Uplift Homeless Ministry

Last night I listened to a beautiful poetry reading by an intelligent and encouraging woman, and discussed our purpose in life with a depressed man who had lost his way. I called a young man named Mays a ninja and made him smile. In our van we fed 74 homeless people and I literally got to speak to each one of them because my job was the record keeper. They were dirty and high and hungry and beautiful. They had visible wounds and hidden wounds and pain. And they were humbly sincere in their appreciation when we gave them food and clothes and candles and medicine because it was survival to them, and an undeserved and unrequested hand up.

It's a picture of us and God. He offers us life, we just have to recognize our need for it, humble ourselves enough to step in line with the other broken people and accept what He offers. Maybe that's why I love this ministry so much. It's a way for me to remember my own brokenness and connect with my Savior who sees beyond my brokenness to who he created me to be.  

Hart Ministry is a ministry to the homeless in Kansas City.  If you want to get involved you can find information at this address: http://www.uplift.org/

Waiting

In our world, it's normal and encouraged for life to be convenient and easy.  I'm reminded of stories my grandmother used to tell me of a different time when things weren't as easy.  Waiting, patience, and endurance were common.  It took all day to do the laundry.  Water  had to be brought in from the well, then heated on the fire.

There was this walking preacher man of theOzarks that she liked to talk about.  He used to literally walk from town to town to preach.  He didn't know where he would stay or who would feed him along the way. Grandma proudly tells of how her daddy used to put him  up when he came to town.  Can you imagine, the patience that preacher had, trusting God to literally meet his needs daily?  That is so different from what my world is like.  And I'm sure it always didn't go well. I imagine that some days he was hungry or uncomfortable, cold or afraid.

In contrast, I think my needs have to be met immediately.  Fast food had better be fast, and hot, and perfect. We have instant entertainment, cozy homes, and are surrounded by people to influence us, both good and bad.  At any time I can play a podcast or listen to a spiritual speaker, send a text to a friend to encourage, or call my pastor for a word.  Spiritual support is readily available to me.  I can find a church that is conveniently located, comfortable, and molds to my preferennces in teaching style, dress, and music. Yet we still sometimes feel spiritually dry.  What if we had to wait?  What if I had to walk miles to meet with my Christian brothers and sisters? What if we didn't have a different translation of the Bible in every room of our house, a brilliant sermon every Sunday, wise Bible study teachers on Wednesday night, Sunday morning, and even Sunday night?  

What excuse do we have for spiritual dryness?  Perhaps if I had to work harder at my faith I would apprecite it more and grow more.  Perhaps our "convenient Christianity" is hindering our faith; God isn't always speaking the language of convenience.  God sometimes wants us to want, to persevere, to endure, to be patient, to work.  We are not always going to find our fulfillment right away.  See Hebrews 11 for a picture of faithful waiting.  

Sometimes the "convenient" things in our lives are getting in the way.  Pray for eyes to see.  Pray for patience.

"The Most Memorable Days End Usually End Up With the Dirtiest Clothes"-Laundry room re-do

Our laundry room is right off of my kitchen (the center of every home) and the place where we keep the trash can (thanks to our very hungry dog, Sammy). It's also part pantry. Our laundry room is a room where everyone is always in and out!  This room was in desperate need of attention.  The builder's grade paint wasn't holding up to the splatters of trash on the wall (house full of boys).  I painted it a bright yellowish-orange color, the perfect color of cheddar cheese!   It's a very happy color!  Just a little surprise when someone opens the door to throw away some trash!  I used highly washable paint and added some red tubs to help keep it organized.

But the final touch that really makes me happy was to paint some words and add some pictures of my kids when they were little.  It helps to keep me with the right perspective.  Laundry can be exhausting, mundane, frustrating!  But looking back, this is true:

The most memorable days usuallly end with the dirtiest clothes!

Baseball games, fishing trips, days at the park, or even time together cleaning the garage.  I'm glad I didn't worry about getting dirty!  As I send my youngest son away to college this year, I'm glad for the time I had to spend in the laundry room.  It meant we were getting dirty! Making memories, and growing up together!  

To create this I started by cutting out the letters on  my Cricut machine, using 2 different fonts.  The letters are 3-1/3 inches tall and cut using the BOLD feature. I used card stock to make a sturdy stencil.

Next I determined the center of the space where I was going to paint the words.  Using a level and tape, I mapped out where the letters were going to go.  I didn't use a chalk line because I was worried about it coming off clean when I was finished.  Probably not a real concern, but also I was working by myself and didn't want to wait for someone to help me (I can be impatient when creativity strikes!).

Then, using the stencil I created I penciled in the lettering.  I used a fine point paint pen to outline over the pencil marks and to color in the skinny parts.  I used a medium point pen to color in the thicker parts.  I chose to use the paint pens over stenciling or using an actual paint brush because I'm a chicken when it comes to paint brushes and I don't think my paper-stencils would have held up to stenciling.  This process went very quickly and I think easier than cutting out vinyl letters and adhering them.  I'm not sure what the vinyl would do in a laundry room due to the heat and humidity from the dryer.

To complete the design I added some flourishes from a different cartridge to the top and bottom, being carful to keep it centered.

Some things to consider when completing this project:

-Use the stencils one letter at a time.  My cricut didn't cut them out with the right spacing to use the words as a unit. 

-Be aware of where dangling letters such as "g" and tall letters such as "h" will be placed.  You don't want the letters to overlap with the upper and lower letters.

-Start in the center and work out.  This way you can make minor adjustments as you go. Be sure to double check your spelling, especially when writing the words backwards.

-Use a "Magic Eraser" to erase any stray lines.  Wait plenty of time to make sure your work is dry.

As a final touch I added some pictures of each son at 1, covered in food! Making memories and getting dirty! They are 18 and 20 now, so this is especially sweet to me.

Here's the final product!

                                       

I bough some very inexpensive red tubs and used them to organize the cleaning products.  I wrote the labels with a permanent marker.  This would be a cute place to put some special labels, but at this point my creativity had run out for the day and function won!  This organization has proven to be very helpful and time saving when I'm cleaning since I can easily find what I'm looking for!

Supplies for this project:

Cricut to create stencils (you can buy stencils in all different lettering styles and sizes if you don't have access to a Cricut)

sharp pencil 

fine and medium point paint pens

ladder

level

painter's tape

canvas prints 

tubs

permanent marker

Now, every time I step into the laundry room I am greeted with a happy reminder of what really matters!  

~Stacey