“Praise God from whom all blessings flow!” What blessings we experience, as we see God’s hand at work in so many ways, and His abundance flowing into our ministry, as we reach out to help those in need.
Things began with a request for rice, two weeks ago. Maybe I should go into a little more detail…. We have a white board in our kitchen where we put our shopping and “wish” list, as well as special projects that need to be completed, and other little notes. As we finished off our supply of rice, Mary Edna wrote a note with a special request, “Please Daddy, Send Uncle Ben!” Pastor Dowdy here at Church of the Living God happened to see the note, and immediately recognized that we were in need of rice. This was the beginning of our story on our “flow of abundance!”
Within a few days, over 1,600 pounds of rice showed up from an anonymous source. And, guess what, “Uncle Ben is home!” The very first thing we noticed is that it is indeed “Uncle Ben’s” brand of rice….How is that for specific? We have rice to last till around the end of August. What a blessing! This started the chain of events that continues to follow. As teams personally see how we ask for supplies and watch them show up, they have begun to test their faith by making their requests known on our white board in the kitchen. Seth and a team from CA showed up on the 5th, and when we shared with them how God was providing, Seth jokingly said he wanted cheesecake, and we encouraged him to write it on the board. We had cheesecakes donated in the past, so we thought it certainly would be worth making the request known. Well, sure enough, two days before they were leaving, we had someone show up with several cheesecakes! Now, who says God does not care about the desires of our heart!!!
I share all of this to say how many times we truly “have not” a lot of what we need in life very simply because we are too proud and “ask not.” This very same week, we were scrambling, trying to figure out how we would keep our volunteers busy, as we were lacking funding for building supplies. I have shared with you in previous newsletters about Sonia and her family, who lost everything in Ike. She shared in the experience of the next prayer answered… We have committed to assisting her with her home, and knew there were no funds available for supplies, but encouraged her to stand strong and trust God for all her needs. Knowing we had the team from CA which possessed significant construction skills and a team of college students from Campus Crusade, we began to scramble for supplies, and praise God, we were blessed with some grant monies to apply to supplies for her construction. I talked with GCR2 and was told they would pre-approve her home and we could get supplies immediately! What a site it was! As soon as we knew funds were available to begin reconstruction, our teams began tearing that house apart, literally. The siding came down, windows and doors out, and by the end of the day, you could see straight through her home. Within just a couple of days though, we are so thrilled to see the beginnings of her NEW home!
It brought tears to my eyes when Sonia called me, in complete disbelief. “Vicki, you told me I would be getting a NEW home, but I did not really believe it till the guy just ask me what color I would like my house!” I knew she was crying through the broken words. She said, “I told that guy that I did not care what color of house I had. It is a miracle that I am getting a NEW home!” I do not know where Sonia stood in her faith prior to all of this, or even where she stands today, but I do know that she is seeing firsthand the love of Christ. She is seeing for herself that God loves her so much, and is seeing His miracles in her life. She is experiencing Christ in the flesh through the many volunteers who come to serve and work on her home. She recently told me that she sees each and every volunteer as an angel, sent by God. She says she, “cries tears of joy every time she sees them working on her home and is reminded that so many people care so much to come and volunteer to work on her home.” What a humbling, but incredible experience. For God to call someone from half-way across the country to come to serve someone they have never even met, just to show His love in such practical ways. I am constantly reminded of Matthew 25.
We are in great need of more volunteers, especially skilled construction teams. As we have recently transitioned into the phase of recovery, our main focus is on the reconstruction. With that, we have such a great opportunity to minister to families on a personal level, as we assist them in rebuilding their homes and lives. Let us know how you can be a part of our ministry here in Galveston. If you are able to come and serve with us, or make a donation to help us purchase supplies, please let us know. TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!