Can Giving Really Make a Difference?
Growing up I was one of five kids in a single-family home. I remember the great impact giving has had in my life. I can distinctly remember a pivotal change happening one Christmas as a little girl. We were told that there just wasn’t money in the budget for Christmas gifts that year. My siblings and I woke up that Christmas morning not having any expectations. For us, it would be just another day and as we sat together in the living room watching cartoons, I remember hearing a knock at the door. As all of us looked toward the door, my mom opened it to find several garbage bags filled with wrapped gifts for all five of us. Not just one gift, but several gifts each with tags specifically addressed to each of us. In addition, there were grocery bags with food for a Christmas dinner.
That day made a huge impact on my life and I can say that the power of giving forever changed me.
It doesn’t matter what capacity I serve in, those whom I come alongside who have need, I will do whatever I can to make sure those needs are met and they are able to receive the joy giving brings. When it comes to youth ministry all of my kids will get to go to camps or go on missions trips, they will get a meal when we eat out, or a movie with everyone else, money or not! When bringing Christmas to kids in Mexico, each of them gets something special just for them. In addition, I ask the orphanages what holiday meal they would like to enjoy. Sometimes in the cold of winter, it’s an ice cream social, other times it’s a fresh chicken dinner with all the fixings (rice, beans, tortillas). I can remember one year Little Caesars was the hot commodity, every orphanage wanted pizza from there…I must have brought over 500 pizzas alone that Christmas.
The Power of Giving
At times I have had pushback when someone asks me if giving can really make a difference. During Covid, I went into Mexico alone to make sure the kids in the orphanages and at the dump still had a Christmas. It didn’t seem smart to bring a team in the middle of the pandemic, but I knew I still needed to go myself. So I loaded up my car with toys, blankets, food, and basic daily needs and headed off to Mexico. I remember getting to the dump city, a place where people are so poor they literally make their homes in and out of trash! They have absolutely nothing.
When I first got there I couldn’t see anyone around, it was a very cold day so I thought I would try to see if I could find anyone. As I timidly walked away from my car, as it is not the place to leave a car alone, I heard from a distance a woman yelling. As the voice got closer, I heard it saying, “You came, you actually came for us!” This sweet woman, shivering without a jacket, gave me a huge hug. She shared that due to COVID-19, they had stopped seeing groups come to help them, and she did not think I was going to come either. I told her that not even COVID could stop me, and I knew I was supposed to make sure they too had a Christmas. She was so excited, she went around the dump community and rounded up hundreds of people to come over to my car. There was so much joy in their hearts, and they were so grateful to receive the blankets, toys, and food.
When we see the needs of others and in some way can meet them, we are able to be a stable reminder in their lives that they are loved and matter, and for those born and raised in trash, we send the message that they are of great value and are not garbage. God gives us these opportunities all around us to be His hands and feet in this world. It wasn’t until this sweet lady shared this with me, did I realize just how contagious giving truly is, and although you might not think your helping isn’t substantial, for someone it speaks the message that they are remembered.
Planning for October
When it comes to our retreats, no one will ever not be able to come because of not having the money! I will go out and do whatever is needed to make sure the needs of others are met because I know these retreats are life-giving and life-changing. I have been so humbled and blessed by each of you who partner with us in making these retreats happen. So often everyone wants to give to the scholarship fund, which is so amazing to see! But any amount of giving is so important! It is what keeps these retreats affordable, and enables us to partner with some incredible people that help bring their expertise in a setting most would not be able to receive. As we gear up to do two retreats in the next couple of months, we are launching a giving campaign with the opportunity for you to help partner with us to meet our financial goal and underwrite the cost of these retreats.
Last year we hosted two retreats at the same time. This was to help with the cost and maximize our hours. Although the retreats were amazing, it was a lot for our small team to try to run back and forth between the two. We felt as if we couldn’t bring our best because we were all spread so thin. So this year, we are hosting two retreats back to back. This means double the cost, but we really feel that this will be necessary to create a more focused team where we can maximize our time with all attendees. As we continue to see the men’s Forge Retreat grow, we knew that this needed to happen.
So this year we will be hosting the Forge first, followed by the Beautifully Flawed women’s retreat. We are so excited as we draw near to them, and I know each person coming to these retreats will be exactly where they are supposed to be. Many of the men coming to the Forge are fresh into their limb loss. One just lost his arm a little over a month ago and has needed several surgeries since. So I know we are meeting them at the peak of their pain, and that this will help set them on target for healing, and purpose in the midst of their story.
The Beautifully Flawed retreat will follow with a group of girls who are all in different stages of life. Some are new to their trauma, and others are still trying to cope and navigate their new life. Each story is so tender, and yet I am so sure that this is exactly where they also are supposed to be. I love trusting these retreats to the Lord, because He gets to do the work, and we get to join Him on the beautiful journey.
As we launch this giving campaign, I ask that you prayerfully consider giving to help us cover the costs ahead. I also ask that as you see different needs met, that you keep an open mind to allocating to the needs that remain in the event the one you wanted to give to has been met. We believe transparency as an organization is everything, and I believe that is why we have seen God grow our organization. With that said, sometimes we have had people be bummed they couldn’t give to a certain area and chose not to give because of that. Every dollar given at whatever level is imperative for us to make these retreats possible. As an organization, 76.8% of our funds go directly into our programs, which is huge for being so small, but it is because our team sees this mission and ministry behind what we do, and we choose to donate much of our time to ensure we can make this all possible. We thank you for helping us in the midst of our journey. God is using you and we are grateful!
Mahalo to our 2022 Retreat Sponsors!
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