account is a beautiful model of sacrificial love.” — Publishers Weekly Starred Review

The House that Love Built is the quintessential story of one woman’s questioning what it means to be an American—and a Christian—in light of a broken immigration system. Through tender stories of opening her heart and home to immigrants, Sarah Jackson shines a holy light on loving our neighbor.

Sarah Jackson once thought immigration justice was administered through higher walls and longer fences. Then she met an immigrant—a deported young father separated from his US-citizen family—and everything changed. As Sarah began to know fractured families ravaged by threats in their homeland and further traumatized in US detention, biblical justice took on a new meaning.

As Sarah opened her heart—and her home—to immigrants, she experienced a surprising transformation and the gift of extraordinary community. The work she began through the ministry of Casa de Paz joined the centuries-old Christian tradition of hospitality, shining a holy light on what it means to love our neighbor.

The dilemma of undocumented people continues to hover over America, and it raises urgent questions for every Christian:

What is our responsibility to the “stranger” in our midst?
What does God’s kingdom look like in the global-political reality of immigration?
What difference can one person make?

Sarah engages these questions through profound and tender stories, placing readers in the shoes of individuals on every side of the issue—asylum seekers torn from their families, the guards who oversee them, ordinary people with lapsed visas, the families left to survive on their own, the unheralded advocates for immigrants’ rights, and the government officials who decide the fates of others.

Ultimately, Sarah’s journey illuminates how hope can be restored through simple yet radical acts of love.

Walk It Out Scripture

I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ Matthew 25:43-45

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Resources, books, and links mentioned in this episode:

The House that Love Built | Sarah Jackson
Casa de Paz
Farmer Boy | Laura Ingalls Wilder
Walk it Out | Tricia Goyer

Connect with Sarah Jackson

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