House That Love Built

2021 Christian Book Award Finalist"Jackson's visionary account is a beautiful model of sacrificial love." -- Publishers Weekly Starred ReviewThe 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.

Sarah Jackson reminds us that one of the holiest things we can do is welcome the stranger. In fact, Jesus says that when we welcome the stranger, we welcome him. And Paul writes in Hebrews that when we show hospitality to foreigners, we may very well be 'entertaining angels.' But there is a war between faith and fear happening inside each of us. In this dazzling gem of a book, Sarah Jackson dares us to love as big as God loves. She is convinced that the Bible is correct when it says that 'love casts out fear.' Sarah has chosen love. And she will inspire you to do the same., Our community's diversity is our strength, a value that I've seen Sarah Jackson lift up every day in her work at Casa de Paz. Casa de Paz has provided a safe harbor for hundreds of people cast aside by our nation's broken immigration system. The story of Casa de Paz is a story of leadership, empathy, and our shared humanity. It's a story about how we have shared obligations toward one another and how we are all better off when we take care of those who need help. As we work to build a more inclusive community, Casa de Paz reminds us what we can achieve when we come together., I have met scores of restless young adults, and my first impression of Sarah was that she was probably just a salsa-dancing idealist. Sarah proved me wrong. She is an incarnational visionary, and this book bears witness to the mustard-seed power of gospel hospitality. Oh, Sarah's still a salsa-dancing idealist. She's just so much more., Fair warning: you will be changed as you read these pages, because the words themselves are fueled by the unstoppable and upending love of the one who is for, with, and in each and every person on the planet! This story shouts from the rooftops the invitation to follow in the steps of Jesus, with hands reaching and eyes glistening with extravagant and tangible love for all. This book has been crafted for such a time as this!, Most Americans probably do not realize that our country has an immigrant detention system. They certainly don't know the millions of individuals whom it has entangled in recent years. Sarah Jackson has welcomed thousands of these asylum seekers and other immigrants into her home. This book is the compelling, faith-stretching story of how Sarah founded Casa de Paz and of the remarkable people--both immigrants and native-born Americans--whom God has brought into her life along the way. It's also an urgent wakeup call for the American church to heed Jesus' call to practice hospitality.

Sarah Jackson is the founder and executive director of Casa de Paz, a hospitality home in Denver, Colorado, serving families separated by immigrant detention. Casa’s family of over 2,000 volunteers provides hospitality for immigrants isolated in and leaving detention as well as their loved ones with visits, meals, shelter, and transportation, joining them in hope 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, which you can follow at www.casadepazcolorado.org.                                                                                           Scott Sawyer is a writer and editor whose memoir, Earthly Fathers, was selected for HarperOne’s Best Christian Writing Series. He and his wife, Joy, live in Denver, where they are active in the Lighthouse Writers Workshop community. Their editing work together has earned awards from the Associated Church Press and the Catholic Press Association.