Thankfulness… A word we often need to be reminded of. Most of us have way too much and the Lord reminds us especially this time of year, how we should be praising Him moment by moment every day!
Wow. Things are really busy!
God is using people to bless others and is providing in amazing ways!
There was a new R&R family that needed 5 beds and another which needed 2 a few weeks ago. This came all within a day or so and there were only 2 beds in storage. The awesome thing was that the beds that were in storage were a bunk with a full on the bottom. The mother of the kids said her older boy would be thrilled to have a full sized bed! Especially since he didn’t appreciate having to share a bedroom with his 6 yr old brother. This would give them both their “own” space within the room.
Anyway, an ad was placed online for the request of beds and within a few hours, a man who owns a storage facility said he had a bunch of mattresses we could have that were left by people who didn’t pay their rent! What is so interesting about this is, the mattresses were coming from families just like who we have helped.
The man who is recovering from a car accident has had cleaning assistance, the woman who was desperate for organization help has had R&R visitors and the project will begin this week.
Both are seeing God provide help during their humbling situations. Praise God that the gentleman is starting to feel healing of his neck. Please pray for the woman’s anxiety to ease up and her embarrassment to cease while the cleaning occurs. She is beside herself that someone is willing to help without charging her money.
“You must have an extra long pipeline to God! That is amazing!” Commented a social worker after God’s timing was obvious! The man who tried the wheelchair felt it was a bit too painful to use so it was returned and sitting in storage. It sat and was debated whether or not it should be sold for a week or so. Our church didn’t need it but the prompting came to ask one of our social worker connections. That’s when the miracle happened. This social worker was on her way to a new client who had a 10 yr old son with CP. He had been borrowing a wheelchair at school and didn’t have one at home! That’s when the comment was made… The wheelchair was delivered that afternoon and the mother was in tears. As the visit went on, the mom said, ” I know you’re religious. That was from God.” There was a conversation about churches and she has a desire to visit. Coming from a Greek heritage, she said she had to give me a gift before leaving. She walked around her place and handed me a picture of 2 saints. I told her thank you and assured her she didn’t need to give me anything. She got up and searched “for something better”. She came back with a crucifix and said,” my brother is a monk in Greece. He made this there. I have another one, you have this one.” What a humbling thing! At the departure, I received a kiss on each cheek and a hug. This meeting was much more a blessing to me!
This past week has been pretty crazy. What an awesome thing to see a bunch of families from our church come together and help a woman pack up her duplex for moving. She is recovering from cancer surgery and an infection in her leg. The children were working with the adults and the job was done in a few hours. A man from church loaned his trailer to be packed up. There was more to be done but a beautiful thing to see tears of relief and joy and praising the Lord as the group left. Someone looked into the sky and saw two clouds in the shape of a cross! We have a picture of it. It sure felt like a confirmation from above that His body was obeying.
At the time of the packing, this family still had no place to go from there. In a few days, they had to be completely out. On the day the family had to be out, a new housing option was found but the move wasn’t able to occur for 4 days. This left them in a panic. There were still things to get off of the property and store somewhere for 4 days. The Lord is good…the new landlord offered them his storage unit for the 4 days! Now the challenge was moving it. That night and the next, the delivery crew worked on this. During the last transfer, the small Uhaul that was rented broke down on the way to storage! The delivery helper quickly went to the Uhaul office and arrived just after closing. Rapping on the window, got the attention of someone inside. A replacement truck was provided! This was a very trying evening for all but again, the Lord had His hand in it! Today, the family will move into their new place and finally be able to breathe! The financial assistance came through in time for the deposit. Praise God. During this down time, the mother has been mending a relationship with her eldest son!
An R&R family moved from their parents’ house into a shared rental home with the help of the ministry. They are so thankful and agree that this is a huge step forward for them! Praise God the people that are renting to them are going to be encouragers in the process too. The woman is searching for work. It’s been great to see their confidence starting to grow as they are independent from other family members. A very healthy thing!
A new referral was given a bed and household items.She had been sleeping on an air mattress and is disabled. She was listening to Sandi Patti music which led to spiritual conversation. We were praising the Lord together- especially after the unloading was finished! What a blessing to visit with her and see that everything that was delivered matched the few items she did have! Just have to smile…
A family who is dealing with cancer has been given some freezer meals to lighten the load. It is so much fun to see individual hands and feet serve and make a difference in a variety of ways!
A lady we have come to know has and is continuing to have parenting struggles with her kids. R&R Life Preservers are people who will listen, encourage and pray. Loving our neighbors when they feel alone can provide hope.
The R&R friend who was in the fender bender last week is doing much better. The test results are not in from the chest pain yet, but he is feeling much better. The car is still drivable which is a miracle. The crash was on the passenger side, right between the wheels. So, the damage huge, but is cosmetic. He has been resourceful and foamed up the doors and sealed the windows for now. He was reminded how much worse it could have been! Praise God.
Two new referrals this week. One needs organization/cleaning help in order to get a reverse mortgage and save her house. The other is in poor health and has to move out of her place by the end of the month. Both will be given support to tackle these issues through the compassion of the R&R service crew. Please pray for these families as they are overwhelmed, that they will feel God’s peace and love through His children.