I usually do not blog on Saturday night, but this Saturday is
different because this was a different week :0)
God is so cool!! I just love sharing His amazing grace because it is so
encouraging to me!
Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary while doing
good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
In last week’s blog I shared my heart and how I struggled with
wanting to see results. The Lord put on
my heart that I was helping out on North 1st street as an act of
worship to Him because that is what He called us to do 7 months ago. In His word He tells us to not grow weary
while doing good, because in due season there shall be fruit…. And He cautions
us to not lose heart.
My heart did in fact change… and I did begin to worship as I
served. The cool part was that the very
next week, the Lord shared some of the “fruit” that has come from the winter
and I would like to share it with you now.
The first story involved a family of 7 who were living in a 2
bedroom motel room. They’ve come down to
North 1st for food many Sundays and we have developed a good
relationship with them. This past week
the boyfriend of the mother called to ask Keith a question regarding getting
his driver’s license. At the end of the
conversation Keith asked if they needed anything else. The boyfriend handed the phone to the
mother. Keith said, “Is there anything
you need?” She was quiet for a moment
and then said in a meek voice, “We could use some food. We don’t have any food and I wanted to have
some food for Crystal’s 6th birthday tomorrow.” Pow!! A punch landed right in my stomach when
Keith told me…. “We don’t have any food..,. I wanted to have food for my
daughter’s 6th birthday.” I
must say, I have not ever been out of
food. I always had something in the
cupboard even if it was just a little bit.
Keith sent out a text to the team and within an hour we had
wonderful responses! It was beautiful to
see people respond to the need in such a loving way. Sacks of groceries, socks, toiletries, and
birthday presents showed up in the driveway.
It was so beautiful!!! Keith and I had the honor of bringing the bags to
the family that night. They were so
grateful! We stood with the mother in
the parking lot of their motel and prayed a beautiful prayer of thanks. Later in the week, the boyfriend called to
discuss job possibilities with Keith…. The response of our team was beautiful “fruit”
as well as the hope that seemed to be infused into this struggling family. Continue to pray for a job for the boyfriend…
It is wonderful that he is working on finding a job and that Crystal was able
to have food for her birthday… as well as a birthday cake and pretty presents
:0) (God… You are so so cool!)
Another of our North 1st St. friends was rained out
in last week’s torrential down pour!
With the rising river… He lost most of his clothes and belongings. He also called Keith this week- Thanks to the Old Light House… we were able
to clothe our friend. When Keith went
down to give him the clothes, he came out of the woods wearing some swim trunks
and a t-shirt. Through shivering teeth
he said, “See I really did lose everything.”
Thankfully our friend was able to get to higher ground and had warm
clothes to keep him warm. During Keith’s
interaction down by the river, two other guys from North 1st came up
to him and were able to share some very encouraging words with him. They told him how much it meant to the people
down there to have us come every Sunday.
They shared how the first 15 days of the month are not bad, but the last
half of the month gets really tight and food is rationed out. They thanked us for coming down every Sunday
and said that the people around there rely on that hot meal as well as look
forward now to Sundays. The Lord is
doing so much more than filling stomachs.
Finally, Friday Keith
received a call from a married couple who we saw all through the winter and
spring. We haven’t seen them for about 2
months. The husband shared that they had
made amends with his wife’s father and was living with him. They had previously been out on the street
for 23 months- selling and using drugs.
The husband shared that he now has a job at Wal-Mart and they attend
church out in Wiley City weekly. The
couple continued to share how an elderly woman gave them a car free and clear
when they enquired about the selling price of her old Buick that was parked out
in her field. “Average Joe’s” is how
they now refer to themselves.
The thing that really got me was when they said that they had
met us one of the first nights that we were out on North 1st back in
October. They said that we had given
them beef jerky that night. They shared
that the night we met them filled them with hope and that each week that they
saw us continually gave them hope and encouragement to take steps little by
little to get their lives together. Week
after week we saw them, but we had no idea what the Lord was doing in their
hearts. I think God was showing us this
week that there really is “fruit” and that we need to “not grow weary while
doing good for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Thank you Jesus for knowing
how much it helped my heart to hear such beautiful encouraging stories. Please know that whatever part you have in
this adventure…. Whether it be praying for, donating to, cooking for, or
handing out…. Your acts of love are not in vain… as a matter of fact… the Lord
is reaping “fruit” from your good works.
Thank you for all that you do!!!!
And thank you Jesus for giving us a tiny peak into the things that You
are do
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