// BLOG
Christ in Action
November 18, 2008
Just wanted to let you know about some great news that could have only been pulled off by our God, our Christ Jesus and man, was it awesome!
During LA La Viña, an outreach which reaches out to the Hispanic poor in our community, one of the families we serve had one sole immediate need – three kids under the age of 10 in need of beds. The mother, who works very hard couldn’t afford beds for her children and it wrecked her to the core. For her kids to sleep on the aged carpet and warmed only by thread-bare blankets…well, how would it make you feel?
But here’s how God shows up: Two people, who’d never been on that outreach felt they “needed” to see what it was all about Saturday morning and when the mother’s needs were known, each one had a missing component – one had a toddler bed, the other a twin bed for two. And another first-timer had sheets and pillows for the twin bed.
And while the mother was embarrassed to tell us her family’s needs, the people who had the items were bursting with excitement, joy and were more than ready to help. (I think there was a suppressed high five floating about the room amidst the tears of joy.)
So today, twelve people, most of us strangers, regrouped again after meeting each other for the first time yesterday, to go back over to deliver two beds and bedding for three kids who’d been sleeping on matted, worn out carpet for over a year.
And that….that…is Christ in action, kids. Princess bedding for the girls. Batman bedding for the little boy.
And let me say, this is not about a good deed, or about a “warm and fuzzy” at the end of the day, it’s all about Christ in action. Period. And how He puts the right people in the right places in the right time to help three little amigos in others path just to so He can say, “Sleep well tonight…for you..are a child of God.”
So to Kimberly, Jennie and Railey. “Jesus te ama.”
And we do too.
Fun Note…
November 4, 2008
Serving the Vote
November 4, 2008
Just another average day of voting and serving in our town of Mason.
Emily and I were standing in line at a church in Mason at 6:30 waiting to vote. It was pretty chilly inside the church too. After about 40 mins we made it to the table where the volunteers were working and they were talking about how cold it was in the church. Someone said something about Starbucks and one of the workers said she wished she had gone to get a coffee before she came to work.
I wish I could have opened up the café that was there in the great room of the church seeing that I have a “degree in coffee making on the hospitality team” J I could’ve whipped up some lattes in a hurry to help warm them up. Well of course couldn’t do that…
After I got done voting and walked out of the church maybe that little voice just said… this is Byron’s New English translation cause I don’t remember exactly what the thought was J “hey Byron, go to Starbucks and pick up some hot chocolate and coffees for these folks to warm up and thank them for what they are doing as volunteers”.
Couldn’t ignore that thought… so I drove to the Tylersville Starbucks where if you wore the I voted sticker you get 10% off your drink. Well I actually got 12 coffees and hot chocolates for the volunteers. I think my drink (13th) was actually free today… how cool!
Of course I had some VCC serving cards in my car just for occasions like this. And wouldn’t you know there were exactly 12 cards left in my car, one for each cup of drink.
So I took the drinks back to the church and let the 2 table leaders know that I got hot chocolate and coffees for them and thanked them for what they are doing.
Don’t know what they thought or how they reacted… but they will know that God was a part of their day in a little hot drink sort of a way…
Thanks for what ya’ll do and how you lead our church! It’s a blessing and a blast to be a part of the mission!!
Blessings
Byron
turkeys giving away turkeys
November 4, 2008
This year is our 20th year for turkeys giving away turkeys.
Last year we adjusted the outreach in order to involve more people, create a safer environment (morning instead of after dark), create less stress (we were creating exact maps from hours of phone calls usually from the same people who were playing the system) and to create a greater sense of team (over 300 people showed up for instructions and to do the outreach last year).
here’s what we have discovered:
- people want to make a difference….this year over 300 boxes went out the first weekend in November. Yes we are ordering more.
- people like simple…people grab a box as they leave a weekend service. The box has the instructions placed inside the box to help guide people as they purchase the food items.
- people enjoy the sense of togetherness…We encourage participation: families packing the box together, or to join with friends, or joining as a small group to fill the box. This year we will be adding a worship set and breaking up into small groups for prayer…then introducing team leaders, and receiving instructions and maps.
- some people like to participate but don’t want to go on the outreach…that’s ok, participating at any level is appreciated. The ‘no go but want to serve people’ will bring their filled boxes at 9am instead of 10am and placed into trucks.
- people like the fact that we go to the areas we have consistently served in the past…we will be dividing up into three huge teams, caravaning to the location in order to reach out to 3 low income apartments in Huber Heights, Fairborn, and Centerville.
- people like the adventure… we go to homes unannounced, offer a Thanksgiving meal and offer prayer. When we leave the home we place a small sticker on the door notifying the rest of the team that the stickered door is a home we have served.
- people who serve begin to see life through an outward focused lense…One family went to a home and offered the Thanksgiving dinner. The single mom invited the family inside to place the dinner on her table. The family noticed…all she had in her apartment was the table. Their perspective changed. Their hearts were softened through the experience and began to view life through a different lense.
Scout’s honor
October 28, 2008
As I was coming out of IGA store I saw the girl scouts selling cookies. I am a diabetic so I cannot eat sugar. As I politely said no thank you, I got to my car and heard the Lord instruct me to go back and buy the cookies. I sat in my car saying loudly “but Lord you know I cannot eat them? “ He said “did I say you were to eat them? I said then what do I do with them?” Immediatly My precious Lord showed me a way to witness His love in a greater way I have ever known.
As I approached the Girl scouts and their Leader again, I asked How many of you know My Jesus? With such excitement they all started chattering I know Him I Know Him. I asked them How many Boxes of cookies do you have left? They counted them all up and told me how many. Well I said Jesus is going to buy all of your cookies today How about that? They all began to become so excited. I said now after paying for them all, Jesus wants to know that you know Him and Love Him .
So what your going to do for Him is give the cookies away from Jesus today with great love and enthusiasm. They all started to scream yes that will be so fun. I left the stand and the Leader ran after me and said what Is your name, we have a website and I have to put this on our website. I told her I cannot give you my name but feel free to let your readers know that The Lord stopped by today to buy Girl Scout cookies. She hugged me and as I was driving away what a thrill it was to see these young girls passing out their cookies in our Fathers name. Thank you for hearing my story
In His Service
Love Connie Ciccone
