| Good Morning All, The book of James tells us that "pure religion is this...to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world". (James 1:27) A few weeks ago, Gary and Charlotte Moreau set up a service opportunity for our class to serve the ladies of Genesis Women's shelter by providing lunch to them and simply ministering to them through relationship and conversation for a few hours. Four families from our class took part in this, and it was a huge blessing to all involved. Genesis Women's Shelter is a Christ centered home for abused and addicted women based just this side of Kaufman. They house up to 40 women at a time, along with some of their children. Most of the women come from a background of extreme abuse by spouses, parents, or just the world in general. Many have a history of substance abuse and addiction and homelessness. All have a very real need for Jesus in their lives. Genesis offers them this. As the name implies, Genesis gives them a new beginning by giving them a safe environment to recuperate, develop a relationship with Christ, and escape their current situation, whatever that may be. The program at Genesis is very strict, with the intent of pushing these ladies toward self sufficiency and helping them break free from their past. The ladies must commit to a one year program and must adhere to very strict rules and guidelines. If they are unwilling to do so, they are not allowed to stay. The ladies we visited with were unanimous in proclaiming the change in their lives that has come with a new found relationship with Jesus. We heard several testimonies that were incredible. One lady came to Genesis a few years ago from an abusive husband and was a meth addict. She went through the year long program, and it so changed her life that she went on to get a certification in counseling and ministry and she now works at Genesis as a "house mom", along with a few other similar shelters in the DFW area. What a blessing seeing and hearing these stories were to those of us that were there. We that attended were united in our desire to do more for these ladies and assist them on their journey. Two things that immediately came up was the ladies desire to attend our church and our class and some basic necessities. Being in the home pretty much 24/7, they have limited ability to form relationships with others. They especially could use relationships with those who may be further in their spiritual walk. That's where we come in. Gary and I have worked it out with the director of Genesis to allow the ladies to attend church and our class once a month. We will reserve church vans to go pick them up and take them back. The first time we will be doing this will coincide with our next potluck on May 28, which just so happens to be our rescheduled "Party in the Parking Lot" burger cookout. What we would need from you is this: 1) a willingness to provide extra food for our guests 2) a willingness to engage these ladies in friendship and Christian camaraderie 3) a willingness to help with transportation on occasion should we decide to do this on a monthly basis The second thing that they mentioned was a lack of basic needs, such as shampoo, soap, and general toiletries. In a word, they run short on these each month. This is a mission based, non-profit organization, so funds and supplies run short on occasion. What I would like to do is target this day that they will be visiting, May 28, for our class to donate travel sized shampoos, soaps, skin care, toothpaste, whatever. We all have them laying around our house from trips we have taken. If you could please make a note to bring them that night, we will deliver them to Pastor Nancy, the director of the shelter. Brothers and Sisters, there is no better ministry opportunity I can think of for us to commit to partnering with. This is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus said it best in Matthew 25:40 when he said "whatever you have done for the least of these brothers of mine (the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the unclothed, and the strangers), you have done for me". More to come on this later, but please start praying about what role you are willing to play in serving these ladies. In Christ, Steve |
