Cobblestone Project

Present in the City: Grace

Mike Rusch — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:00:53 +0000

Wednesday March 14, 2012 @ 7 pm

1051 West Pleasant Grove Road, Rogers, AR

Almost planting time!

Mike Rusch — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:06:07 +0000

It’s hard to believe, but it another 2 to 3 weeks (weather permitting) we’ll be putting our first seeds in the ground for the 2012 season. Yes, we have high hopes and great plans for this year; however, we will do our part and leave the weather part to the One who holds this entire initiative together. Truth be told, we are selfi Read more ...

Bentonville High School Kicks off Cobblestone Project Chapter

KatelynGraves — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:55:49 +0000

For those who don’t have the opportunity to work directly with teenagers it might be hard to understand where they are coming from. They might seem a little odd to most adults, as they have their particular set of interests and ideas about the world. Most of them might seem silly, or rude, or awkward to many outside of their culture but after Read more ...

Update from The Farm

Mike Rusch — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:54 +0000

Spring is quickly approaching & believe it or not if the weather cooperates we could have seeds going in the ground in another month. Our production plans are 98% of the way complete with the total production for 2012 season planned at 20,000 pounds of food. This would be almost 3x the amount of food grown in 2011, but we learned a lot las Read more ...

Help Portrait NWA

Mike Rusch — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:03:47 +0000

The first Help Portrait event for the year will take place on April 28th, 2012.

We’ll be focusing on doing portraits for High School Seniors and we’ll have locations in Fayetteville and Bentonville.

Volunteer registration is taking place on the Help Portrait NWA website (http://www.help-portrait-nwa.com).

Volu Read more ...

Paty and Sandra

brittany — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:52:33 +0000

It was a little over 2 years ago whenever I first met Paty and Sandra. I remember being at Laundry Love, which is one of our regular events as 3 bags, and meeting Paty for the first time as she came to get a bag. We instantly hit it off and started talking all about her life, family, and school. I was completely blown away by her story of wanting to be one of the first in her family to go to college and how she loved to serve people and one day hopes she can help her family out. Her face lit up when she talked about how in her free time she loves going to the nursing home and hopes one to day work there. I could see the determination in her eyes and I knew that she was going to be a person to make it happen. In that very same night, I was able to meet her younger sister, Sandra. A sweet, kindhearted spirit who made anyone feel welcomed and was inseparable to her sister. I quickly realized they were the best of friends and that the relationship they shared with one another was something rare and something they both cherished. It was in that moment that I realized these girls were going to have a huge impact on me but what I wasn’t expecting was just how much.

Sandra (left) Paty (right)

Over time our conversations grew more and more. I always looked forward to being able to see them at Laundry Love and catch up on the latest. It was only a matter of time that our relationship grew from seeing each other once a month at Laundry Love to seeing them at there house, going out to lunch, taking their pictures, going to the band’s Christmas Concert, to now this past weekend going to Sandra’s Quincenera and the next day watching them both get baptized. It was a surreal moment being able to share in these two momentous occasions. I couldn’t help but reflect on just how much these two girls have impacted my life. One of the most humbling things I have ever experienced was the night Paty told me that she was getting baptized with Sandra and she said to me ‘thank you for introducing me to God and to church.’ Those words caught me completely off guard and I was in shock. All the breath in my body left me in that moment and I cried. All I could do was humbly thank the Lord and be in awe of His presence. I remember thinking to myself right then, ‘whoaaa… Lord, you are telling a bigger story here than I could of even thought possible.’ These girls’ lives are a true testament to what only Christ can do. They are the ones changing the world and watching them boldly share their faith with others is something I admire in them so much. I can already see the effects it is having on those around them. The thought that constantly ran through my mind this past weekend was how it was through a simple exchange of a bag and a ‘hello’ that lead me to this point and how different my life would be right now if I never did take the time to stop my routine and engage in what’s around me. I would have missed out:

on seeing Paty pray to accept Christ
Seeing Sandra shortly thereafter follow her sister’s footsteps
Seeing them both share by example what Christ has done for them with their friends and family
Sandra play the clarinet in the Christmas concert, with all her anxious nerves, and watching Paty leap for joy and clapped when she finished, even while everyone else in the room was still sitting
Seeing Sandra turn 15 and watching her be moved to tears while she was speaking to a room full of people she loves.
Paty receiving a scholarship that would enable her to go to college to pursue her dream
Seeing them find a church they love and getting plugged into it all on their own
Meeting their new friends at church and having a potluck meal with them and watching them beam with joy from ear to ear
The moment where Sandra asked me if she could volunteer with 3 Bags and having them both come out for a packing night… it melted my heart
And finally, seeing the strong bond these two sisters have and how they are impacting the world bigger then they even know

