A new Friday

We have gone through another month and we celebrate the first Friday in December. Wow, we are just about to complete another year.

We have been praying for rain and we finally got some good soaking all day rain, unfortunately it was on Saturday. We made our rounds to find just a few who braved the storms to meet us. We were walking along the tracks to Turner's camp and a downpour came. Mr Scott, Ms Dawn and I, said our good byes to Turner from afar and ran back under the covering of the bridges. Sorry Turner. We had brought Turner a tarp a couple of weeks ago, so hopefully he was making use of it Saturday. As we pulled up to the Labor Ready stop, one of the regulars told a new guy, just wait, they will be here. The new guy didn't think we would be there with the rain happening. He doesn't know this crazy group of people - does he!

When we arrived back at the center, Ms Hat and Joey were busy preparing a Thanksgiving meal for some of the guys. As Joey and Hat shared, it was a great afternoon of fun, food and the best part, fellowship. We all have busy lives. It is always special when you can sit down together, enjoy a meal and get to know one another. That is where real community is begun and lasting relationships are formed. Thanks to all for being a part of this special time.

We had a good week of tutoring. Just the right amount of children for the number of tutors that come. When you are able to sit down with a child, listen to them, have a conversation with them, you begin to learn their stories. You begin to understand what trials they are facing, hear about their dreams and get to know them a little bit better. When we get to know them and they get to know us, an authentic community is being formed.

I had been carrying around some stuff in my truck and thought we needed a community bulletin board. I mentioned that to Krysten and as of Tuesday, we now have a community bulletin board in the community room. We put Gus's newspaper article up there, Ms Ruby's obituary and our upcoming men's Bible study. This might be a great tool for the community in sharing what is going on in the community.

I arrived early Thursday afternoon at the center and found Ms Patty in the garden. For those of you who have not heard, Ms Patty presented a proposal to the guild of Master Gardeners and she was awarded $1500. Our gardens are now a part of the city wide community gardens. Whenever there is an event hosted by the Master Gardeners we will be a part of that. I just lvoe walking around the grounds and listening to the excitement in Ms Patty's voice talking about her dreams for the gardens. The monies she received will go towards the clearing of some trees along the back of the gardens, so new fruit trees can be planted. In the near future, we will have the very first Cedar Grove orchard! How amazing is that! Ms Patty had a young man volunteer his services in order to complete his Eagle Scout project and now the flower beds are complete with their very own irrigation system. Ms Patty says, can't wait until next spring, we will be able to feed the whole neighborhood! Ms Patty has great plans for the gardens and God is working in her to allow all of it to come true. Walk through the gardens the next time you are at the center, hopefully Ms Patty will be there and listen to God at work.

We had a nice group join us for our community meal. Being the first of the month, the numbers were small, but for me, I like that. You are able to sit down and relax and spend time with the folks and listen to their stories. They have such great stories, it is always a blessing to be a part of that.

We had our Bible study following the meal. Joey led us in the reading of Acts 23. We commented about the boldness of Paul. Paul was so full of the Holy Spirit, he would antagonize the leaders by telling them what was on his heart. Not wavering from his purpose of sharing the Good News. Can't we have the same boldness? What would it take for us to have the heart of Paul? What would it look like?

Prayer concerns expressed were for Mr Scott L and recovering from  a cold from the Haiti trip. William, for the continued struggle with the addiction of alcohol. Hat's husband's procedure Friday morning. The Silent Auction of the Grace youth this weekend.

We had a chance to visit with John Sauls and Dr Phil about their Haiti experiences. You could see their faces light up as they began to share the stories. Hopefully we will all get a chance to listen to their adventures in the near future.

Upcoming events this week. We will have our first community men's Bible study Tuesday evening in the chapel. We are hoping it will be more than a study, but a chance to build relationships with each other. We also will have a Board meeting on Tuesday. U 2 Saturday will be on the 10th. Also we will have Brookwood join us on Saturday.

What a blessing to be a part of this community and have the opportunity to see God at work in so many of you. Amazing things happen every day, little things that change your attitude or focus into what it should be. We all have hectic lives, especially this time of year, but wouldn't it be cool to stop by, sit down with a child, maybe read a book, walk through the garden, give a hug, listen to a story, hand out a meal, give a bag of groceries away, read the Bible, pray together, visit a friend under a bridge. Guaranteed to change your life and receive a blessing beyond what you can imagine.

Hope you all have a great weekend. God is good. Amen.