Want to Help?

My husband tells me I don't do a very good job of putting our needs out there.

It is a fine line.

I see the ministry posts on Facebook all the time. I need...I want...Can you...

And my feeling is: If God is in it, He will provide...

So what is OUR part?

I've literally had a need and gone to the mailbox to find an unexpected check before. So I know sometimes you don't have to do ANYTHING.

And then there are times (like last Friday) when I asked about getting someone a pair of glasses and was given a voucher to pay for them.

So there's a line there and despite my fear that social media is crossing that line, I am going to list some needs with some updates, including the THREE families that went from homeless to housed YESTERDAY!

Katie: My little baby's mama! Finally in an apartment. Power won't be on until Monday but a friend and local hotel owner is giving them a free room for the week-end and they will finally have their own place by Monday. I will worry a lot less about baby Kylie now. We are paying rent and utilities but they only have sporadic income for all other needs. Needs: crib, pots and pans, dishes, basic kitchen staples, toiletry items, cleaning supplies, diapers, wipes.

Gail: A new lady I met a couple of months ago who has been coming to church on Sundays. She needs a lot more help than just a new place, but her new apartment is a start. We are paying rent and utilities for her as well but she has no income while waiting on disability. Needs: living room furniture, dining table, pots and pans, toiletries, cleaning supplies, household decor (these low-income apartments need a little TLC and a lot of color to become HOMES), small area rugs, tv antenna, feminine hygiene products, food, cards of encouragement (Contact me for *real* name and address)

Shandra: Signed the lease yesterday on her new apartment. Some physical issues and family problems landed her in shelters for the last three years but she receives a disability check AND has been walking a mile to work three days a week for the last two months. (She says that after becoming temporarily paralyzed in 2011, she thanks God for every step she takes while walking to work.) Her birthday is Monday, her move-in date. Needs: household decor, dining table, dishes, pots and pans. (She is able to do a little more because she has some income and we are paying rent and utilities.)

I'd like to get to a point where I have huge baskets of "Move-In Supplies" (broom, mop, cleaning items, pots, pans, pot holders, etc.) but for now, we are just scrounging! I can get clothing vouchers but these organizations will not let them use the vouchers for household items.

I also have a huge need for funds for IDs and birth certificates. Baby Kylie is 4 months old today and I just discovered, without a birth certificate because it costs $15. (That changed since the 90's!) I'm mailing her form off Monday with a check. I paid out of my own pocket for three ids yesterday because they couldn't move in without them. This is a big hindrance on the streets.

If you have items to donate, please let me know.

If you wish to make a donation, either earmarked specifically for one of these ladies or for general use, please make a check out to: Power Ministries, 14701 Lily Orchard Rd. Moss Point, MS 39562...

Oh, and my BIGGEST need: I NEED A PASSENGER VAN!! I had people on the floor yesterday because my 8-seater isn't big enough! But the worst part was telling some the siblings of a young boy who'd been to church that I couldn't pick them up as well because (even with another car helping me) I didn't have enough room to add more people. It broke my heart and I'll admit, I did the "See? You KNOW this ain't right.." shoulder shrug to my Father when I drove off!

Here's the deal: There are people who think you should help the homeless with everything they need because they are less fortunate than you. Then there are those who think you shouldn't help them at all because they aren't helping themselves.

I used to get mad at both groups. Because they were both wrong.

But there also both right.

Again, it is a fine line.

One only visible through the eyes of the Lord.

My job is not to make it easier for them to stay on the streets. My job is to be a light, to witness, to help when I can, and to provide the tools they need to get out of their current situation. To provide the encouragement they need to WANT out of their current situation. If addiction is the reason they are homeless, then let's deal with the addiction. If it is depression, then let's work through that.

The bottom line is, I'm not helping "the homeless" of the world.

I'm helping individuals.