Today I want to share about what we've done so far for Outreach Night
and then tomorrow... to keep this from being waayyyy too long...
I'll offer some other options, ideas and suggestions.
This is sweet Brenda... it was her night and she chose to have us paint
the living room of a single mom... how cool is that?
This opportunity took the meaning of Outreach to new heights!
We got lots of exercise that night as well as lots of laughter...
and we even had a couple of other gals come join in the fun!
And at the end of the evening... here we are...
a little paint in our hair but a lot of joy in our hearts...
the joy that comes from serving others... and being blessed because of it!
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Our second Outreach evening was Deb's and we spent it cleaning
and helping to organize a new facility for Options 360...
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xoxoxo
Karla
and then tomorrow... to keep this from being waayyyy too long...
I'll offer some other options, ideas and suggestions.
Again... one of the most wonderful aspects of this new format was the desire each woman had to take ownership and that has been most evident in the Outreach. I think that happened for a couple of reasons... one being because when God has given us a heart for a certain cause or area of serving, it's a beautiful blessing to share that joy with others. The other is that sometimes we WANT to step out of our comfort zones to volunteer somewhere or help out in some capacity... but the fear of the unknown keeps us trapped in our homes... but there is strength in numbers so going with the group gives us the courage and this new Bible Study format gives us the reason. Oh yes... and one other... we can accomplish in a group things that we could never accomplish alone as you can see from our first Outreach Night together....
This is sweet Brenda... it was her night and she chose to have us paint
the living room of a single mom... how cool is that?
This opportunity took the meaning of Outreach to new heights!
We got lots of exercise that night as well as lots of laughter...
and we even had a couple of other gals come join in the fun!
And at the end of the evening... here we are...
a little paint in our hair but a lot of joy in our hearts...
the joy that comes from serving others... and being blessed because of it!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Our second Outreach evening was Deb's and we spent it cleaning
and helping to organize a new facility for Options 360...
What I found amazing about that night was that Caryl Ann (2nd from the right) already knew what she needed done and each job was a perfect fit for the variety of personalities in our group. It was like God had gone before us and prepared the roster so each woman could operate in her strength... it was sweet. Again... here we are at the end of the evening... weary but full of the joy of serving God by serving others.
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Novembers Outreach didn't take us to anywhere local but it did take us around the world to Iraq. Dottie has a heart for those serving in the military and because one of the gals in our group has a son in Iraq... she chose Iraq as the destination.
To make this work, she gave us each lists of items she had found of things our young men and women in the military need as well as things that would bring a smile to their hearts. We agreed on 5 boxes so each woman bought 5 each of several items on the list and... as we did... we emailed everybody else what we got so they wouldn't duplicate. We met at another woman's home to pack the boxes... wrapping most of the items individually so it would be more fun for them to unwrap and the last item in each box was a Christmas card we each signed with blessings... thanking them for their service to us and our country.
We couldn't help smiling when we discovered that together we had the absolute perfect number of items to fill the boxes... not another thing would have fit!!! Again... a God moment... knowing His blessing was on us and that blessing would travel half way around the world to someone we didn't know who definitely needed and deserved a special touch from the Lord.
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We missed January's because of circumstances beyond our control but I forgot to tell you that the very first night we met and talked about this new format, I shared with them an easy outreach idea I had read somewhere on the internet (and now can't remember where)... but it was called B.A.G.S. which stands for Be A Good Samaritan. It's simple... you fill a gallon ziplock bag with bottled water, granola bars, cheese crackers, candies, toothbrush, toothpaste, new testament or devotional book, gloves, socks, scarf... all those kind of things. Carry the bags in your car and when you see those folks on the street corners or others in need... you have something to give them along with your prayers... and make sure you tell them you will be praying for them and then do.
I know I shared a lot for one sitting... but I hope you were encouraged and inspired to reach out Beyond the Book and beyond yourself to give a blessing to someone in need... and it's one thing to think about but it's a whole other thing to put feet to your faith and do it... to be the heart and hands of Jesus in a hurting world! So until tomorrow...
I know I shared a lot for one sitting... but I hope you were encouraged and inspired to reach out Beyond the Book and beyond yourself to give a blessing to someone in need... and it's one thing to think about but it's a whole other thing to put feet to your faith and do it... to be the heart and hands of Jesus in a hurting world! So until tomorrow...
xoxoxo
Karla
