Asking and Receiving…
With Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Thred Up, it has seemingly never been easier for somebody who has something they don’t need to give that thing to somebody who does need it. The concept in its simplest form is amazing, letting resources flow where they are needed, but it can often get complicated when the giver begins to ask “what can I get out of this?” Greed can take hold and lead neither party to budge, preventing the resources from getting to where they need to be. So when resources are allowed to flow in a Kingdom way, it is astonishing to witness in person.
Rick had not lived in the neighborhood for a long time. In fact, the only reason he was even down there that day was to clean out his father’s house after his death. He stumbled across a wheelchair and a couple of walkers in his dad’s garage. He didn’t have any use for them and didn’t want to profit off of his dad’s passing. So he called up his friend Sandy who was still very connected in the neighborhood. Sandy is very well known in the neighborhood, she ran a florist shop for a long time and is a real estate agent now. She is the one who sold us the building that Merriment now occupies. When Rick was asking about places that may be able to use the wheelchair and walkers, Sandy pointed him to us, she said that he could trust we would get them to the people who need them.
Rick stopped by to tell me this and ask if we would take them before he got them loaded up and brought over. With limited storage space my brain was screaming at me to not take these large items, but I just smiled and said “yes, we will make sure they get to who needs them”. Happy that he found them a new home he left to get the items and return later.
Some time passed and Nikki came in. Nikki has been coming by since Merriment opened, stopping in every couple weeks. Nikki loves to shop, shop for herself, her son, others, does not matter. On this day, Nikki was shopping for a toy drive. She wanted to find some good toys for families that needed a little help this holiday season, and she knew she could get good quality items and make the most of her money at Merriment. It had actually been a couple of months since I had last seen Nikki, it turns out she had gone to stay with and help out a friend for a few months, she had just moved back to Portland and made sure to come by and see us on that day.
While Nikki was shopping, Rick came back with the wheelchair and the walkers. As I was rolling them to the back room, Nikki said she would stick around until I got the wheelchair priced. “What would you use it for?” I asked out of curiosity. She explained that her mother was on the verge of mobility where she could live everyday life without a chair, but she could not experience anything that required walking or standing for too long. Because of this the insurance had been refusing to work with them to get a wheelchair for over two years. “Well, I guess this one was sent for you then”. Nikki was blown away, not understanding how we could be ok just giving it to her. I explained that it was meant to bless somebody in the community who needed it, and it seemed that the Spirit had brought her in at just the right time.
It is amazing to get to play a small part in moments like this. Moments where we get to see God weave lives together in a beautiful, incomprehensible way. Moments where we get to direct Kingdom resources to where they need to go. Seeing the way the Kingdom is supposed to work, the way that community is supposed to work.
Ethan
School Snack List!!!
If you are looking for a way to support Mighty Oak Academy and our mission of quality community based education, please consider helping us provide our students with nutritious snacks from our Amazon Wish List, you can order here.
Merriment!!!
Merriment Will be closed until after Thanksgiving Break on Dec 3rd. We look forward to seeing you after the break. If you have any questions or to confirm a drop off time please call (502) 901-1105. We hope to see you soon!! To shop our higher end items online visit our Website or our eBay Page.
Fish Fry Closed!!!
The Fish Fry is closed due to Thanksgiving. Look forward to seeing everyone next Friday.
If you are interested in volunteering or to find out more information about supplies needed please email: info@lovecityinc.org or call (502) 272-078.