"Whenever we are down there, I think of the worship song, 'Open the eyes of my heart Lord'. This is a great place to open the eyes of your heart. I know it does mine. To see up close, servant leaders acting as the hands and feet of Jesus. Should be a great day."
Today we take what has become an annual trip into the depths of St. Paul. What - Winter Carnival? Nope - that is long over. We are going to visit an organization we have been teamed with for a few years now. And each year which passes, our passion to help this organization grows deeper. It is a place which does wonderful things to help those who are down on their luck, or less fortunate than most. That place is the Union Gospel Mission (UGM).
I have written about the UGM before. It is a food shelf on steroids. It is a safe place to stay when there are none others. It is a place to get some much needed dental work done at no expense. It is truly a place where the rubber meets the road. Where mission is not something which is talked about in the abstract - it is practiced there each day, every day.
Today is kind of a fun trip. As the Mission gets ready to host their annual Easter meal (and they do feed thousands), leading up to Easter they have an annual event called "Soup for the homeless soul". Anyone is invited to share a bowl of homemade soup and a bread stick or two with some of the regular guests. Local pottery artists are there, ready to sell made soup bowls, serving bowls, coffee cups, and so forth. All proceeds of course, go to fund he Mission.
One of the reasons we partner with the UGM is simply their size. Where they are located, the need is huge, and so is their facility. I have said many times, I have never seen an organization who can stretch a dollar further than the UGM does. For example, if you donate $200 for the Easter meal, that is enough to feed (a full meal) to over 100 people. Now THAT is getting a lot of bang for the buck!
One more thing about UGM. They are a full service stop. What they strive to do is to first feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, help the addicted, and minister to the hurting. But what they want most of all is to help get people back on their feet. Amazing things are done at the Mission each day.
Whenever we are down there, I think of the worship song, "Open the eyes of my heart Lord". This is a great place to open the eyes of your heart. I know it does mine. To see up close, servant leaders acting as the hands and feet of Jesus. Should be a great day.
God bless you. Especially for not "letting George do it."
ReplyDeleteIf you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
ReplyDeleteI hope the youth marching for their lives didn't disrupt your activities today!
ReplyDeleteWhen you strip away all the partisan b.s., the simple fact is kids are dying at school and they would rather not.
DeleteThey are asking for help.
From Adults.
That's it.
Jane? Try to have a little compassion for the MANY more kids in Chicago who died last month, and every month, because of the illegal use of guns.
ReplyDeleteWishing won't make it so, and passing another gun law won't help, either. Guns don't kill people, people do, and someone bent on breaking God's law and man's law against murder is not going to be deterred for a misdemeanor violation of a gun-free zone.