Grace House India and the dream to help build better futures for the underserved girls of India have become a reality. God brought to life His incredible promise through countless prayers, believing donors, and a ton of work. It is incredible how much has been accomplished.

As a father, one of my greatest responsibilities is to protect my family. Now that my family has expanded both geographically and numerically, I feel increasingly vulnerable. Our family has been working in India for years, and we have never felt threatened in any way. But when I see what can happen – anywhere – when just one person wants to cause harm, I instantly think about our 38 girls.

We have two full-time watchmen on the property, night and day, to keep away any unwanted guests or handle any situations that may arise. But having 13 acres to walk and watch over can be a little daunting. My goal is to make their jobs much more accessible so they can be their most effective, especially at night.

On my last trip to Grace House, a good friend and I met with a fence contractor to see what it would take to put up a security fence. We were looking for a solution that would give us the most security without having an institutional look. We explored all the options from precast walls to chain link to a combination of brick and man-mad stone but found these materials to be subpar. We chose, instead, to install an 8-foot rod iron security fence topped with razor wire. This option will secure the property and, most importantly, last the longest. Additionally, the choice will look the best on the property.

I’ve received multiple bids and know it will take approximately four months and $150,000 to complete. I am reaching out today to encourage you to join us on this next undertaking. This is a big project, yes. But it is also a crucial one. If we all work together to contribute our small pieces, we’ll have a complete fence before we know it! Like everything else we have accomplished thus far, we have paid as we go — we have no debt and never will.

– Craig Smith