The Spirit of Giving

This is the time of year when everyone looks to give to others. The holidays have a dramatic effect on people and I am no exception. I celebrate Christmas and my birthday is coming up very soon. Recent tweets by Jeff Shuey and Lotay Yang have inspired me! My mind is racing, contemplating what effort I might be able to do in celebration of my birthday and Christmas?! I would give anything to be able to organize an effort for a van to be donated to Cross and Crown Church so they can help the homeless! But that sadly is expensive and probably not as realistic a short-term goal at this time. So then what would be?! Perhaps I could organize a Christmas party and/or gifts for the homeless–maybe local businesses might be willing to donate? Gift certs and gift cards, free meals, gas cards, auto repair, clothes, shoes/boots…??? Maybe I could open a special PayPal account? I want to do something special for everyone! What can I do?!

A big thank you to Cross and Crown Church

Each and every Saturday of the year the volunteers with the Ministry of Hope at Cross and Crown Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, serve a feast for the homeless and low-income of the area. Approximately 50 to 70 people enjoy the hot breakfast and lunch each week. Many partake in the opportunity to attend a worship service.

The volunteers and pastors of Cross and Crown are a gift from God to the homeless. They live from their hearts, offering smiles, joy, friendship, hope and support to all who need. They serve delicious meals, give clothing, bikes, and more. They give transportation to and from the church in a church member’s van. The Ministry of Hope is NOT even part of the church budget–all costs come out of their own pockets!

The Ministry of Hope volunteers are absolutely amazing! I honestly don’t know how such a small church can do so much for so many! Some may remember that it was this same church that was vandalized around Christmastime. There was an outpouring of support from communities all around, including an awesome new Christmas tree to replace the one that was damaged by the vandalism.

I felt glad that this church was able to celebrate Christmas and feel the warmth of the community help that we homeless feel when we go to the Ministry of Hope on Saturdays. I hope to return the love and kindness someday by finding a way to help them myself, perhaps by finding them a new or used van of their own to give us rides in to and from the church. It would even grant the church the ability to give us rides to the church on Sundays so that we may attend the regular worship service–something many of us wish to do but can’t get to the church on our own.

View a pdf file about the Ministry of Hope.

The Value of a Dollar

How much is  a dollar worth?  Just ask a homeless person.

For just $1.00 to $5.00 a homeless person for  1 to 2 hours can:

• Drink a coffee or eat a meal.
• Sit indoors.
• Have access to a clean bathroom and sink to watch hands and face.
• Be out of the rain.
• Be safe from severe weather.
• Watch a movie matinee.
• Buy a ticket and ride the bus or train.
• Do laundry.
• Make calls on a pay phone.
• Put a small amount of gas for the day in their car’s gas tank.
• Access pool and shower facilities at a local park.

What a person can get out of it:

• Food.
• Shelter.
• Clean clothes.
• Hygiene care.
• Entertainment.
• Transportation to shelter, an interview, a job, and other appointments.
• Access to a toilet and facilities to do hygiene.
• A visit with family and friends, call to schedule a job interview.
• Social interaction and networking.
• A sense of normalcy (whatever normal is)
• Happiness.
• A love and gratitude for fellow man.

What you get:

• Happiness.
• God’s love and blessing.
• A love and gratitude for fellow man.
• Social interaction and networking.
• Increased self-satisfaction, self-love, self-worth, self-value

Unfortunately I am out of time on the computer early. Being a public library on a weekend, the computers fill up quickly.

Homeless shelter needs help A.S.A.P!

Please help if you can–Prayers and $5,000 in donations are needed for a Florida homeless shelter by June 10th! http://www.missionincitrus.com/homepage.html

$100 to give away?!

O-M-G! I was sick yesterday and a little dehydrated from it. The library closed and I walked to the park in the middle of the local downtown area. A woman came up to me and gave me a $100 bill and told me to “get a good meal”!!!! I thanked her and we said good night, and only then did I see how much it was! I was completely shocked!!! I thought it was probably a $10 or something, but no it wasn’t–lo and behold it was a $100 Ben Franklin!!!!!

Well, since I was sick yesterday I wasn’t about to go out and eat a fancy meal last night. Actually I am very afraid to eat today yet, but I had a tiny bit at a local church that has a meal kitchen on Saturdays. My eating habits have been in a restricting phase lately so I’ve barely been eating, so I don’t think it would be good to eat a big meal right now anyway. Well, and all my issues with that besides.

It will almost be hard to spend it. There is a lot that I need! I plan to spend some money on train and bus tickets, I am desperate for laundry, and other things I need. Maybe a tarp to put on the ground under my sleeping bag. I still can’t believe it. Like, wow! LOL!