It’s funny for to me think that what brought us together was the exchanging of a bag and how much our relationship as grown since. Seeing them once a month at Laundry Love was just the beginning of our story and what they have done and shown me in that time is something I will never forget. I will treasure you girls’ more than you will ever know. Being able to share in this past weekend and watch you, Sandra, shift from being a ‘girl’ to a ‘woman’ and that very next day seeing you both proclaim to the world your desire to follow Christ, I was just reminded of how that day was just the tipping point for you girls’. Where you both will go in life is limitless with Him and what you both will accomplish will change the world. I know this because you already are and you better believe that wherever life takes you both I will be there to always cheer you on. I love you both dearly and am so blessed and grateful for you girls’! -Brittany

Spring will come!

Mike Rusch — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:16:07 +0000

While things may not be growing right now at The Farm, there is a lot of work that has to be done so that we can hit the ground running in the spring. Believe it or not, we’ll start putting seeds in the ground in just over another month. So, huge thank you to all of those who have come out to The Farm to help us prepare for spring̷ Read more ...

Walmart “12 Days of Giving” Selects 3 Bags in 2 Days

Mike Rusch — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:35:46 +0000

We are so thankful to share that 3 Bags in 2 Days has been selected as a part of Walmart’s “12 Days of Giving” campaign. We are overjoyed and blown away to have been nominated and sel Read more ...

Reflections of 2 years with 3 Bags in 2 Days

ChloeSeal — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:23:26 +0000

After finishing out 2 years only a few weeks ago, Brittany and Chloe have compiled some thoughts on the crazy and wonderful journey that has been, and will continue to be, 3 Bags in 2 Days. Brittany::

“We are now at our year two marker and about 4,400 bags later, it still hasn’t hit us that this is our life. When we started this, little did we know how much it would grow and how much it would affect others and us. This year has been such a great year for us with meeting new faces and developing really strong friendships with the people who volunteer with us and also the people we have the privilege of serving. It has been on our hearts to do more and what that looks like we are slowly figuring out. The Lord is just providing opportunity after opportunity of showing how little ol’ us is capable of making an impact. We have been able to partner with so many organizations like:: RE Baker Elementary School, Oakdale Middle School, CASA of NWA, Help Portrait of NWA, NWA Hope Center, First United Methodist Church, Central United Methodist Church, New Heights Student Ministries, Bentonville Ozone, and countless others. It’s just so neat to get the privilege of playing a part in what the Lord is doing. We don’t take it for granted and we appreciate our community for stepping up and joining alongside of us in our mission. We are so looking forward to how this ministry will grow over the next year and cannot wait for you all to be a part of it, so stay tuned.” -Brit

Chloe::

“Holy. Cow. Words cannot even explain the thoughts and words that are running though my mind. All this started with a cookie on November 14th, 2009?! We are almost 4,500 bags in just because of a simply interaction and dessert? It is crazy to me that people caught the vision, and continue to catch it. There is nothing more humbling than someone partnering with us because they see the value of distributing deodorant, just like we do. The bag isn’t even the main point, it is the relationship. Distributing these items allows a door for a relationship to be slowly opened. It establishes a sense of trust, dignity and respect. What a humbling thing to be able to love someone through something as simple as basic necessities. So many new relationships (both volunteer, organization, and client-wise) have been fostered over the past 2 years, I couldn’t even count them if I tried. I am more passionately in love with people now more than ever. It is such an encouragement to not be on this journey alone. It brings so much joy to me to see NWA changing, to see the love and the power of the Lord flowing through people and flowing through 3B2D. Saying “thank you” doesn’t even really begin to communicate my thankfulness for the community that I live in and those that so selflessly dedicate time, energy, and resources to continue on with the efforts of 3B2D. “ -Chloe

The Cafe…A New Story Emerges

Mike Rusch — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:05:16 +0000

As so many of you know, The Cafe holds a special place in the heart of our community & those at Cobblestone Project. It is the story of how a vision for caring for our community can emerge from just about anywhere and bring many together with a single go Read more ...