and watch it grow.....

pics: me and lori-the assistant site admin while i served. my buddy for life!
beth and lori2- the gals running the show and kicking butt if i must say so myself.
just a glimpse at the families there-and look! ronald mcdonald!
this weekend has been one of growth in so many ways.....

*saturday morning was HOPEchest. this is where newhope gives free clothes to the community. the weather has been less than awesome lately (but praise Him for the rain!), so we had to move the tables indoors. the fact people could see us from the street when we were outdoors and would stop, was our way of being sure those clothes would go home with others. well, to God, it doesn't matter if you are indoors or out-HE makes it happen and will send those people to you! we had at least 200 if not more people come through those doors. there were so many clothes-it was ridiculous, and more clothes just kept coming! i met and chatted with so many families and of course stood on the street corner to direct people to us! but tina and michelle get the street corner awards, that's for sure!

we had translators there this year, which helped tremendously. thank you to all the volunteers who came out to set up, organize clothes, pass out bags, smile and greet everyone who entered, tear down, clean up, make goodies, and donate clothes. just touching on what curtis shared in church yesterday and everything we do being worship-- i hope to see a lot more of you out there in the fall. we definitely could use more volunteers. i just showed up to help out, but the work that just a couple did all by themselves was too much in my opinion. yes, keep donating the clothes!!!! but you are not above serving these people. get off your bums on a dreary saturday morning and serve someone other than yourself. there. i said it.

matthew 25 is VERY specific when he talks of the sheep and goats. v.35-36 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
v. 45-46 (and here is the kicker) "He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. " Sure, skip that part if you want to because it doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy.

* sunday morning curtis preached, and he brought it. it was nice to hear what has been heavy on my heart for so long put into more eloquent words. if you were there, i hope it challenged or even convicted you. if you weren't there-check out the podcast. from one of my fave songs "hosanna", it goes on to say "break my heart for what breaks yours, everything i am for your kingdom's cause". are we really in tune for what breaks the heart of the Father? challenge. convict.

* michelle hogue and shanna ten-clay are moving away. it's hard for me not to be selfish because our body will be losing 2 of it's most outreach minded families we've ever had. not only did they know what the Word says, the DID it. shanna was a great leader for our missions/outreach team. but i will watch them grow........ as the hogues move to texas for curtis to work in a prison ministry and for shanna to move to davis, california to use those skilled hands God has blessed her with and to no doubt enable outreach out there as well. no one will fully know how much these women have served, and i can't thank them enough for challenging me to grow in that aspect.

* speaking of shanna and growing....her tummy is growing! she is 15 weeks along, due in october with their first baby! so the word is out :) congrats!!!!

* i planted flowers in my garden (well seeds) for the first time in my life. i have never planted a seed before. it was actually really cool. i planted 3 different kinds, one for each of my kids. they helped spread the seeds. i have no clue what i am doing. i just followed the directions and am hoping for the best, to watch them grow!

* i attended the 3rd birthday bash for my baby, TriangleMommies. um yeah, i was fighting back tears pretty much the whole time because i cannot believe where God has taken this group!!!! there were over 200 families there-at least 600 people. we even have bojangles and mcdonald's there donating all the food and some drinks! the prizes/raffles were crazy. suzanne, the one who secured all those donations said that businesses were coming to her to donate. the community wants to be part of this movement that is providing free support to thousands of moms in the triangle. i am so proud of the women who are volunteering to keep this group going-they are doing a phenomenal job. they have taken it places i never dreamed possible. i guess a good leader knows when to delegate, right? haha. it was incredible to meet all those families. i love them all! TM sure is growing!

* lastly, i really enjoy watching my friends grow as individuals, especially in their faith. i'm calling out leah and heather and thanking them for sharing their growth with me. they may not see it, but God is always doing a work in them...and they are growing!!!!