Mowing with a mission; Sugarcreek business owner working for Haiti
Wallace, owner of Mowing Solutions in Sugarcreek, is on the missions committee at his church, First United Church of Christ in Sugarcreek. This September will be the third year he will lead a group to Haiti. The first time, he'd never been out of the country and found himself compelled to go after receiving a funding letter from his friend, Pastor Darcy Miller.
"She doesn't even remember this, but there was a little sticky note in there asking if I wanted to go. I've never gone anywhere, and I joked around with my wife that night about it, and in two seconds, she said I should go. And I said, OK, I'll go. I'm just a small town boy, raised with four brothers by a single mom, and I haven't really been that far outside of Ohio, let alone to a third world country. All of the sudden, the reality hit. I was going to Haiti."
That first experience planted in Wallace a love for the country that he can hardly explain. His eyes lit up as he talked about the Haitian children served by the mission.
"You go into the village and just spread your arms out, and there are 15 kids fighting to hold your hand," said Wallace.
The main mission of Children's International Lifeline of La Digue, Haiti, the organization Wallace works with, is the children of Haiti.
"Something about Children's International Lifeline just touched me," said Wallace. "Their main mission is all about the kids. They build schools, orphanages, and little communities and make sure they get at least one good meal a day."
Children's International Lifeline provides Biblical teaching, food, clothing, medical supplies, and facilities for educational assistance to underprivileged children and their families in underdeveloped areas in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere with a population of 8.1 million. More than 80 percent of Haitians live in poverty and 50 percent of Haitian children die before they reach the age of 15. The first time Wallace worked in Haiti, he saw people living in mud and grass huts smaller than the bathrooms of most Americans. Children were thrilled with the Love Bundles the group distributed, a sack packed with a jar of peanut butter, and basic hygienic essentials like soap, bath towels, and undergarments. He said it was difficult to return to the U.S. and continue daily life, eat a meal, celebrate a birthday, after witnessing children in such terrible living conditions.
Determined to fund as many workers to Haiti as are willing to go, Wallace has come up with a plan to donate income from the services of his thriving business, Mowing Solutions, which he feels is a mission in itself.
"Ninety percent of my clients are elderly. We might be the only people they see all week, so I feel it's important that we shut the equipment off, ask them how they are, see if there's anything they need. That's where I feel the mission part of the company is."
In return, Wallace said that he has built a loyal customer base and developed relationships with his clients.
"There are some people who have lunch ready for us when we get there. That makes me feel good that we're able to provide a service, yet reach out to them. We might be their only contact during the entire week," said Wallace.
Chad Wallace's plan is to offer his mowing services to new clients and invoice them for his work as usual. The client, however, will write the check for the invoice to the church's mission fund. Wallace felt that this was the best way he could personally assure that his church could fully fund its workers.
"I'm going to put myself out there, and trust that the support is going to come in. My biggest concern, knowing the generosity of this community, is that I'm going to get more accounts than I can handle," laughed Wallace, who will be donating 100 percent of the fees for his services to the fund, in spite of rising gas prices. He is trusting that God will continue to provide. That's how strongly he feels that anyone from his church called to missions has the opportunity to go. Part of his motivation is Deuteronomy 15:7, "If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother."
Last year, Wallace's passion for the people of Haiti planted another seed and his wife, Chris, accompanied him to the country in 2010. This year, Wallace will celebrate his 39th birthday while in Haiti and is thrilled that what the sticky note in Darcy Miller's letter first planted in him and was scattered to his wife has now grown in their son Mason, 15, a freshman at Garaway High School, who has shown interest in working with the group this year. Wallace hopes the love for missions continues to grow, both in his family, and in the community.
To speak with Chad Wallace about his mowing services and the donation of 100 percent of his fees to his church's missions fund, contact him at 330-852-3439 or by e-mail at questions@mowingsolutionsllc.com.
Wallace also welcomes donations of money and items for Love Bundles and inquiries about accompanying the church on their upcoming trip to Haiti. To learn more about First United Church of Christ and the other missions they support, visit http://www.firstuccsugarcreek.org. For more information about Children's International Lifeline, go to http://www.childrenslifeline.com
Published: March 8, 2011
