#16 Surprise Volunteers
Although I did not get a blog update out last week, it was no less a sweet time of fellowship with our friends at PV, our favorite place to spend Saturday mornings. This morning was, perhaps, even sweeter, though.
With Shawn out of town today, I was concerned there would be no one to go with me to PV. Not that I thought I would have been putting myself in danger to have gone alone, I still decided that if no one else could come to PV with me, I would go with one of the other teams to another site. So, last night, I reached out to Jonathan who oversees the Adopt-a-Block ministry - which, by the way, is the official name of our Saturday morning service. He said some of the Dream Center Church youth group members and leader would be able to join me, along with a married couple who had signed up to serve. I was thrilled God provided some volunteers so I could still go to PV!
Well, God did much more than that! A bride-to-be and her bridesmaids showed up, too! The soon-to-be-bride wanted to spend her bachelorette party serving others, so the team of young ladies decided on Adopt-a-Block with the Dream Center Church and just showed up unexpectedly! And such a kind and unassuming group of Christian ladies. I was grateful they wanted to come with us to PV! So, God grew my team of one (me) to a team of about 16!! And it was a wonderful time!
The youth group knocked on doors and prayed with people, and then invited them to church offering to pick them up in the morning and bring them back afterwards. The rest of us, along with our PV friends who were waiting for us to arrive, set up the tables and gave stuff away. I introduced the married couple to some of our friends who came by, and then five of the bridal girls and I went to visit D. and his roommates. D. is the man who lost part of his leg earlier this year. The incision has completely healed, and we are praying the orthopedist clears him Friday to move forward with getting a prosthetic leg.
As we were cleaning up to leave, one of the bridal party girls, touched by the interactions with the PV community, asked me if she could come again. I am sure you can guess my response. I told her, “Of course!” and that she could join us as often as she wants. She hugged me goodbye and said, “See you soon.” I truly hope she does return. A very sweet young lady - as they all were.
It was just really cool to see how God worked it all out so our friends at PV could still get a visit from us today. I brought a bunch of shampoos, soaps, toilet paper, and other hygiene essentials along with clothes. They were graciously received.
For this next Saturday, I want to bring some food, as that seems to be a real need among some of the residents. I try to get items that do not require perishable ingredients. For example, a box of mac & cheese requires butter and milk. So, microwaveable mac & cheese is what I would bring. If you would like to help supply these needs this week, soup, canned stew, canned chili, fruit cups (a big hit), spaghetti sauce & noodles, and other such items would be great. You can leave them on my front patio any time, or we can arrange for me to pick them up from your house Monday, Wednesday afternoon/evening, or Friday morning. Or, you can bring them yourself and come with us Saturday 😉. And if you give me your receipt and address, I will get you reimbursed.
Thank you for all your support!! You are blessing God’s loved ones downtown. In fact, because of some of your amazing donations, we were able to provide a bunch of kids’ clothes for the Spanish community that one of the Adopt-a-Block teams visits, as well. Thank you!
Holly