Spread a Little Love

On March 2, many areas in our beloved state were devastated by powerful tornadoes.  We were fortunate and spared any damage.  But immediately, we wanted to do something to help those who were not as fortunate.  At our school, (where I work part time as the counselor and the boys attend), we have dress down days.  The students normally wear uniforms, so they can pay $1 or more to dress down in clothes of their choice for the day.  Teachers and staff can pay a dollar to wear jeans.

We decided to take that next dress down day and make the money brought in go to tornado relief.  I got in touch with a couple of elementary schools who had a large group of students that had been directly impacted by the storms.  We decided, with their input, to take all money donated to purchase gift cards to places like Lowe's, Home Depot, Target, Kroger, Sears, etc.  Together with some churches' donations, we raised over $2000!  I was overjoyed.  It was such a tremendous blessing to call the counselor and family resource center coordinator back at those schools and tell them what I would be sending them.  One of the elementary schools had 25 students who had lost just about everything.  Most of their families did not have insurance.  It is my hope and prayer that these gifts will provide some much needed relief and help.

But more importantly, we taught our students the value of SEEING A NEED and IMMEDIATELY MEETING THAT NEED.  Jesus didn't tell us to just feel bad about something.  Even praying about something is not always enough.  He said feed the poor, clothe the naked.  He gave blind men sight, made the lame to walk and the dead to rise again.  To me, there is nothing more valuable than teaching our children how to put their faith IN ACTION.....  To literally BE Jesus' feet and hands here on the earth!

Some of the preschool and elementary classes made cards to send to the schools we were partnering with and I just cried when I read some of them.  One of them in particular blessed my heart and it was my Noah's.

Here are the pictures of what it said and looked like:

 "It is more blessed to give than to receive"  Acts 20:35

 Outside of the card

"friend, We are praying for you"  you friend, Noah

How precious is that?  He can be the most loving, precious and compassionate child!  I know the students in his classroom prayed for the students they made cards for and for the other people impacted by the storms.  I hope they will continue to pray for them.

I also hope that the GOD of Hope is impacting the people, the families, the communities, the businesses, the schools and the churches in these areas hit so hard on March 2.  I pray all of us will be "doers of the word and not hearers only".