Good morning…
All weekend long, gift items kept arriving on our doorstep. Toiletry packs. Beautiful, reusable bags. Bibles and Scripture cards. A bunch of brown boxes were dropped off by Amazon. Kleenex packs. Nail files and gum. Lotions and lip gloss. Some people left their offerings on our front porch. Fuzzy socks. Colorful journals and pens. Handwritten notes of encouragement. Others stopped in and chatted a while. Homemade cookies. Stress relief tea bags. Sweet and salty snacks.
Still others decided to make a financial donation to the Ignatius House Retreat Center, helping to make this week’s ISP retreat free of charge to the women recovering from homelessness and addiction. Each giving a little, we creating a lot. Sixteen of us gave enough to fill fifteen welcome bags, bags which will greet these precious women this morning as they arrive in their private rooms for their overnight retreat. What a pampering way to see and smell, taste and feel the abundant love of our living Lord!
“I’m happy to help,” one woman texted. “It is nice to do something positive right now when there is so much negativity swirling around us.”
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned… what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies (Philippians 4:8-9, MSG).
As I assembled then dropped off our welcome bags at Ignatius House yesterday, our gifts blended beautifully with the other offerings given freely. A vase of flower for each room. A handmade prayer shawl for each woman. Gracious volunteers who will pick up and drop off the women at Marta today and tomorrow. The kitchen staff who cook. The cleaning team who beautify. Trained retreat leaders who will guide a life-changing experience for these fifteen fortunate women.
What a joy to watch God, who makes everything work together, working us into his most excellent harmonies!
…Sue…
P.S. Donations are still being collected to cover the cost of this retreat. Please watch the short video below to gain a deeper understanding of what ISP retreats are all about. Afterward, touch this link if you feel compelled to give, identifying your donation as “ISP summer women’s retreat through SueToYou.” They like to make the connection with our written word ministry.
