Good morning…
One post from last week may have slipped off your radar, but What Is Mine To Do? has privately filled my week with some dynamic dialogue. Our blog was about the “depressed, exhausted, upset” experience one friend felt after her first time as a homework helper with inner city children, some who cannot read or write just ten minutes from our home. In response to the challenge of illiteracy in our community, one regular reader wrote to me an email entitled “Two Things.”
******
Sue,
1st
I loved your insightful response with What is Mine to Do? As we ALL know, nothing is hopeless, especially with precious little children. It was just not HERS to do, as you so eloquently and non-judgmentally explained. Working with the homeless is not my wide-open-heart thing to do, but 11th hour hospice and visiting the elderly in their homes are mine to do now. Thank you, God, that we are all wired differently. But serving!
When reading the post today, a reflective truth of teaching these “severely under-nurtured” children in APS for 19 of my 38 years jumped out at me once more . . . these children have to FIRST feel safe and genuinely cared for by others, before words and numbers excite them. They have been harnessed with so many fears in their short lives, and seen and experienced horrific things, some we can never imagine.
I will always remember when drawing “any weekend experience” for a share time, a 9-year-old little boy drew himself curled up and hiding under his bed on the floor with a gun. Another time, the Monday after Easter, a 10-years-old boy was sobbing sitting at his desk during reading. When I wrapped my arms around him and asked what he was feeling, he sobbingly said that his Mom told him she had had enough and was going to give him and his kindergarten sister (who also was crying to her teacher) up for adoption. I went down to the office and called her and she said she was! She was just tired of it all!
These parents have no outlet, for the most part, Sue, and I am sure you know. No car, no money for movies, dinner with family or friend, babysitter, etc. I called my husband and he readily agreed to bring them home for three weeks to give her a break and to surround them with normal family love and fellowship. She readily agreed and bought a battered suitcase (was surprised she owned one) stuffed with their clothes up to the school that afternoon. No hugs or kisses were exchanged between these innocent little children and their Mother, before we headed up to East Cobb from SE Atlanta. She loved them, Sue, but did not know how to care at that time.
Just the “gift of presence” by the PAWkids volunteers speaks volumes to these boys and girls, and IS softening their scared and hardened hearts, showing them that they ARE valued, and not just problems to others. Yes, many do end up on the streets, Sue, but I have witnessed so many many more grow up to be productive citizens and caring people . . . who yes, have eventually learned enough reading and math to get along in this wayward world. And some joyously and overwhelmingly surprise your heart, and graduate from Dartmouth, become a US Marine, and work at the Pentagon. Daddy was in prison, Momma stripped at the local Foxy Lady, and Grandmomma raised the three children. I taught all the children and never once met any of the three adults.
It is called “grace,” generously sharing in the grace of God.
2nd
I tried again with the new address to order three books for the PAWkids library. When I chose my books even through the link, I could not send them to Leigh’s address. My error somewhere! So, I sent them to YOU at NUMC! Arriving the 18th- 26th. Hair Love, Gary and the Great Inventors, and The ABC’s of Black History. May they help unlock the children’s minds and hearts to the love the volunteers have for them. Wish I lived closer, Sue.
******
I emailed her back right away.
“Wow, I responded. “I am deeply touched by every single ounce of your email. It is so tender and wise. Might I share our email exchange with our written word community? We are all in life together, and allowing God’s love to overflow from our surrendered hearts is creatively, collaboratively ours to do.”
“Sue, you can definitely share our words,” she generously offered permission. “Hopefully, some new insight might be there for some. It is a tough world out there for many.”
There are different ways to serve, but we serve the same Lord. And there are different ways that God works in people, but it is the same God who works in all of us to do everything. Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person. The Spirit gives this to each one to help others. …And we were all given the one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:5-7, 13b ERV).
The footnote for verse 13 explains, we were all literally, “given to drink” of God’s Spirit. We aren’t all drawn to the same types of drink and we aren’t all drawn to the same ways of serving. Yet once we each drink, we keep on drinking and once we each serve, we keep on serving.
In what ways do you feel personally drawn to serve in our community, as we are all given God’s Spirit to drink?
…Sue…
P.S. The books came in to me at the church from this subscriber above, and I happily dropped them off at the home of Leigh Jones. After serving as a homework helper, Leigh felt spurred by the Spirit to set up an Amazon account for interested people to order new books for the PAWkids library in honor of Black History Month. “These books celebrate inclusivity and will allow the PAWkids to see themselves on the page,” says Leigh. Donated books can be sent directly to Leigh’s mailing address (or to me at Northside Church if need be: 2799 Northside Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30305). Leigh will take these encouraging books to PAWkids next week.
If you feel drawn to cheerfully give to support the education of some of the poorest kids in our community, please touch on this link:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/9K4cpKe?ref_=wl_share
Many of the kids we serve are at the lowest reading levels, so please choose books accordingly. Thank you for drinking from God’s Spirit with us!
