Dawn with Baby William

At FIA we learned awhile back that its about His kingdom, not ours.  One of the ways we live that out is by serving other ministries besides FIA and looking for ways to create strategic partnerships to serve our community.

For some time we have been serving the Daily Bread Ministry of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, led by Leila Myers, which goes out on Tuesdays to feed the homeless in Douglasville and show them the love of Jesus Christ.  One area of partnership has resulted in the Pantry and FIA providing Daily Bread literally with daily bread along with pastries and desserts from Publix.  Each Tuesday morning we visit the Lutheran Church to deliver the blessings and pray up their work before they go out into the woods and other places where our homeless live.

We met Dawn, a young mother of four, with her newest child William, who is either crawling amongst the volunteers putting together the meals or strapped on her in his carrier.  Over time we also get to see his smiles, laughs, and delight in every new expression on his beautiful face as he grows in the midst of the Daily Bread servants who come from many different churches in our community.  We asked Dawn why she volunteers, having to take care of a new baby and three other children.  Her simple, quiet answer, “I enjoy it.”

It would be so easy for Dawn to say that she has a baby and can’t help, yet, she finds a way to serve Daily Bread.  And William’s family will share with him a wonderful legacy of what his mother did for Christ, with him there every step of the way.

The Brown and Davis Families Go To Church

In the Old Testament book of Kings we read about the prophet Elisha telling Naaman, captain of the Syrian host, to dunk himself seven times in the Jordan River to be healed of leprosy.  “But Naaman was wroth and went away,” proclaiming that the rivers of Damascus are better than those of Israel. II Kings 5:10-12

Often in our Christian walk we are unable to get out of our “comfort zone” to do the things that God would have us do.  We have great excuses, from “I am too busy, or I need to spend more time with my family, or I’m already doing a lot for the church.”  Sometimes we can even quote Scripture to justify our actions—or inactions, and we claim that “I am not gifted in that area so I don’t do it.”

At FIA we believe that operating “out of our comfort zone” is where God shows up to do what we can’t do.  That He will give us the means to do what He wants done.  That through His Holy Spirit, “we can do greater things than these.”   It starts with faith, and obedience.

Randy, Kathy and William Brown of Crossroads Church served Latasha, single mom of a household of eight recently and learned in a two hour visit filled with prayer that there is much spiritual warfare going on in her home. The Browns stepped out of their comfort zone by taking the family to church and lunch the following Sunday.  Kathy tells us that “God has put it on my heart to help this family so I will be keeping in touch with them . . .He is working on the mother’s heart and she went down to the front and prayed.  She said she loved Pastor Greg and couldn’t believe that he was the Pastor because he wasn’t wearing a suit.  I’m so thankful to FIA for enabling us to meet people like this so we can help them meet Jesus.”

Kathy works in a school lunchroom, and  Randy works in a factory building air conditioners.  They are filled with joy at the opportunity to serve Christ by serving others.  If they can get out of their comfort zone, why cant we?

Tracy Gilmore and his daughter Gracie, with their mower

Our newest FIA team members from Church at Chapel Hill include Tracy Gilmore, and his daughters Chelsea and Gracie.  The Gilmore family came out with us a couple of Sundays ago along with Tracy’s friend also named Tracy picking up and delivering.  The girls were delighted by one of our donors who happens to be an amateur magician.

Tracy’s work schedule also gives him the time to mow grass for Jesus.  We received a referral to mow the yard of an elderly lady who is no longer able to do this herself.  Here is Tracy’s reflection on his work:

I had a great blessing cutting the lawn for Mrs. Rita Williams. It’s true that we are more like Christ when we serve others. .. when I arrived at her residence I prayed god thank you for allowing me and my small service to this family to be used as a blessing to this family and myself. God answered my prayers for a dependable mower and a trailer to carry everything I need and he will supply the yards or as I call them blessings for me to do. I am so thankful to be a part of the faith in action team…its amazing how cutting grass can teach us about following Jesus.  I remember as a child learning to cut grass, how Dad would say watch where you are going, follow the path laid out for you.  If you look back you will get off track, if your mind wanders, you will get off track.  I think God is teaching me to keep my eyes on Him. He is the path and has forgiven my past, my blades are sharp with his Word, my tank is full of His blessings, the path has been laid out…our God is so wonderful!

Until Jesus returns to the earth in glory to establish His kingdom, he has no hands and feet but yours.  And so sometimes, yes, the hands hold a lawn mower and the feet walk behind it to serve an elderly woman in need.

A few weeks ago the United Way Homeless Task Force came out, visited the encampments and offered help in the form of shelter and program resources to anyone willing to come out. No one did. So last night, Leila, Mark, Alma and I resolved to pray together than Cynthia and Sam would agree to come out in the morning; Mark agreed to drive them to Atlanta. Morning came and there was no relief from the cold. We started a new partnership between The Pantry, FIA, and Daily Bread that involved me making the bread and pastry pickup from Publix on Highway 5 and giving all the blessings to Daily Bread. For the first time Leila tells me, “everyone received, and they even got to pick what they wanted. What a blessing; thank you Jesus.” But Cynthia and Sam refused to come out of the cold.

Fast Eddie said he would; in and out of jail, three weeks homeless, sick, hospitalized last night, ready to leave it all behind this morning. One came out; not the one we prayed for to be sure, but one nonetheless.

It’s a start.

