Kingdom Assignment Update

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."

Lamplighter Article

About a month ago, we finally reported back to Neighborhood Church about how we completed our Kingdom Assignments. It was so wonderful to hear the stories and see that the impact the assignment made is continuing to expand. I was asked to write an article for the Lamplighter, the Cooper Young newspaper, to share about the assignment and it came out this week. The article has Mandy's name as the author, but I did indeed write it:)

Enjoy!

[Coming soon is an update on Scott and Debbi and the stories that I didn't cover in the article.]


The $100 Challenge

On a cold January night, ten people at Neighborhood Church were each given $100 and an assignment. They were instructed to manage, multiply, and invest the money in some way that advances God's Kingdom in the world. And they were to report back in three months. Pastor of the church and Philadelphia Avenue resident Robert Grisham had heard about other churches undertaking a similar challenge as they studied the Parable of the Ten Minas (or Parable of the Talents), so during his sermon series on "God's Economy", he asked these ten people to be creative and follow God's lead in serving others with the money. In the parable, a group of servants is given an amount of money to steward. Some invest and multiply their gifts while others hoard it away. In the end, those who invested and multiplied were rewarded abundantly, but those who had essentially stashed it under the mattress had it taken away. So, the question was, how would members of Neighborhood Church do with the same challenge?

Nelson Avenue resident Josh Spickler, a lawyer, knew from experience in the public defender's office that the minimum bond to get a person released from jail is $100. And more importantly, he knew that if no one had shown up with that small sum to get you released, you were truly at rock bottom. Using his knowledge of the court system and his professional skills he chose to use his money to bond out a complete stranger who'd been sitting at 201 Poplar for a little too long on a minor charge. Josh's plan was to represent the person in court and engage them in a relational way to help them get back on their feet. Because of Josh's deft legal wrangling, the man was actually released without having to pay the bond. Although he ended up spending the money on a charity instead of on his client, the $100 challenge inspired this Neighborhood Church member to reach out and help someone no one else would.

Virginia Boyd used her money on supplies for crafts to sell at a bake sale her company was hosting. After advertising that the funds raised were going to help some families she had met volunteering with Idlewild Presbyterian's More Than A Meal, some of her coworkers donated their own crafts to sell. Not only was Virginia was able to triple her money, but she also engaged her coworkers in helping beyond the craft sale. Together, they gathered donations of laundry detergent and researched organizations that could help the families further. Some of her coworkers even became interested in volunteering at More Than A Meal.

Not everyone decided to go it alone. Kristi Vickers and Paula Peyton, two friends who work together at a photography studio, decided to continue their relationship with a shelter for victims of domestic violence for which the studio had conducted donation drives in the past. Instead of having a traditional drive, this time they wanted to do something personal for the families at the shelter. Kristi and Paula invited them to come be photographed at the studio. They visited with a few mothers and their children and not only took their photographs, but also gave each child an Easter basket overflowing with goodies. While most of the $100 went toward treats for the Easter baskets, it was clear that having a family portrait was the most valuable part of this ministry for the moms that were served.

Not all of the money stayed in the Memphis area, though. A few people were led to use their money to reach across the world. Amy Smith put up her money for a small business loan in Afghanistan through Kiva (www.kiva.org). Kiva connects individual lenders with low income people across the world who need a small loan to start or improve their business. The loans, which have an extraordinarily high repayment rate, are typically repaid within a year, meaning that Amy will be able to continue to use her Kingdom Assignment money to invest for years to come.

Everyone was amazed by the unique and wonderful ways this assignment enabled them to give. The most important part of each of the ten stories was not the money, but the relationships that were built and strengthened because people stepped out to help. Some of the money was invested in neighbors and organizations right here in Midtown and some was sent across the world to India, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and China. Some people invested in old relationships and some in brand new. Some people used their skills and talents and others invested in other people. Some people know exactly what their money helped to do and others have entrusted someone else to use the money. Though each aspect of the giving process was different, one thing was the same - everyone was changed and challenged to do more with their resources of time, talents, and money after this experience. They hope their experiences encourage the entire community to give what they have to share.

Scott and Debbi

I keep referring to this couple that I met through volunteering at More than a Meal. I should have used their names all along because our stories are just beginning to be intertwined. God has blessed me tremendously through the time we have spent together. I met them last summer when I started volunteering, and found common ground because Debbi and I were both pursuing jobs at that time. They didn't show up for about two months, and I had no idea why or how to get in touch with them.

When they came one week in October or November, we picked right back up and they were surprised I knew exactly how many weeks it had been since I had seen them, and they rejoiced with me in that I had gotten my job with Kele. We exchanged phone numbers in case I heard of any job openings Debbi might be qualified for. That day they also shared with me that times were so hard that their utilities had been turned off. I did some research to see if their health problems might enable them to get help with their utilities and called them with the information, but then probably 6-8 weeks passed that I didn't hear from them or see them at More than A Meal.

In early January the temperatures got down into the single digits and teens for an extended period of time, so the government and utility company turned utilities back on to try to help save lives. In one day 3 people died because it was so cold, so the government stepped up to stop that number from growing. At this point I called the number Scott and Debbi had given me to check on them and make sure they had their utilities turned back on. I left a message, and the next day Scott called me back from a different number. He told me that they had run out of minutes, but he was calling me from work. I was elated that he had a job, and glad to hear they had utilities. He is working for a company he worked for years ago as a technician for copy machines and they have taken good care of him. Their truck had died, so the company has been giving him a ride to a from work. He was just working as a contract employee, but that enabled them to pay on their utility bill, so their utilities would not have to be turned back off.

I finally talked with Debbi the next week once she had gotten a new phone with minutes, and I offered to come and pick her up and take her to lunch on a Saturday so we could catch up a little bit. I also offered to pick them both up on my way to More than A Meal, since their lack of transportation was stopping them from getting there. I got to treat them to Back Yard Burgers and take them to the Grocery Store that Saturday where they could get everything they needed since we had my car to load up with their groceries.

I have learned so much about them during these little trips in my car the last few weeks. Debbi lived in England and Germany while her dad was in the military, and although they have known each other for 30 years, they have only been married for 5. Scott loved her all along and just waited as she dated around and even married another man.

I'm still overflowing with joy over my time with them last week. I went to pick them up, and Debbi was alone. She got in my car and I asked, "Where's Scott?" thinking he was running late from work and we could wait on him. She handed me two chocolates with the name of the company he works for on them and said, "Scott is now a full time permanent employee!" Woohoo! I told her we needed to celebrate with ice cream. So, we stopped for some ice cream on the way home, and although I had many things to do to prepare for the Bake Sale the next day, I could NOT pass up celebrating with them.

While we were eating our ice cream, Scott suggested that Debbi get me to look over her resume that she is taking to a job fair next week. I was able to look over it and give her some helpful tips that I have learned through my long job search process, and I can't stop thanking God for the opportunity to help her in that way.