Saturday, October 29, 2011

Project Touch...Reaching Out To The Homeless Community...

 
Our Churches Youth Group has pulled together to serve in our own community, reaching out to the many homeless souls, blessing them with a meal once a month while other community churches also come forth to give a gift homemade comfort food. I love the idea of our young to serve....Especially in our own community. Several families teens got together and pitched in various food items and helping hands to make a dinner for 70 homeless people. It was surly a blessing to our family to be a part of something that is meaningful...Which will also plant seeds of giving, sacrifice, serving and humbleness in my children.
  
 "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said,
'It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Acts 20:25

  
If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests,
 but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:1~4


 
I know for me it has been a struggle with trusting people I don't know and hearing the stories of homeless people taking advantage of good hearted people and the system...Some may be true...Yet there are other circumstances that we may not know or realize that people are going through..Hard times, no work, no family, those with children. Perhaps some of them like you and me had homes and jobs, a car, and money..But lost everything due to the economy or other things we couldn't even fathom. I know that not all people are scoundrels...there are people really in pain, suffering and lonely..There are many without a Saviour. My heart goes out to them...Even in the Bible you find Jesus Himself sat and feasted with the homeless, the less fortunate, the tax collectors...Because they needed a Savior. And the Pharisees just didn't like it or get it. I have sympathy and empathy for those who are in hurt and in need....I have only tasted a little of what that would be like...When I was at the tender age of 13 my father left my mom, my siblings and myself...From that moment of heartache...our lives were ripped apart...a family broken and no home to go to. We had to live in a Motel room for a season until my mother could get on her feet...We then stayed with a friend living in a drug/gang fested neighborhood for about a year...It still wasn't our home, a place to call home..In many ways...we were homeless. It was terrible...we were poor yet grateful we had a roof over our head. Things then eventually turned around with my mom remarrying, we had to start over. That I pray for these many homeless folks in our community.That they would seek the Lord and be able to find work, a roof over there head and be able to support themselves.
   
You look at these faces and think...They are just like you and me...They are broken, they are lonely and many times they are hungary.This lady here has a name and a story which I don't even know...and she showed up this day for a warm meal and people who care. It humbles me and reminds me of the provisions God gives many of us..some don't ever have to worry about it at all. And so many take it all for granted. I need to remind myself too, to be thankful, especially that I am a child of God.These are BIG life lessons I hope and pray to instill in my children..To seek to serve and give all the love they can out...For that is exactly what Christ did for us.
 
As Each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1Peter 4:10~11
***
P.S.
"There are more shelters for animals than for people"
pretty sad. Please pray for your homeless community and encourage your family to reach out and give your time, make a meal, give them a blanket this coming Winter...For Heavens sake...They are people too!Blessings to you...

2 comments:

  1. To me this is what it is all about. The lessons Christ taught...none of us do it enough...What a lesson for your young people...I wish I could say our church has a same program...we do have a food pantry but,what do those do that are on the streets...no place to cook...take it do them...just as your church has...wonderful! No matter the reason or circumstances as to why their homeless,our rewards will be the same. All are worthy of a good hot meal and the love of Christ shed abroad in their hearts. Thank you for reaching out...I do know what it is like to be hunger and in need of a helping hand....blessings

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  2. We never eve know how someone comes this place of deep need for the basics in this world and for God. I am blessed by this post.

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