"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen."
Larry English was a man dedicated to serving people through missions and spreading the word of God. He was the embodiment of the vision here at Casa. As a living example of perseverance and love for the gospel of Jesus Christ, he inspired us through his service to the church in Mexico.
From the first summer that groups began to visit Casa de la Esperanza, there was an apparent need for a more convenient place for groups to stay. While the hotels in the area are excellent, many groups found that they lost a significant portion of each day to travel time. These travel times included the 20–30 minute trip to our site in the morning, a trip back to the hotel to clean up after morning projects, returning for the afternoon of activities and time with the kids, and finally a long trip back in the evening with a very tired group. This was neither convenient nor efficient. As the need became evident, we began to develop a plan to build an on-campus facility for our visiting groups.
As this plan became more and more possible, our friend, Larry English, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Larry was not only a dedicated servant of God who challenged us to live up to 1 Peter 4:10–11, but he was also a devout husband, father, brother, and friend. Thus the English Center, built for the purpose of housing visiting groups and teams, was dedicated to the memory of our friend and fellow Christian.
