This will be my final night no matter what. The question is will this night be in the shack or in my own bed? What can I say about today except I am overwhelmed by the generosity? These are the moments when we realize we serve a God of abundance not scarcity. And I do not say that in the form of the “prosperity gospel” but more that God owns the resources. I have seen Him move through people in very powerful, sacrificial, and generous ways.
The day started off slow-we were up to $8787 when we started the day out and I was hopefully optimistic that we would get to $10,000. I had an incredible breakfast with Page who brought Starbucks! Not just coffee but oatmeal, some great yogurt and more. We had a wonderful time of eating and fellowshipping before she headed to our store to work and I began my work day. Then by about 9:00 AM the tide began to turn. Some alumni friends indicated they were giving $2000 and then pledging another $2000 to be used as a match. This would result in a $6000 investment when matched. And it worked!
Everyone came through in true Acts 2 fashion. Plus we had some other large gifts of $1000, and another $2000 that came in boosting us up very close to the $20K. My excitement began to grow as I realized I might get to sleep at home tonight! What a gift!
Today was also a day of sharing. I was able to speak to the Auburn United Methodist UMW (United Methodist Women) at lunch today. This group of mission minded women is so generous and giving. ARM is blessed to be connected with a group that has such a heart to serve others. I was able to share about our ministry, life in the shack, and how they can plug in and volunteer with us through home repair. I look forward to ways they will serve with us in the near future.
We also had Will Creighton from Habitat of Hale County come and share about their work. They are part of a larger plan to rebuild homes destroyed by the tornadoes. This is critical as many people did not receive FEMA aid. I am thoroughly grateful for these organizations who are giving so much. Tomorrow we will hear from Dr. Norbert Wilson from AU Rural Sociology.
What a day it has been. The rain drove me in. I had to break down the outside display and bring everything in out of the wet and extremely breezy weather. A heater is in the shack for the first time as I keep the cold and dampness outside. The donations are coming in slowly but surely and I pray I will get to put the message out that I’m going home tonight. I think many would be pleased. Yet, I know of families still cold, still wet, and waiting patiently for us to get to them. My prayers go out to them…we’ll continue to work and pray.
And if I stay one more night…so be it. I have once again learned so much and been richly blessed.
Thank you for this opportunity to serve! It is 7:48 PM as I post and we have $704 to raise before I can go home.
Blessings! lisa
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