Listening to Him....

I've thought a lot about what I would write if I decided to tell the story about what God's done in our life. Where do I start? I'm not a writer. At the beginning or in the middle? I'm not totally sure... so I'm praying constantly as I write this, and God will guide my words. This week has been an amazing testimony to what He can do for us. Last Friday, we served at Laundry Love (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a volunteering opportunity in which quarters, soap and all the needs for doing laundry are provided by volunteers, and our group prepares and serves a meal to those who could use a little love once a month... it's a fun awesome way to serve!) We had the best experience we've ever had. We met a couple, H & M, and their four kids, ages 12, 4, 2 1/2 and 1. The 12 year old came up to us before we started and asked if there was something he could do to help. We said sure, and set him up with gloves and showed him what we would be doing. He worked with us until the "stragglers" came through the line and then got himself food. In the meantime, we had figured out he was H & M's son, and the three sweet little ones were his siblings. We were amazed to watch them sit on their blanket and eat every bite of their food, quietly and calmly. Unusual for such small kids, you know? H & M came through the line and then asked if they could have seconds. The little guys got seconds too. It was about this time that we all realized they were very hungry and needed a little more love than we usually dish out each month. Once everyone had come through the line and gotten seconds if they wanted them, we packed up the food to send home with them. Their 12 year old came and asked if they could have some. We told him we were fixing them up, to not worry. Have I mentioned what a sweet, well mannered child he was??? One of the ladies in our group went to the grocery store to buy them some more food, and we left one bag out on the table, like we usually do, in case someone else was hungry. For the first time ever, that bag sat there.... and sat there.... and sat there. One lady came up to tell us how good the food was that night, and we offered it to her. She declined, saying maybe there was someone who needed it more. That NEVER happens. Usually when we put food out, it's scooped up faster than we can bag it up! So while K was at the grocery store, I talked with H & M to find out their story. They moved here from a town a couple of hours away in the hopes of being able to find better work. They had a home lined up, but that fell through when they got here. They moved into a motel with their four kids and have been hitting food banks, selling items, and doing what they could to make it. He had found a job with a temp agency, but they laid him off right before Christmas and as of this week, had not been able to go back. There'll be more to that story shortly. She's been looking for work too, but they can't afford to work a minimum wage job and pay for child care. For Christmas, she got on Craigslist and asked people for used toys that were in good shape. She said the kids had one of the best Christmases they've ever had. They had no idea Laundry Love was going on when they got there... they saw the sign after they came in, and then were amazed to be receiving a meal as well. When K got back, we gave them everything and also the lone bag that was left on the table. We got their telephone numbers and exchanged names, and I asked if it would be ok to call them and see how they were doing. They hugged us, the little kids too, which was really sweet and told us how thankful they were that we were there. On Monday, I called to invite them to our weekly Bible study, and asked if there was anything they needed. H told me she hated to ask, but was out of milk and eggs and hadn't heard from the DHS office yet.... they had applied a month ago. I took them what they needed and talked a little more, and scoped out the size of their fridge and where they were living. We made plans to go grocery shopping when I got my money on Wednesday, even though we didn't really have a lot to use. We figured God would provide what we needed later on. They were excited about coming over, so we set it up and I gave them directions, then came home and emailed and called our group to set up the meal. K came over that evening to bring stuff for us to prepare for dinner and told me she had news. She had asked to borrow her boss's Sams card so she could shop in bulk, and explained why when he asked. He gave her his Visa card and told her to get what they needed for groceries for a month! Praise the Lord!!!  He answered the need we had before it even became an issue as well as providing more than what we could have for them!!! They came over early to play and offered to help cook, as the kids played and we chatted about life. Then we had a wonderful taco meal and began Bible study. They jumped right in and participated. It was awesome! We finalized plans to get together Wednesday after my teenager got home to watch my kids.

Wednesday afternoon, another friend from our group called to see if we could come look at the van of a family she had met that day. They were travelling home to Idaho and were broken down. The mom has a kidney infection and was very sick. She was travelling with her 14 year old son, her daughter, and her daughter's husband. We couldn't fix the van, so we set out to help them in other ways. While my friend was taking them to walmart to get their oil changed, I called another friend to see if she had any ideas, and her husband met us to give them some cash for food. Between them, we were able to get them enough for a cheap hotel room, gas money for the trip, and groceries while they traveled. They were able to leave the next day, praising God for blessing them by meeting my friend and all of us working together to meet their needs. I called H and told her what was going on, and made plans to meet up with her shortly thereafter. We went to the grocery store and were able to fill her cart up with necessities for a week! On the way home, she told me again how thankful they were that they had met us. We talked about how God works to bring people together to lean on and help each other. M had gone in to work, only to be told he'd just wasted his gas money getting there as they did not need him, so we were brought into their lives at exactly the right time.

Isn't it amazing how God works sometimes? We've been serving at Laundry Love for a while now, about 18 months. This was the first time He spoke to us about a particular family and said, "These are my people. Love on them."  The blessings we've had from meeting them have been unfathomable. They are coming to our church tomorrow and are very excited about it. We talked about how God lives in each one of us, and how Jesus taught us to love one another. "Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me." Some people make excuses as to why they couldn't help in a situation such as this. We accepted what God asked us to do, and were able to bless two families in one week and experience God's love for everyone. It doesn't matter if you are poor, tattooed, pierced or homeless..... God loves each and every one of us. He doesn't discriminate and is aching for us to follow His example and love our fellow men. If we can do this when we have "nothing" to give, what's stopping you? It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, you have something to offer to someone... It may be nothing more than a "Hey, how ARE you?"..... or seeing a need and meeting it financially or physically. You are a follower of God, therefore you are equipped to give. A book I'm reading said God gave us one mouth and two ears, and we should use them accordingly. Are you stopping to listen to Him? Are you asking Him what He wants you to do, and then hearing what He tells you? Can you hear Him? If you follow Jesus, you know His teachings, and you know He wants you to love. How do you show that love? How do you let God's glory shine through you? It starts with prayer. Ask Him to show you what He wants of you, then sit quietly and listen. Receiving a blessing is awesome, but being able to allow God to use you to give a blessing, that's the best thing in the world! Knowing that you are obeying God is worth more than anything this world has to offer. Are you ready to do that? To obey is to show Him you love Him too. He honors His promises to those who obey Him. So take some time, quiet your world and pray. Let Him speak to you.... It will be the best thing you've ever done!!!