Open Wide Your Hand …

To:  your Brother …the Needy … the Poor   Deut 15:11

It was a really full day today.  After morning devotionals and a great breakfast by Chef Paul (seriously knows how to cook bacon)  we headed to Hill Country Fellowship and helped sort piles of clothing, shoes, toys, miscellaneous household items. It was a daunting task for one person but our mighty group of 13 tackled the job in 2.5 hours.  HCF has a ministry clothes closet for families in their church that are committed to helping those in need.  Our team made what for her was an overwhelming task into a doable deal!  We helped deliver the bags to a storage unit that disperses the items from there.  At the end we prayed together with Shaunda. I was so proud of the students volunteering to pray and their prayers … no doubt will be answered.

For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’     Deuteronomy 15:11

After lunch we finished helping sort the toys and put away the tables.

Now on to the Christmas conspiracy project.  Each team was given $70 dollars and given the objective to creatively spend the money on someone they did not know, and the recipient not know who did this amazing thing for them.

Both teams came up with great ideas and it really was another highlight of the day.

Boys team – went to the Y and asked if there were families they knew that would enjoy one month of free use at the facility.  With persistence, going to the top, talking to the director over all of Williamson County they achieved their goal.  The boys sponsored three single moms and their children to full use of the facility free.  It was a ‘moving, tender moment’ for all involved. The organization knows just the moms this will be a blessing to.

Girls team – went to a day care center and shared their story.  The director had just the mom. A single parent with 2 small boys and one has special needs.  The director said she is such a hard working good mom that this would be such a blessing.  The girls pitched in some of their own money and bought the boys Christmas with a special treat for mom.  When the director called the mom at work, she was so blessed and cried that someone would want to do this for her boys.

Needless to say it was a special day for all of us.

Debrief is always a special time because each of us share fun moments of the day and then we each share the moments that really touched our hearts.  They all have had a great time and we’ve all laughed at ourselves and with each other.  But we all were touched by the opportunities to be a blessing … opening wide our hands to help those in need. We know it will be a blessing to them … but we also know we too were blessed.  Everyone was moved by the experience of praying and sensing what God was impressing on the hearts of each team to do to bless someone they did not know, nor would meet. It was a powerful time for all of us.  We also were blessed to be able to help organize and ‘get the goods’ out the door to the clothes closets and staging areas where families and children will be able to freely come and get items they need. What a blessing to be able to help in that capacity.

After an amazing meal of homemade lasagna, garlic break knots, salad and homemade cookies (can we say stuffed?)  we headed to Marble Falls for the Trail of Lights.  We enjoyed a walk through, then took a second trip through walking slowing and praying for the people that would be visiting this Christmas. We pray for God to bless, heal, restore, provide, etc.

Our yearly 7^th grade trip to Starbucks closed the night in town then we headed back to camp to run through our songs for the nursing home in the a.m.

Pray for rest tonight, and a great day tomorrow.

We’ll keep in touch with the school, returning before 3:30.  We’ll call the school when we leave Burnet and they’ll let you know via email an approximate time you can pick your student up.

If your student has a regular scheduled practice the coach will expect them to participate.  Otherwise your student will be free to go.

 

Thank you for allowing your student to come on this trip.  It has been an amazing time together with them.

A shout out to Jack Shackleford, Paul Glum and Liz Swamson. A great team leading this wonderful students.

Mrs. G

 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress… James 1:27

 

We Serve a Promise Keeping God

Sunday night

We serve a promise keeping God!

We had a great start to our trip.  The Little Town of Bethlehem is not starting until next week, so our alternate plan is Johnson City PEC and Courthouse lights.  BEAUTIFUL!  We had great fun taking pictures in the town square, taking a spin around the town on a hayride, ending with a team picture under the million lights of PEC. (check out Summit FB page)

Dinner at Subway and now we’re debriefing.  Our first devotional comes from Isaiah 9:6-7.  Isaiah is proclaiming the birth of the Savior that hasn’t come. Even though it was going to be some time before God send his son, Isaiah had no doubt that God would keep his promises.

Our prayer is that we will be a part of answering someone’s prayer these next 2 days.  God always keeps his promises, even though sometimes we don’t feel like he will.  He is faithful.

In the morning we will head to Hill Country Fellowship to work in their clothes closet.  We’ll be sorting and organizing for the church’s ministry to foster children.

Please pray that God will use every moment on this trip to draw us closer to Christ and to become closer as a class.

We are working on being aware of our surroundings and to not become a distraction to others but to be aware of others so we can be obedient to God calling us to be instant in season … at that moment … to become the hands and heart of Jesus!

Serving Him Together!

Mrs. G