God's Work, Our Hands

     I know I promised to make entries more often.  This year I started off with spending my time doing outreach.  I am very very involved with my church.  My thinking on church is it is not a place just to show up on Sunday and sit in the pew.  God and Jesus tells us to go out and do.  So I do.  

     One of the things that I do is I am the Chairperson for our Interfaith Hospitality Network at our church.  For those who don't know "IHN" is a nation wide organization.  Their purpose is to take homeless families and help them get out of their situation and into their own homes. You know the teach to fish not give them fish.  Here in our area we have two day houses in our Network.  One in High Point and one in Greensboro.  Each house has a network of 13 churches and for a week at a time the churches house the families in the evening.  Each church has at least one or two support churches.  Our church currently has one. 

     My week started by cleaning our back building which we call "God's Garage".  This is the building our church started in and was a mechanics garage before we got it.  Now this building has many uses.  Normally during the week we let Narcotics Anonymous use the building for their daily meetings and Monday evenings Gamblers Anonymous uses the building for their meeting.  We do suspend all other use and turn God's Garage into a home.  Downstairs we set up a living room for watching TV or DVD's, we have a kitchen and dining room and two rooms for volunteers to sleep or over flow from upstairs.  Now for upstairs there is a full bathroom (tub included) and four bedrooms.  Last month we were fortunate to receive a donation of 4 twin size beds and a twin trundle which sleeps two.  Normally the guests sleep on cots so this is a real treat.  Our hope that we will be able to get real beds for all around.  The program capacity is 14 or 15 people.  

     The guests stay Sunday through Sunday.  Normally I cook the meal on Sunday and I fill in where needed depending on how many volunteers I get.  It takes a lot of people to make the week happen.  Everyday we have a morning van driver and evening van driver, people to make dinner and serve dinner and two people to spend the night.  I only had to spend the night twice.  I really enjoy doing it so it is no problem to fill in.  We have a great group of guests this rotation.  Currently there are two families for a total of 4 people.  Last night I got a call that a mom and three kids will be joining the program today.  So I need to go in today and set up three more beds and a portacrib.   Of course our supply church takes over tonight till Sunday morning.  Then it's breakdown and clean up.

     It is so uplifting to be there for others.  It is more than just making a meal, driving a van or sleeping in a bed.  It is getting to know the people, making friends and being a good listener.  So for anyone reading this, I highly recommend getting involved.  It does a body good!

     Next week I will be making soap!  So come on back and see what I make.  I will have pictures.  I know I get a lot of people looking up my Fungus Amungus.  That is first on my list.  It's such a great soap and I am down to just one bar.