Well I am still awake! I just went and checked out today's video blog for "30 days homeless". And I am using the chapter in Deuteronomy that he read.
Deuteronomy:15 7 But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard hearted or tightfisted with them 8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. 9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for cancelling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to the poor,not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless everything you do. 11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.
Shawn and I have been blessed during our struggle with much kindness and generosity! Without the help that we received, we would not be where we are at now. Our hope and prayer is not just to return the same kindness to those who help, but to also extend help as we can to others in need. And as we do so it will be done in the same kindness we received your help! And if you were not able to help us and wish you could be of some help to someone, I urge you to call around to your area shelters, churches, town offices and ask how you might be able to help those in need in your area. I know many of you probably thrown a can or few into the food pantry donation box or some of you helped in a soup kitchen. Let me tell you some things we have learned when it comes to donation, your time is ALWAYS appreciated! As for giving to the food pantry may I encourage you to consider different items from the typical canned goods. (Yes, they still need canned goods!) These are the items they run out of because they are not donated often enough: Toilet paper, trash bags, razors, soap, dish soap, laundry soap, feminine hygiene items, diapers, handy wipes and personal size Kleenex. For donating items to someone on the streets, the items that are most appreciated are; bed rolls (in the camping aisle, fairly cheap!), blankets, warms socks, gloves, sweaters, sleeping bags (a little pricier) and those cloth grocery bags (fill the bags with pudding cups and canned meals with the pop top lids and bottled water! We had the opportunity to assist a church in Portland,ME, long before we headed south! And they had a mission that hit the park every week to help out those who were homeless. It was a real eye opener! Those living out there all have stories to tell, they have/or had families and they want the same respect that we all want!
My mission when I started this blog was to tell you about my family starting over. We have and though there are still mountains to climb, we are doing just that...starting over! But it would seem a shame to just leave it like that, when there people out there in need and maybe not with a voice. I hope that I can be that voice! I am telling you what you all ready know...there are people in great need and it is our responsibility to help them!
OK, tomorrow is Monday I will try to make my blog a little lighter! It might be an easier task if I know that the Patriots won! I will do some investigating online. All though if I keep an eye on Face book I suspect my brother in law will have a pretty vocal replay of the game and its score!
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