There's a lot to share.
This entire week we have received tents, tarps, sleeping bags, blankets, coats, bikes, hats and all kinds of stuff. Smiles Pet Care LLC is holding a Christmas in July drive and Deb dropped off a bunch of pet food, treats and water that has been collected ♡ If you have any pet donations you can contact Deb. We really need dewormer and flea medicine for tons of kittens and 1 puppy. As new people are showing up we're seeing more dogs again.
Friday as we were loading up we had a surprise visit from the Grimsleys, who served with us a few years ago. Now I know where some of these pretty unusual but also great donations have been coming from ♡ They had a van load including paper lunch bags, snacks, food, mustard and ketchup packs, bowls/lids, cough drops, hangars, anti-itch cream for bug bites, boxes of freshening spray, and so much more. They left and about 20 minutes later were back with 2 bikes that they saw for free on their way home ♡
After that Lisa and her family delivered the meal provided by the great congregation at New Brunswick Church of Christ. Along with the meal they also brought tons of snack items, chips, cute hygiene bags with lots of good stuff in them, food, candles, batteries, and lots of extras.
Earlier this week we were contacted by a family near Brownsburg who had 3 bikes to donate so we stopped and got them on our way home yesterday. We asked how they heard about us and they had seen us driving through Avon ♡
This community is awesome. God is awesome! We pray that He pours His blessings upon all of you who support us - those who tell their friends and acquaintances, those who pray, those who donate - all of you!!
Since we hadn't taken the trailer in several weeks, and because of all these recent donations we had that trailer packed to the max! We met a new guy who had absolutely nothing. We had a tent, sleeping bag, sheets, an outdoor chair and a huge tarp so he was almost good to go by the time we left We were able to provide a lot of people with a lot of stuff that they've been needing. The trailer weighed much less on the way home!
The meal today presented them with lots of options. We had either sloppy joes or sloppy dogs, potato salad or pasta salad, tea or lemonade, along with some applesauce and cookies. The trays were heavy (and the sloppy meat was quite tasty )
Even though we served close to 50 people, we missed seeing at least 5 who were attending the funeral of one of our friends Please continue to pray for the homeless, the housed, the troubled ... just everyone!
The day was a mixture of just about everything. Good moods, sad moods, new faces, old drama, new drama, new pets, disappointments, moments of joy and lots of smiles and laughter. There's been a shift - both in good ways and bad ways. Some of our friends are wearing down from the heat, the stress, the constant changes around them, and there own personal demons and they're closing off a little. But from most we see something different, nothing drastic but almost like they quit putting on the 'outreach is here' personality. As they've been more real we've been welcomed with a different aura by a lot of them. It's like we're stopping by a friends yard who we haven't seen in a few months (I think we're going to start taking lawn chairs so we can hang out more casually). They remember things about us, ask about things going on in our lives, and know our personalities so well (scary well sometimes), they smile and hug from the heart, they give us meaningful gifts, they donate things, they think about us through the week It is such a great feeling, it's confirmation that we're making an impact and that they really consider us their friends and it is a tremendous blessing to be called and equipped to do this!
Also through these subtle changes we've learned new things about them and their personalities, some quite shocking, especially since we thought we already knew them so well but the more we know the more we can effectively offer guidance, love and prayer. One specifically this weekend that gave our hearts a big smile...this guy who fears no one and nothing, who has had to live in defense mode most of his life, who acts like he has no feelings -- he rescued some tiny kittens down by the river. One didn't make it. He made a coffin ♡ He had a moment His heart felt something And might I add that I truly believe seeing how someone treats animals shows how they truly are on the inside. He has a
I've rambled enough ... there's so much more. It was a really really good day!! If you feel God calling you to do something that you think is out of this world crazy and absolutely a bad idea - consider doing it anyway
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
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