Continuing in our portrait series, meet Sara and Jay McFarland. Sara and Jay are apartment adopters and volunteers. Jay also served on the RMG Board of Directors. Below, Sara shares their "why" and what she believes sets Red Mountain Grace apart.

"In the summer of 2012, my mom was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. At the time, the University of Washington in Seattle offered the best treatment option for her, so she moved to Seattle for a month and lived in temporary housing for patients receiving cancer treatment.

A few months later, in 2013, our friend, Jason Carroll, shared his vision with us for Red Mountain Grace. Since we knew first-hand the importance of medical housing, we knew we wanted to support this ministry. First, we donated furniture to furnish their first two apartments. We remained supporters, eventually moving to Birmingham where we began serving in person.

When my mom went through her treatment, we had a newborn and two other small children, which made it impossible to be there with her throughout her treatment. Red Mountain Grace's approach to caring for, loving on, and sharing God's love with its guests is why it is such a faithful ministry. The bonus of doing it through a comfortable and private "home away from home" adds an even more significant benefit that genuinely sets it apart from any other organization.

Our hope is that no more family members are sleeping in cars or waiting rooms or worrying about difficult financial decisions. We hope that each family will not be limited by their circumstances and that they are able to care for loved ones AND receive world-class medical care.

Everyone has a gift, and everyone can have a role in impacting RMG guests. The gift of conversation, the gift of attention to detail when cleaning an apartment, the gift of caretaking or thoughtfulness, the gift of strength, the gift of knowing how to repair things in an apartment, the blessing of financial support – everyone can find their fit within the broader ministry of RMG. You don't have to be able to do it all. If we all do our one part, we can truly make a dynamic impact on each guest that enters an RMG apartment."

Red Mountain Grace is an extended family of neighbors who care for so much more than our guests' essential needs. Click the button below to learn how you can use your gifts to impact our guests.