Last night I took some food to a family (granny, mom, and three children) who live in a HUD housing project. Their fridge went in their apartment and they called the manager. It took him three days to fix their fridge and so they lost all their food. The granny does not get money until the first of the month so they needed basic food items: eggs, milk, butter..ect to get them through this week until the grandmother get's her check next week.
I went to Walmart and eggs are 27 cents a dozen. Milk is 98 cents a gallon. I spent a $1.25 and brought it to them. When Carrie, the mom opened the fridge to put them in it, besides an almost empty quart of milk and a pitcher of water, they were the only things in the fridge. I only spent $1.25 and it took me less than an hour, however they were blessed and so was I.
I have encouraged you all to make this week, Holy Week, "different." Slow down, change your schedule to allow you to spend more time in prayer, in the Bible, and serving others. The above is a simple example. Did I really want to drive to bring them food, probably not. I could have sat and watched a hour show on TV. However, in less time than that show lasted, and only spending $1.25 I made this week "different," a family's life different, and my life different.
The dollar amount the food represented did not matter to the family, the amount of love it represented did. Just like those that deliver Meals on Wheels to the elderly, its not the $2.00 lunch the elderly crave, its the care and companionship.
When I got to the house, Jaylee, the 12 year old daughter, and her grandmother Christine were not there. They had walked to the store. It is spring break for Jaylee, and her Carrie, her mom, said Jaylee and two friends wanted to have a picnic but they did not have any money or food. Neither of their families had money of food. So they each went to their apartments and into their rooms and got personal items of theirs they could sell. Carrie said they say outside today by the street from 10:00am-6:00pm for 8 hours and had a "yard sale" and sold their items. Carrie said they made $8.00. Just then Jaylee and her granny walked in from the store. Jaylee excitedly told me all about her yard sale. Then she showed me what she brought from the corner store: a store brand bag of Sour Cream and Onion Chips, a 2 liter bottle of generic Dr. Pepper, a small bag of gummy candy, and a 4 pack of generic chocolate pudding cups. She was so excited about the picnic she and her friends were now going to have tomorrow, and that she had $2 and change left over which she showed me. As I was smiling and saying, "That's great Jaylee!" I was thinking inside, "She sold her personal things to buy food."
My family, It does not take allot of time or money to make a day "different," it just takes being intentional. It is a few small people, doing a few small things, in a few small places that usher in a movement of God. I pray you will begin your day in prayer over, "So how are you going to make today different? Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Much love, Gary
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