Laundry Love: Doing laundry in love. Enter any laundromat and you will find people seeking the hope God can give, just waiting for someone to share it. But in today’s cynical society, approaching a stranger with “Jesus Saves” has lost its charm. 

So how do you share Jesus in a laundromat? Laundry Love offers to pay for laundry and provides free detergent and a small breakfast to laundromat patrons. The goal: building relationships. 

That’s what happened Saturday, April 2, when a group of IBCers put on the first-ever LL event at Amigo Laundromat in south Irving.

Here are a few stories. (As recounted by Amy Glover.)

Donna and Alan* Donna came in Saturday towards the end of our shift. With 7 weeks of laundry to do, we couldn’t pack up and leave until she was taken care of. Donna, Alan and their daughter are new to DFW in hopes of starting over. Alan had lost his job in HR and had moved to several different places to provide for his family. They had gone from living better than most to just getting by on minimum wage. As followers of Christ, Donna and Alan are very open about their trust in God during this time. Donna and her daughter are now ready to volunteer at Laundry Love each month to share hope they have.

Shania* Shania was very quiet and reluctant as she came in and was offered free laundry. But she did take the help, and as she was waiting for her clothes to dry, Shania began sharing her story. Not even 30 years old, she’s had to move in with her mother because her MS is becoming more than she can handle on her own. Shania promised to return next month with her mom.

Mary and Robert* Mary was our first “customer.” We had to beg her to let Laundry Love pay for her laundry. We began talking and I realized she was just like me: a stay-at-home mom taking care of a 5-year-old and 3-year-old, basking in her time alone that Saturday. After a few hours Mary’s laundry was done, but she wasn’t. She left the laundromat, went home, brought back her husband, Robert, a hard working factory man, and two children to introduce to us, along with a $10 donation. When Mary left, she assured us she would be seeing us again next month.

Shelly* Shelly is a newlywed and a NYC transplant. She and her husband are in the process of starting their own business. In the mean time, they get by on what money they can earn as he works construction. Shelly has dreams of returning to school to complete her Computer Information Systems degree. They seemed to be looking for a sign of hope in DFW. We hope they got a little taste at Amigo Laundry.

George* George is the last person we expected to encounter, but the “God-shaped hole” is present in everybody. George just completed his Afghanistan tour with the Navy. Being face-to-face with a serviceman who fought for our freedom was amazing. We were very thankful to meet him and hope to see him soon.

Patty and Jim* This young couple along with their precious son walked right into Laundry Love, thinking it was a fundraiser. Patty asked where our proceeds went. When we explained the concept of Laundry Love, they were eager to sign up as volunteers.

Laundry Love is much more than free detergent and pre-paid laundry cards. It’s more than the idea of having compassion on those who struggle. It’s about relationships. It’s being in the middle of God’s creation and realizing how beautiful and precious every person is, no matter how dirty their clothes might be.

Laundry Love is a Just One initiative. Check out Just One at www.just4one.org.

*All names have been changed for privacy.

How Laundry Love Came to Amigo Laundromat

Tim and Amy Glover had a strong desire to bring Laundry Love to the Irving community after witnessing its impact in Arkansas where they were living previously. A year’s worth of waiting finally culminated one Sunday morning when Andy announced that a particular ministry (Reading Buddies) had just taken place at Townsell Elementary. Being somewhat new to DFW, the Glovers had no idea where Townsell was located. 

Meanwhile, Tim and Amy had already started the process of looking for a laundromat. They just so happened to find one in the Townsell/Sam Houston zone. Curious to see how close the schools were to this particular establishment, the Glovers drove into Irving to see the schools they’d heard so much about at IBC. As they were leaving, they experienced what they describe as a “Hallelujah Chorus” moment: “Our eyes fell on the most beautiful laundromat we’d ever seen: Amigo Laundromat. God spoke loudly that day, saying, ‘This is my place!’” The Glovers began their quest to track down Steve, the owner. And he was not easy to catch. 

Four times they went in and four times they were told he was out of town. They sent e-mails but got no response. Finally on a trip back from downtown Dallas, they stopped one more time and there, behind the counter, was Steve. “We discovered that it just so happened he had been wanting to do something for his community, something to help those struggling day-to-day. All he needed was an explanation of how LL worked and he was in,” say the Glovers.

Tim and Amy say Steve has been so gracious to LL: “He has not only opened up his place of business, but he has shown us he has no desire to profit from the service. He discounts LL’s laundry 25% and sells us supplies at wholesale. He shows up on Saturday to help us with any needs. He keeps his staff informed of what’s going on the first Saturday of each month. God was already at work. What a privilege to join him.”

Learn More and Get Involved

To learn more or get involved, contact Amy or Tim Glover. ( or )

Laundry Love takes place the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon at Amigo Laundromat, right down the street from Sam Houston Middle School and around the corner from Townsell Elementary.