God Can Use A Hotdog

There have definitely been moments when Glenn and I look at each other and say, "Is any of this making a difference? I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall."

Change does not come swiftly or easily. We often watch people take 2 steps forward and 2 steps back.  (I apologize to all of you now singing Paula Abdul's memorable hit). We are in a season where God is allowing us to see the fruit of some of the labor. I don't want it to pass by without taking note and encouraging others who have been a part of planting seeds through prayer, volunteering or donating.

Sometime I feel like a broken record asking for money or donations. I was never that person. I have always prided myself on being independent. I had a job and was able to pay my bills. Now we live completely in dependence on God and He often provides through others. So I thought I'd share where it all goes and why it all matters.

If you read my Facebook posts, you know that recently a young girl in the neighborhood knocked on our door one Tuesday night to ask for prayer. This is a girl who we know, usually has a defensive demeanor, sometimes walks right past you without responding to your, "hello." To see her at our front door was a shock. The request for prayer was even more shocking.  She didn't want to put in a prayer request for later, but stuck out her hands and asked me to pray with her in that moment on our front porch. Thank you for providing a porch for prayer and a door that can receive those knocks.

The next day, I went to the book store and bought her a teen girls devotional and some christian fiction novels. You should have seen the look on her face. Pure joy. That same girl knocked on our door Sunday night to tell me she had a good time at the block party and we sat on the back porch and talked for 45 minutes about life, God, the devotionals and she asked me to be her mentor. Thank you for providing the books.

Every Sunday we gather in our yard and have youth group from 3-5. Children from ages 1-16 come and play, hear the Word of God, eat, listen to positive music and lately even some of the mom's and grandmothers have started attending. The activities in the yard and a simple meal provide a safe place for kids/families to land and spend time together. Mom's are interacting and playing with their kids which is an answer to prayer in so many ways. Thank you for providing the picnic tables, the hotdogs and other food, the jump ropes, crafts and more.

On any given day after school or on the weekends, we open up our back door to find kids playing basketball behind our house. Before our court was built, kids would walk up and down the street bouncing a ball, playing IN the street with cars speeding by and there was no safe place for them to do something they love. Thank you for the basketball court and the balls. This has been one of our biggest outreach tools.

Whenever students are with us, we have a standard rule that we all sit down together around a table for a meal. We turn off or put away any electronic devices. We hold hands and prayer together and we engage with each other over the meal. Thank you for the table. Thank you for the meals and the opportunity to instill this value in them that they might do the same in their own families someday.

Men love a fire. Every monday night men from our neighborhood as well as all over Savannah gather around a fire pit to study the scriptures together, challenge, encourage and pray for one another. I'm not allowed to attend but the men all say it is such a great fellowship time to be open and honest about their struggles and receive prayer, support and guidance from God's Word. This has also been an excitement for the neighborhood kids! Many of them have roasted their first marshmallow or had their first smore here! Thank you for the fire pit and the benches.

It has taken awhile, but we have finally instilled in some of our students the importance of doing your homework and trying your best on projects. Good grades are possible. Parents have come over and asked for help finding a job online or a place to live. Thank you for providing computers that can be used in these endeavors.

Transportation is an issue for many of our families. Most people rely on the bus system or friends/family to get them from point A to point B. If we put the issue of transportation on families, our options would be limited in what we could do. We do everything from picking up from school, delivering donations, taking kids to mentoring, taking kids to church, helping families move. Thank you for the donation of a vehicle and the gas that goes in it. We fill up at LEAST 2 times a week sometimes every other day depending on the season. We have outgrown our current vehicle so we are praying for and additional van or mini bus. Add that to your prayer list please :)

The Dream Campaign started in Atlanta. We have several students there with whom we keep in contact. One of those kids wanted to come and see us before he goes to TN to do job corp, get his diploma and start college. He bought him a bus ticket to spend a week with us. The first 24 hours here has provided us with answered prayers for two years. His desire this week is to understand salvation and what living for God means in his life. Thank you for the bus ticket, the meals while he is here and for investing in a dream two years ago to introduce these students to Christ and help them pursue God's dreams for their lives.

As you can imagine, we go through lots of plates, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. Thank you for making me feel like it was Christmas when all of the boxes and bags arrived filled with these items to stock up our supply for a few months so that money could be freed up in other ways.

Our ministry is not just to kids but to their families. We have been fortunate to work with a single mom who is fighting for the best interest of her children. She has been baptized recently, is moving this week and starting over with her kids after a pretty trying year and she is SEEKING God, the fellowship of believers and learning that God will never forsake her. She is yielding, learning, bending and struggling well. We are trying to affirm her and show that when she does the right thing, people want to help and encourage her. That there is a big body of family that is now hers who will stand in the gap. We are hopefully moving her into an apartment by Friday that is a little more than she is used to paying, but it is a step in the right direction for her family. A nurse is tutoring her to get her CNA license and she is being discipled by Christian women. She is actively involved in her kids lives and is partnering with us in every way to show that support to them. Thank you for helping with the overage of her new rent, furniture, food, prayers and support. When words and actions match up to the Word of God there is No greater testament to the church. Lives are changing.

Every week there are adults that pick up students and give them one hour of undivided attention. We call this mentoring. They do homework, play games, get ice cream, shoot hoops, color, etc. We get the see the smiles of these kids when they know its mentoring day. We get to hear them tell the other kids, "Hey! You need to get a mentor." We get to watch some of their hardness melt away over time because know they are special! Thank you to those who sacrifice that one hour which pays off in such big ways. You truly are making a difference in the lives of our students.

There are a lot of "Firsts" for our kids. A big one here in savannah is their first baseball game! The excitement of seeing their first home run or getting a fly ball is definitely an unforgettable moment!
Thank you for the tickets!

I could go on and on about summer opportunities, free lunches, tutoring, camps, etc, but I hope you see that all of you are a part of what God is doing. Everything from finances to prayers are important. The encouragement that you give me and Glenn is so appreciated. The reminder that we are not alone and that there are others who see the vision.

We have committed our lives to serving the Lord full time, with or without a pay check. When you provide the physical needs for us to do ministry the biggest gift you give us is availability to say, "Yes" in a moments notice. Glenn has been able to homeschool a little boy 4 days a week who may not otherwise have an option. I am sometimes speechless when I reflect on the past few years. Tears of gratitude fill my eyes when I fully realize that God can use even a hotdog to show His love and provide an opportunity to engage with those he puts in our path.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please fill out the volunteer application HERE

Blessings,
Morgan