Compassionate Ministries Stories |
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Walking with God may not always take you to where you pictured yourself going, but you will end up EXACTLY where you should be.August 2009 Mrs. Sutterfield noticed Moldova when her church began to sponsor 200 children in the orphanages there. The weather is very cold and harsh there, and the government has very little revenue to spend on orphans and hospitals. Following a trip there God led her to start using her talents to help the children. She began to sew and knit things for them and mailed them these clothes in care packages. Eventually the stipulations from Moldova government regarding donations to the orphans became very strict and school supplies were the only thing they could receive. After this she visited the Dominican Republic and realized that they were faced with the opposite weather issue…Unbearable HEAT. There were many children running around the streets wearing no clothes at all. In January of this year God led her to start clothing the children there. She is now putting together matching short outfits for the children. Once a month she comes to our store and we donate some of the clothing needed to complete the outfits. She said God has closed the doors on many of the things she “thought” she should be doing, but then new doors open toward the direction He wants her to go. How often does it happen that the future that you believe to be yours is not the same one that God has pictured for you? Several weeks after this was written she came in the store grinning. She told me that God had opened another door and that she was so excited. This is one example of someone doing something that changes the world one outfit at a time. I pray that we can each search ourselves and seek His face so that we can use our gifts and talents for His purpose and His glory. Volunteering… “I knew I was in trouble when they gave me a key AND an alarm code!”June 2009 This segment we are going to give one of our volunteer’s stories. This is about a lady who is a retired school teacher who loved to be involved with her students, and instilled a sense of community and responsibility in them. She taught them to donate time, money, clothing, and food to the different ministries in the area to take care of others less fortunate than themselves. One of her desires was that when she retired she would be able to serve in the community. In June of 2005 she was faced with colon cancer. She then went through surgery and chemotherapy which was followed by nine months of serious health problems. This was a changing point in her life that made her realize that the school and programs that she was involved in went on even though she wasn’t able to. She prayed for God’s direction, and then was given an opportunity to serve in the community. Sitting in Sunday school she responded to a request for volunteers given from the Thrift store. She met with Mrs. Jennifer, and she told me she knew she was in trouble when she received a key AND an alarm code. It started with volunteering once a week for a few hours. Then in November of 2006 she committed to Wednesdays helping to set up the store and get things started. Then the store opened for a trial run and she found she loved the interaction with the people and the responses from them receiving items at a great price. In March of 2007 she came to the director and brought up the fact that many of the clothes were stained and torn. Then she asked to pull those from the rack to make room for more…..and this is where it all kicks into full blast. She was taken to the Green House, our donation center, and she began the huge task of sorting the clothes. There were 2 tractor trailers left over from Katrina donations that needed to be sorted and priced. We organized a system and made a way for the sorting to happen. Now she has claimed the title, “The Queen of Sorts” for the speed and intensity she has while volunteering and sorting those clothes. She organizes and prepares for two Sunday school classes and several volunteers each month to come and tag clothing. She leads people to come and give their time and donations to the ministry. Three of the faithful volunteers that come consistently every Tuesday to tag or hang clothing are: Sue Green, Julia Sers, and Candy Mock. Now she works 3 days a week and does all of the clothing sorting. She has become a permanent fixture that we all adore and has learned a lot from this. Tips she gave: This lady I am speaking of is Ms.Gail Sumrall! Fulfilled, committed, and content was her summary of her time here. When she retired there were several things she had always wanted to be a part of, but for now she finds joy in being exactly where she feels God has called her.
From the Flame’s GraspJune 2009 Early one morning a local mother and father were ripped from their beds as they became entangled by a thick smoke and blistering heat caused by their home being engulfed by flames. The fire started and they immediately rushed from the house with the father grabbing one of his daughters on the way out. He was rushing back to the house to retrieve his second daughter when his wife quickly got his attention. They then remembered the fact that the second daughter had stayed the night with her grandparents. As soon as they came to this realization they looked up to see that the roof was caving in at the same time the father would have been entering their home. The family made it out in the nick of time, but then they were faced by the hardship of not having anything to their name except the clothes on their back. Later that day the family was referred to us from the Red Cross. When we learned about the family’s situation we were then able to help them with some necessities needed for starting over. The family’s church also assisted them in other ways, and between the two we were able to help get them back on their feet. God spared their lives and placed people in their path to help them along the way. Why the family had to lose their home to fire we may never know, but we can still live with the knowing that God uses all things together for His good.
Holding our tongues…April 2009 The other day I was working the register here at the thrift store. One of our customers approached me about some of our items and seemed really angry when I informed her that we don’t negotiate on our prices. She began to get more and more frustrated with me then she walked away. When she finally showed to checkout her attitude had not gotten any better. I have held my tongue, for a reason unknown even to myself, throughout all of this. I am frustrated during this whole encounter with her. At the end of the transaction I still have not spoken except that which I am forced to speak to finish the exchange. She looked down (at this point I notice a newspaper clip in her purse that appears to be an obituary) and began to weep openly. Then came the apology, “I am so sorry… this is mourning shopping. I have just left a funeral and I am so sorry for how I have treated you.” How foolish would I have felt if I had lost my composure? We never know what is driving someone to act the way that they are, but occasionally it pays not to jump to conclusions. Each day is a choice for each of us to treat others with respect or not to. To be the light in the darkness, or to add more burdens when people are already crawling. We pray that this place can be a place where healing happens and peace can overcome adversity.
Faith…even when things seem lostApril 2009
Testimony—New to the AreaMarch 2009 A family recently moved to our city from out of state. They were new here and were looking for a place to plant their roots and serve God. They have been to several churches in the area, and didn’t feel welcome at any of them. When she came to our store she engaged in conversation with one of the people involved with the ministry. In the process of the conversation it came out that she was previously involved in a similar ministry in her hometown, and she showed interest in volunteering here. Now she has become one of our precious volunteers and is planning on attending church here with her family. This ministry has a kind of two-fold purpose. One is to offer people an outlet for their old or unused items in their house, and to offer it to others at a low price. Then using the proceeds to help people with fires or domestic abuse referred here from several agencies. The second purpose is to allow people a place to minister, and offer others that may not go to church a place to be ministered to. The idea is to meet their physical needs to open a doorway to their spiritual needs. We would like to offer thanks to all of the people that have given time or donations. This allows the advancement of God’s kingdom, and people’s lives are better because you are willing to give.
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