Good morning…
Two Saturdays ago, I received an unexpected phone call.
“Sue, God laid you on my heart this morning,” said LaTonya Gates, founder and director of PAWkids. “I am opening my guest room to a woman who is leaving a domestic violence situation. She needs a safe space to clear her head and make some important decisions. I want to pray over the space in my basement before she arrives. Would you come pray with me this afternoon?”
I was happy to be invited into this bonding experience, so we set a time for me to arrive at LaTonya’s welcoming home in Grove Park. She showed me the nurturing space she has prepared in her basement to host people in need. The decor, the candles, the ambiance, everything looks, smells, and feels like the abundant love of God.
I took a dozen orange roses to grace the sacred space, and LaTonya and I talked a long while before we held hands to pray for the woman who would soon be arriving. We prayed for God’s guidance and protection, for this life-giving opportunity to rest and restore. The Holy Spirit of God was present, undeniable. Going back upstairs, I wrote LaTonya a single check with the multiple donations received from our written word community to support the PAWkids Crates for Ukraine project. We hugged goodbye after sharing a magical hour.
Then this past Saturday, God sparked in me a unique idea. A few more donations had rolled in throughout the week, so the Spirit nudged me to go to the bank, withdraw the last of our donated funds in $20 bills. I took the envelop of money to LaTonya with a note of prayerful encouragement. As she leaves today for Krakow, Poland to deliver over thirty Crates for Ukraine with four other people from her church, LaTonya will take our envelop of cash. Whenever she sees a tangible need arise before her eyes or when she feels drawn to build up the body of Christ by supporting essential workers on the ground, LaTonya will share one of our $20 bills.
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger bringing good news, breaking the news that all’s well, proclaiming good times, announcing salvation… “God has comforted his people! He’s redeemed…” God has rolled up his sleeves. All the nations can see his holy, muscled arm. Everyone, from one end of the earth to the other, sees him at work, doing his salvation work (Isaiah 52:7-10, MSG).
I cannot wait to see the pictures and hear the stories of God’s love multiplying in miraculous ways. “When I get back, we will definitely write a blog post together,” LaTonya smiled with contagious delight.
…Sue…
P.S. Thanks to the generous donations of the following people, we were able to give $2,000 to the PAWkids Crates for Ukraine project. Our gratitude goes out to: Cathy Pausch, Melody Popkin, Molly Monk, Cathy Crosby, Gretchen Ellis, Cynthia Mills, Sherry Keith, Steppie Beasley, Lori Mayfield, Susan Wellborn, Lisa Wargo, Suzanne Howard, Ashley Aiken, Edie Poplin, LeaAnn Larsen, Debi Wilson, Claire Spears, Corinne Adams, Louise Gardner, Betsie Manor (In memory of Lawrence Wong, and our neighbor Lou, who lost her battle to cancer🙏🏻).
P.S.S. Please keep LaTonya and her crew in your prayers as she walks into this generous adventure with God.
