Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I love these ladies





I should have a picture of the wonderful ladies who donated all of this great stuff for my friend V!!

I had to take a couple of pix of what these great ladies provided! We also got $82 in cash.

I'm so excited to bring all of this to her!!!! She'll get her toaster oven next week hopefully (see below).

HUGE thanks to my dear friends Esther, Su, and DeAnna for their contributions, too!
Vicki was moved to tears - again - when I told her of what you all had done! She said, "well, I've never" and "God bless you all!" over and over.

Ladies, thank you all so very much!!!

I'm blessed











A few updates since I last wrote regarding V.

I got to visit her at her “house.” Suffice it to say, I’ve never been so happy to come home to my comfy abode! I am SO blessed!!!! (Pictures above are: Ms. V & her dog Lily Mae and her house.)

She was embarrassed to let me in and started apologizing before I even got over the threshold. To say her house is small would be a gross understatement…. There were a lot of bugs and even though she tries, this is not a place where any human should have to live! She is so desperate to get out of there. I’ve tried several local tax-credit and subsidized housing communities, and the rent is either too high or there is no availability. The search continues...

I took her to a place called Warehouse of Hope where she’ll be able to get some food staples and maybe some clothing – another eye-opener to me. God placed me in another humbling environment while sitting there with others waiting for their free food & diapers: this could have been me. If circumstances would have been different in my life, I could be the one there receiving! Most people I know well are just one or two paychecks away from being there. Lord help me NEVER feel ‘superior’ to anyone in any way!!!!!!!!

Today my wonderful Bible study ladies did a food-drive of sorts for her. (I'll post these pix in the above update!!!!!!!) AND a big bag of clothes, AND a winter coat, AND one blessed soul is going to donate her toaster oven!!! Additionally, 2 other friends sent me money for her and another lady sent a box of clothes! How wonderful is all of this?! I’m so psyched to bring it all to her! With the money, we'll be able to help her with several of her bills this month! Thank you so much ladies!!!! Also, big shout out to a friend, Jeff, who sprayed her house for bugs inside and out. I’m sure he’ll NEVER again offer to help me out :) :) :)

Please continue to pray. Even though all of the above items are wonderful donations, they are but a band-aid on a big, gaping, hemorrhaging wound called poverty and right now, I don’t think there is an “answer.” The next step is to get her food stamps and Medicaid. I can’t imagine that she won’t qualify.

I’m thankful that God is using me in this way! I’m thankful that even though these circumstances are FAR from pleasant, I can serve and teach my children to give and then give some more even though we may not “feel” like it.




Tuesday, October 27, 2009

hurting friend

I’m writing in desperation right now, so things may come out jumbled and incoherent, but I feel like putting down my raw emotions, so here it goes.

God put a woman I’ll refer to as V in my life about 1 ½ years ago. She works at a store we frequent. First there was just casual, topical exchange, but as time went on, and as she grew to dote more and more on my girls, our conversations lengthened. I knew she was a loving person by how many customers stopped to chat with her and give her a hug. V has suffered from a chronic, life-long battle with tremors.

One day many months ago, she opened up a bit more than usual and told me of her relationship (or lack thereof) with her grown children. They won’t speak to her or take her calls. I wondered about that, but didn’t pry. She said the only other family she has in the area is her sister who lives close by her, but is in terrible health.

One day I saw her in the parking lot having car troubles and offered her my help. She said she had just had her car in the shop and felt like she’d been ripped off by them. I gave her my numbers and told her to call me if she needed anything.

Another day, in the store, she told me that she had tried to kill herself the week prior. She took a bottle of pills and drank liquor and really did not want to go on. She lives by herself, has minimal contact with anyone, has a dead-end, low-paying job, no insurance, etc. and just couldn’t take it anymore. I asked her to promise me that she would call me before she ever tried anything like that again. She agreed. She needed some financial help right then, so I paid a couple of her bills and a friend agreed to pay another one. I then loaned her a little bit of money to help her buy groceries.

Several months have passed since I have seen her and then last week, there she was again. I have wondered about her every time I frequent this store, but never ran into her. Last week she looked and sounded awful. I knew there were major troubles again… health, money, car, etc. I again gave her my numbers.

She called me tonight in dire straits. She had fallen due to her tremors, was taken to the Dr. and prescribed more meds which she can’t afford to go p/u…… she has NO food in her house and then proceeded to tell me she doesn’t have a stove OR a working television.

I write all of this to ask the few of you that I know read this to pray for her (and for me.) Pray that God would intercede where needed in her life. She just recently rededicated her life to Christ. Pray for me that I’m able to help without judgment and/or question, that I’m open to whatever God will have me to do in this situation, and that my kids will be touched and moved to be selfless by witnessing all of this.

I’m going to pick her up tomorrow morn to get her scripts filled and to get her groceries…. will update after that.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Disney on Ice











I was so thrilled to be able to take my girls (and Xian) to Disney on Ice (DOI).

Several years ago, my mom, my SIL, & I took my nieces and Xian to see DOI... it was so great to watch it thru their eyes! I'm thankful to have the chance to see it now thru the eyes of my lovely daughters!

They LOVED it... it was precious. The characters they love to watch on TV and in movies were right in front of them!

Mim's new haircut


I just LOVE it!!!!

Thinking that before we leave for Thanksgiving vacation, we'll go even shorter.

LOVE YOU, M!!!!!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Mims singing

M has learned some cute little numbers at pre-school... must share them with you!


Birthday's bite

YES, I had a b-day a week ago or so… YES, I’m too old to mention how old I am... YES, I truly hate getting older! I did, however, get to celebrate my dreadful day w/ some good girlfriends!