Friday, February 17
The Coming Day
There are days I’m just grateful to be home, safe and warm. Today is one of those days.
It started out minus-zero in the double digits when I woke up. As Mr. Coffee spat out breakfast, I thought about the coming day and our homeless family and friends who had to wake up on the cold, hard ground. OUCH! I’ll bet some woke up without hats or gloves or warm coats. I imagine there were a few who woke up without a prayer.
My mind rushed as I planned the coming day.
But before I could head out to the streets, I had business to conduct; the business of nonprofit. I don’t like doing business because I’m no good at administrative stuff. I don’t even understand the term ‘nonprofit’ as it refers to organizations that are supposed to help others. Plus, I don’t think of helping others as a business. I think of all the people who have been helped and profited by churches and foundations and institutions, all in the name of ‘nonprofit’.
But, as a volunteer for a faith-based ‘nonprofit’ organization that helps the homeless and working poor, I’m responsible for minding a mailing list and our PO Box. I keep tabs on contributions and expenses, and I perform sundry administrative duties. I collect and sort and distribute donated clothing and personal items. Plus, I make sandwiches. I’m also the ‘designated driver’, the ‘keeper of the gas-guzzler’, the ‘nut behind the wheel’ of The FellowShip, our mobile canteen and passenger van.
I enjoy picking up the mail at the PO Box. I enjoy opening cards and letters from those who support our ministry with prayers and financial contributions. Today, we were especially blessed with mail, receiving several hundred dollars in contributions. WOW! As I opened our mail and sorted through ten and twenty and hundred dollar checks, I nearly came to tears! I praised God for our blessings and I imagined a hundred ways we could share our prosperity with those in need.
I had to get the van gassed and I’d be off. While fueling, I noticed a green liquid dripping from under the van, from somewhere near the front of the engine. OUCH again! There’s never a good day to be stranded on the streets with a brokeback van, but today would be an especially difficult day, with the twenty-something below zero wind chills! BURR! Plus, come Sunday, I’ll have a van full of disabled and handicapped friends. I thought I’d better have the van checked out.
I could have guessed the bad news: bad water pump, bad serpentine belt, bad various parts, plus three bad hours of shop labor. Total, about $700.00 or 700 meals served to 700 homeless friends. What should I do? Without the van, there’ll be no meals served, no friends ministered to, no hope delivered to the hopeless. Considering the contributions we just received, I figured we had to get the van fixed.
I sat four painful hours in a repair shop waiting on the van. I read every old magazine I could find. I read the entire newspaper twice, with all the ads. I even paged through a Corvette parts catalog (?). And the whole time I sat there, I thought about the friends I missed and the money we’d have to spend on repairs; and all the things we couldn’t do because of our broke down van.
Then, my thoughts turned to praise. I thought about opening the mail and counting up donations earlier. And I thanked God for providing us with an answer to our needs that day before we even imagined we’d have needs.
As I sit back now, safe and warm in my comfortable home, I pray for all of our friends that have to find a bed tonight on the cold, hard ground. And I thank God that He chose me to His service.
Does God have His hand outstretched choosing you?
Kelly
¶ 9:00 PM
There are days I’m just grateful to be home, safe and warm. Today is one of those days.
It started out minus-zero in the double digits when I woke up. As Mr. Coffee spat out breakfast, I thought about the coming day and our homeless family and friends who had to wake up on the cold, hard ground. OUCH! I’ll bet some woke up without hats or gloves or warm coats. I imagine there were a few who woke up without a prayer.
My mind rushed as I planned the coming day.
But before I could head out to the streets, I had business to conduct; the business of nonprofit. I don’t like doing business because I’m no good at administrative stuff. I don’t even understand the term ‘nonprofit’ as it refers to organizations that are supposed to help others. Plus, I don’t think of helping others as a business. I think of all the people who have been helped and profited by churches and foundations and institutions, all in the name of ‘nonprofit’.
But, as a volunteer for a faith-based ‘nonprofit’ organization that helps the homeless and working poor, I’m responsible for minding a mailing list and our PO Box. I keep tabs on contributions and expenses, and I perform sundry administrative duties. I collect and sort and distribute donated clothing and personal items. Plus, I make sandwiches. I’m also the ‘designated driver’, the ‘keeper of the gas-guzzler’, the ‘nut behind the wheel’ of The FellowShip, our mobile canteen and passenger van.
I enjoy picking up the mail at the PO Box. I enjoy opening cards and letters from those who support our ministry with prayers and financial contributions. Today, we were especially blessed with mail, receiving several hundred dollars in contributions. WOW! As I opened our mail and sorted through ten and twenty and hundred dollar checks, I nearly came to tears! I praised God for our blessings and I imagined a hundred ways we could share our prosperity with those in need.
I had to get the van gassed and I’d be off. While fueling, I noticed a green liquid dripping from under the van, from somewhere near the front of the engine. OUCH again! There’s never a good day to be stranded on the streets with a brokeback van, but today would be an especially difficult day, with the twenty-something below zero wind chills! BURR! Plus, come Sunday, I’ll have a van full of disabled and handicapped friends. I thought I’d better have the van checked out.
I could have guessed the bad news: bad water pump, bad serpentine belt, bad various parts, plus three bad hours of shop labor. Total, about $700.00 or 700 meals served to 700 homeless friends. What should I do? Without the van, there’ll be no meals served, no friends ministered to, no hope delivered to the hopeless. Considering the contributions we just received, I figured we had to get the van fixed.
I sat four painful hours in a repair shop waiting on the van. I read every old magazine I could find. I read the entire newspaper twice, with all the ads. I even paged through a Corvette parts catalog (?). And the whole time I sat there, I thought about the friends I missed and the money we’d have to spend on repairs; and all the things we couldn’t do because of our broke down van.
Then, my thoughts turned to praise. I thought about opening the mail and counting up donations earlier. And I thanked God for providing us with an answer to our needs that day before we even imagined we’d have needs.
As I sit back now, safe and warm in my comfortable home, I pray for all of our friends that have to find a bed tonight on the cold, hard ground. And I thank God that He chose me to His service.
Does God have His hand outstretched choosing you?
Kelly
¶ 9:00 PM
