Loving Others - Project 1 - Blessing Bags for People Experiencing Homelessness

Loving others - Project #1

Goodie bags for people experiencing homelessness.

Living in Houston, it is a very normal thing to see people experiencing homelessness.  We pray for these people as we drive by in the car.  Sometimes I use this time to talk to my girls about how God has blessed us and we should be thankful.  Then we decided to do more.  We made up some bags to leave in the car.  Our goal is to pass them out when we see someone who could use them.  While handing out the bag, I roll down all windows and my girls and I tell them hello.  We smile and wave and wish them a good day.  We practice this in the car when no one is around.  We believe it is as important to be kind and loving with our words and smiles as it is to hand out the bag.  We want people we meet to leave with the idea they are special and loved, not matter the circumstances. 

Here are some ideas of items you could include in the goodie bags

Socks
Cups
Peanut butter
Toothbrush and toothpaste (maybe ask a dentist to donate these)
Bottled water
Rice krispi treats
Lotion, shampoo, conditioner, soap (like the little ones you get from a hotel)
Comb
Pictures (my girls ages 3 and 5 colored/decorated a picture for each bag)
A story about Jesus or tract
Books
Playing cards
A puzzle book like Sudoku or crossword

 

I read that they often need bags, so I put mine in Ziploc bags thinking they could reuse them.  You could use leftover plastic bags from the grocery store, but I wanted them to see what I was giving them when I offered it. 


*****Update - May 2013
These have been a great success and I'm not the only one doing this.  One guy asked me if I belonged to the church that gives these out all the time!  A friend of mine rolled down her window to give one out and the car in front of her gave one before she had a chance to!  Yay for people loving other people.  Keep it up. 

Thinks I learned - Do not call them "Bags for the homeless" or your five-year-old will inevitably ask the person receiving the bag if they are homeless and need a homeless bag.  I'm new at this but I'm pretty sure that was offensive.  We discussed what the bag was for and why we give the bags and my children decided to call them "Blessing Bags" instead. 

One person complained because they didn't need soap since there was no way to wash.  Another lady acted like it was Christmas.  One person thanked my kids and asked told them to always obey their mom and be sure to wash behind their ears!  You never know the response you'll get, but 95% of the time it's been positive.  Don't be discouraged.  Just love people. 

To The Roof

I am officially doing this blogging thing all wrong!  I know that to be a good blogger and get followers, you need to have a specific purpose for the blog, blog often, and use lots of words.  Hmmm.  I'm pretty sure you should never change your Blog name, but I just did.  I choose not to use my time to blog really often, and who has time to read lots and lots of words.  It's good for the search engines, but bad for busy people.  I'm grateful to bloggers (I get lots of information from them), but that's probably not what this blog will look like.  So that said, I have a few things to share

I'm throwing away the old photographer dream that began this blog. 

I want to use it this week to help others serve God more tangibly. First things first

To The Roof - Why the name change? 

Recently I coauthored a book.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Uncommon-Church-Making-Common/dp/1480139106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364237531&sr=8-1&keywords=tiffany+McKinley
In the Uncommon Mindset chapter, Pastor Pete (the other author) brought some material about the men who carried the paralyzed friend to Jesus.  I can imagine them standing there thinking, "what now" after what appeared to be defeat.  Then one stands straight up and yells, "To the roof!" Then he  look around like, "Who said that." I'm sure he knew his mouth said it, but was well aware that the idea was not his own but straight from the heart of God.  Then in excitement the friends continue the mission, overcoming setbacks, and reaching toward the prize - Jesus. 

Here is the excerpt if you want more details.

"During Jesus’ teaching one day, some friends chose hard work in order to get their friend to Jesus.

 

One day as [Jesus] was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.  18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.  19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  20   When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”  21   The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22   Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.  26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”  Luke 5:17-26 (NIV)   

 

The guys in this passage brought the paralytic to Jesus.  They carried an adult man from where he was to where Jesus was.  That’s hard work.  Then when they could not get into the house, they climbed to the roof.  I’d like to know exactly how they lifted a paralyzed man to the roof of that house.  Once on top, they dug through the roof.  These friends chose to do whatever it took to get their friend to Jesus.  Like these friends, people with an uncommon mindset are ready and willing to do the hard work that others will not. . .

 

 

There was such a large crowd around the house where Jesus taught that they could not enter.  Common men would have said,

“Well we tried,”

“it’s just not meant to be,”

“let’s try again next year.” 

“We should have left the beggar.  Now we’re late for the party, and we won’t get to see Jesus.” 

“We did the work.  We picked him up and brought him here.  That’s all we can do.”  

“We’ll pray for you.  Hope you can find a way home, because we’re worn out.”

 Think about all the others that were standing around the house, waiting to see, hear, or touch Jesus.  Yet only these men dared to be different.  They climbed up on the roof and got to work.  No one else was on the roof as far as the scriptures record.  This behavior was uncommon in Jesus day, and it’s uncommon today as well."

 

 

 

 

 

These words are not exactly as published.  I copied and pasted from a very early manuscript.  It does give you the idea. 

 

I no longer want to make excuses.

"I'm too busy."

"I already serve other places."

"There are so many needy people in this big city."

"I homeschool so there is no time."

" I can't help them, I'll be late for Bible study."

"I don't want my kids to be influenced negatively by sinful people."

"I'm scared"

"I just don't know how to help"

 

I know. I just wrote all those nasty, sinful thoughts out for everyone to read.  I'd love to say I just heard those excuses from others, but I thought them up all on my own.  My heart has a long way to go.  Jesus continues to give me grace, because I'm not worthy to be called his follower and then I make up lame excuses not to follow. 

 

So I've been working to change that and I bet there are some others that could use a little help too.  I've found some ways to be more like the hands and feet of Jesus and I'll share those in the next few blogs.  Many are specific to the Houston, Texas area where I live, but the ideas easily can transfer to other regions as well.