We were four short days out and I had not heard from my neighbors and got a little nervous.  Then they came over and showered us with abundance—remote control cars, some 15-20 wrapped gifts, everything Sandra had asked for.  Both families added a grocery gift cards.  The next day Paul and I were making our traditional FIA Christmas rounds delivering presents, a truckload of children’s clothes for the Loving Hands ministry—that’s another awesome story, then the rain came down and the traffic struck.  We made it to Sandra’s house late and she was gone with her mother to the doctor.

The next day I came alone, to find the empty tree, one of the children sick and Sandra exhausted from being up all night.  She was not expecting what God had provided for her family and told me how anxious the children had been about the empty tree. We thanked and praised God together in her front yard.

There are many stories like this one of God moving amongst our churches and ministries in Douglas County to fill the empty Christmas trees.  At FIA it is our blessing to serve with you, and we pray that God’s peace be with you and yours always.

Pastor Dave Divine of the Church at Chapel Hill led almost 60 men and women of his congregation to serve with us at FIA last Saturday

For the past three weeks the message at Douglasville’s Church at Chapel Hill has been “Be The Church,” by assembling in the house of God for worship; serving our community by acts of mercy and kindness; and representing Christ to all we meet. The sermon series culminated with Pastor Dave’s call to worship God by serving His people, and almost 60 men and women answered with a “here I am, Lord.”

We completed 40 projects, from clearing brush, cutting grass and weed whacking, to building a bunk bed, delivering washers, dryers, refrigerators, sofas, TV sets, beds. Families in need received everything from vacuum cleaners to coffee tables; dinette sets to bicycles. We served the Pantry by delivering food and information cards; we served Shepherd of the Hills UMC by picking up and delivering computers for their computer ministry to the church; we served Pastor Emeritus Hattie Dennis of Believers Harvest Church by building her a new deck.

There are plenty of people available to criticize the church. At FIA we believe our calling is to encourage and support the local church to be salt and light within the community, so that lost and hurting people can find hope and salvation in Jesus Christ. In the coming weeks we will share with those who care to read stories of the miracles in our midst—proof that the Spirit is rising in Douglasville, Georgia and calling us not to just go to church, but to be the church…..

Andrea at Douglas Senior Services told us that Mrs. White, age 80, lives alone here in Douglasville and is showing signs of early Dementia and other medical issues.  Her daughter who lives a good distance away but visits weekly is greatly concerned and DSS has put Mrs. White on the home delivered meals list.  Could FIA help with her yard?  It sounded like a job for the Rangers and Rick Cali visited Mrs. White, who happened to be receiving a visit from her sister, who was “not buying our selfless service hokum,” as Rick puts it.  When Rick proudly told the sister he was a member of the Church at Chapel Hill, she responded, “you church people, you’re always working an angle.  I suppose you’ll invite me to come, and if I don’t like it, what then?” Mrs. White told Rick later how the church had broken her sister’s heart.  It’s a story we have heard too many times.  Mrs. White was grateful for the Rangers’ help but directed them at her neighbor, and when the team came out after Rick’s reconnaissance, in addition to serving Mrs. White they cut the neighbor’s grass, trimmed, and cut down a small tree.  The neighbor came outside, hands on hips and couldn’t believe that a group of boys had come to take care of the yard she could not maintain having just gotten home from the hospital.  The boys and men prayed for the neighbor, who praised God for the strength she received.

On the return trip it just happened that Mrs. White’s sister was there to see the men and boys take care of the two yards and watch as prayer changed the neighbor’s return home from the hospital.  Rick knelt down beside her and said, “Do you think our lives would have been different if we had started serving people as children?” Mrs. White’s sister, for once, could not speak.  Then she said, “I’ve never known men like you.”

Rick and the boys understood that she was not seeing men, or boys; she was seeing God in them, making things grow.

As followers of Christ we hope you are encouraged by the ways the Holy Spirit is moving in Douglas County to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, visit the prisoner, and comfort the broken.  We hope you are blessed by our unity, as volunteers from the Daily Bread Ministry, First United Methodist Church, Crossroads Church, Faith in Action, Project One, MAC, and many others who came together to serve our people in need.  Finally, surely we are all blessed to think of a church with open hearts, open minds, and doors that open to the homeless as well as the fortunate.

The good news needs to be shared, and the faithful recognized and encouraged.  We would like to thank Leila Meyers and her team at Daily Bread; Angie and Chris Jeffers of Project One and most especially Pastor Max Caylor of First United Methodist Church, for showing us that we are most like Christ when we serve others.

You see, God was working a plan with Michelle, her family, and FIA that I didn’t know about and didn’t really expect to happen.  He was doing the impossible, moving the mountains of foreclosure, job, and car—all at once.  Grady was moved by the Spirit to speak on Michelle’s behalf and she suddenly has two very promising job leads.  Tina’s neighbors decided that their Mazda 626 with only 83k miles had found a home; and the foreclosure was stopped with a loan modification.

Michelle joined us at First United Methodist Church this past Sunday to share her testimony of God moving in her family’s life out of nowhere and in great power.  She told us that not long ago she had a dream of being given a silver car, very much like the one you see her standing in front of in this picture.  Her story teaches us much, most of all that if we are obedient and do what God has called us to do in serving others, He will show up and move the mountains.  He will cause the haves, to share with the have nots.  He will turn the have nots—into haves.