Sad Day today

From Lisa...

Today I had to go and be with a family that we are supporting and listen to a judge remove their children from their home. Mom is very sick...dad is overwhelmed and they are very young parents. Very sad....but for their circumstances, the children needed to be somewhere else for a while so that mom and dad to get on their feet.
I feel sad...very sad today for them.

Peace,
Lisa

Death, Deteriorating Health and Divorce

From Lisa.....

Last week, I started working at one of our ministry centers to fill in while we look for a new director(the former went to another job). It had been a little while since I had been "hands on" all day with people who were in need...

First, I talked to Donna*, who was in distress because her mother, the matriarch of the family, had died a few months ago and she wasn't coping very well...I gave her some food, a few clothes and then we sat, she cried, I listened. We prayed.

Then there was Ruby*, who was a senior citizen, with a lot of health problems who couldn't work anymore and her social security checks were barely paying the bills...., she got some food, a few clothes and then we sat, she cried, I listened. We prayed.

Then there was Michelle* whose husband recently left her for another woman, leaving her to start all over with her child who is pre-adolescent. She was distraught... embarrassed that she had to ask for help(they were in ministry and always helped others), her car was sitting outside the center with a radiator hose loose and steam rolling out from under the hood. She was at her wits end...I gave her some clothes to job hunt, some food for the table and we sat, she cried, I listened. We prayed. One of the men had gone out and filled her radiator with water while we were talking and told her how to fix the hose that wouldn't take a lot of money. She looked relieved.

All three of these women came in with heavy burdens on their shoulders...all left with a lighter burden. One of the women said to me and a volunteer..."its good to know I am not alone. I might just make it."

Ecclesiastes 4:9a says "Two are better than one...."
It reminds me that we all need someone to listen sometimes. Sometimes not saying anything but just being there is very important. We always worry about what we need to say and sometimes retreat and leave the person stranded. Being present to someone...just listening..doing what you can and then giving them a hug and a prayer can mean more than we know.


Think on these things today.

The Roses 3

* I changed the names for confidential reasons.