"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and He will reward him for what he has done"
The heart of our family is very near and dear to Haiti. Last year the Lord blessed us with the opportunity to fund a bank for a small community bank via Hope International.
I am humbled by the realization that my small readership which labels themselves as frugalistas, SAHM, miserly budget queens, recently unemployed etc. are in fact part of the top 10% richest in our planet.
A couple of days ago I stopped by Kroger and purchased $28 of groceries with coupons with an overage of $1.54 I smiled as the cashier handed me money. My receipt read 102% savings. My heart read it as 102% blessings. Jesus sweetly reminded me of Isaiah 55:1-3. How blessed we are! How merciful is He!
Giving ministers to the poor & afflicted but it also ministers to me. It reminds me that I am not in control, it softens my heart of rock into flesh, it places my trust in the one who lovingly promises my daily bread.
Our church family like many others is somewhat paralyzed by fear of the current economy. In an effort to minister to our sisters and brothers in Christ and encourage giving yesterday we offered an anonymous match up to the monthly missions offering which will now be pointed to Haiti (We are praying for at least $1,600). Normally our church members bring their change jar to contribute towards this offering. Our desire is that this match inspires them to give sacrificially and bring the best to the altar that they may bless others and be blessed.
I was hesitant to post about giving in fear that it may be construed as vanity. However; inspired by the love and selflessness of many bloggers who have graciously offered to match based on post blogs I am happy to share with all of you. For more inspiring links visit www.moneysavingmom.com
In tandem with giving it is crucial that we pray. God is listening and He wants us to speak. To help you as you pray here is the list I compiled for our use at home:
Pray for the weather to be mild and rain-free as many no longer have a roof
Pray for God to comfort those that are perishing under the rubble
Pray for supernatural strength for doctors, nurses and rescue workers
Pray for clean water
Pray for relief distribution to take place with transparency, expediency and honesty
Pray for God to soften our hearts as we give for immediate needs
Pray for vision and long term commitment from all of us to not forget Haiti after the cameras are gone
Pray for sound air traffic control
Pray for quick rebuilding of port facilities and piers
Pray for the softening of hearts in Dominican Republic as they will have an even larger influx of refugees
Pray for a color-blind heart of adoption around the world
Pray for a time of harvest and restoration
Pray for hope
As you prepare your hearts for giving seek to give with the heart of Christ. Give freely, give generously, give lovingly, give sacrificially.
UPDATE
To encourage you to share your story and to promote Christian fellowship I will randomly select one link or comment to receive a Godiva Chocolate Ballotin with 36 pieces.
Posting a Mcklinky that we may encourage others
I now have hope for Haiti! Utilizing the social networking media for such a worthy cause as this is amazing and I am grateful to have a way to help in the small way that I can. Thank you for such a wonderful idea and a way to make a difference in this world.
ReplyDeleteI have met the most amazing people through blogging. Thanks for your comment on my blog. I've heard you can't out give God-that is so true. But I'm going to do my part to try :-)
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your thought provoking post...and esp. the specific ways to pray. I also identified with the thing of feeling like people might take it as vain if I posted about our giving. But then I finally decided that I need to let God, not people, control my actions and I felt HE was prompting me to give.
ReplyDeleteBless you!
As you know (by posting a comment on my blog), I am giving $2 per comment left on the following post:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.boymeetsfood.com/2010/01/helping-haiti/
This is a wonderful project! Thanks for being part of this, and for your kindness and generosity.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fantastic thing that all of these bloggers are doing. Thank you! We will be donating directly to the Red Cross.
ReplyDeleteLove your specific prayers. I would like to copy and paste (with a link of course). Please let me know if that's a problem. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRachel & Others
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to use copy and reproduce prayer list.
I would appreciate link or sourcing but it is not indispensable. Prayer belongs to God and not to me.
Blessings
Thank you for praying and posting your heart!
ReplyDeleteYes. I love your focus on the fact that we can pray for the people of Haiti - a way to help them that will far outlast our monetary contributions - and that even if our gifts are small, God will use them for tremendous good!
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing your part to help Haitian earthquake victims by taking time to link up with other blogs.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to making donations, I'm giving $10 eCOUPONs to my online gift store Gifts For One Gifts For All (www.giftsforonegiftsforall.com) to those that have donated to organizations helping the Haitian earthquake victims. When the eCOUPON is redeemed, 10% of the purchase will also be donated to organizations helping Haiti. Read my blog for more details at http:/bit.ly/DONATE2HAITI on how you can receive your eCOUPON for donating.
For bloggers raising awareness or making donations for comments or links made and you want to thank those that have contributed to your blog, contact me at info@giftsforonegiftsforall.com to a eCOUPON you can give those that have help you give.
Don't forget to contact me to receive your eCOUPON for doing your part to help Haitian earthquake victims.
Hello! I'm writing to ask a favor! Last week you posted a comment on our blog (www.LaBump.com/blog) that you may have some Neosporin that you could donate to our Dad who is working in Haiti. We have found a doctor from DFW who is going to the area and is willing to deliver some supplies. If you still have Neosporin, please let us know. Thank you!
ReplyDelete