Last time I blogged about Scott and Debbi was way back in February. There are so many updates. God has been so present in all of our lives in the last few months.
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When I was asking for donations and advertising for the Craft Sale, I just told people I was going to use the money to help some needy families that I had met volunteering. I didn't know exactly what it would go towards, but prayed God would show me.
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About two weeks after the Sale, I was home one Sunday morning when Debbi called me to ask for help in getting groceries that week. Scott had been taken to the ER by ambulance and they had to use their grocery money for the week to be seen at the hospital. I packed up some sandwiches for Debbi to have to eat while she was waiting at the hospital and I spent the day with them as Scott was diagnosed with appendicitis and had an emergency surgery to remove his appendix. I shared with them about the Kingdom Assignment and was able to buy them groceries for the week along with emotional support for Debbi as she anxiously waited through Scott's surgery. We had such good conversations and I knew that I was experiencing the kingdom of God that day.
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Thankfully Scott recovered quickly and was released the next day. I gained insight into both Scott and Debbi's health issues during the hospital stay, and I knew I wanted to use some more of the Kingdom Assignment money to help them be seen at Christ Community Health Clinic, where my sweet friend Meredith is a nurse. They were able to receive affordable healthcare and prescriptions to get them both back on track and feeling better than they had in at least a year. I had not considered that the medications they each need were on the long list of things they couldn't afford.
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Scott was able to get back to work after about a week off, and that time without pay put them in an even tighter spot for groceries. As I had these opportunities to help Scott and Debbi with groceries, money, and rides, I shared with some of my coworkers that the money raised at the Craft Sale was helping to provide for some important needs. One lady told me about an organization called Angel Food Ministries that provides a box of groceries at a very reasonable price once a month to anybody. She also brought some extra laundry detergent for me to share with Scott and Debbi. I have helped Scott and Debbi get some of their groceries through Angel Food the last couple of months and it is a great way to help their money go further.
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Debbi and Scott have been incredibly grateful toward me and God for they ways they have been helped. Debbi has offered to pay me back on multiple occasions, and I have explained that the money was raised to help them, not straight from my checking account. I have encouraged them to help someone else when they have the stability to give.
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One day after we had this conversation Debbi called me and she was very excited. One of her neighbors had broken apart a wooden table for the metal pieces to exchange them for some money and Debbi overheard his wife say, "Well now where are we going to get food." So Debbi went outside and asked if he was looking for metal and when he said yes, she invited him to the back of their house where she had two crates full of about $10 worth of metal scraps. She told me, "It felt SO good to help them! Now I know how you feel when you help others."
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My last day of work before I move and start MTR was a couple of weeks ago. My coworkers surprised me with a potluck (breakfast and lunch!) and a group of ladies got together to get me a Hobby Lobby Gift Card for $100 to continue my Kingdom Assignment. Their thoughtfulness is such an encouragement to me. I already have some new craft projects up my sleeve... but that is another post.
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There have been more answered prayers in the last couple of weeks for Scott and Debbi. Their utilities had been turned off again this spring, and last Monday they were turned back on because Scott's boss gave them a personal loan. The weather was so HOT and humid last week... I know that was such a relief for them. Also, Debbi has had some answered prayers in getting a job. She had one at a fast food restaurant that didn't work out, but this is her second week at another job with a dollar store. It is a much better fit for her, and has been a boost to her morale. I remember how hard it was for me last summer to be without a job.
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I have seen God move in my life in increasing my passion to do something bigger than help Scott and Debbi have healthcare and enough to eat for a few months. These experiences have shown me first hand how important it is to him to dramatically improve education in the worst neighborhoods of Memphis. Money is not a long term fix to help people like Scott and Debbi, but education and relationships are. I have also learned from Scott and Debbi how little they really need to survive and I am very humbled when I start to compare their standards with my own "needs."
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