Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you,

Don't you just loved those words? To be called favored one, to know that the Lord is with you? It speaks deep into my heart. I don't always feel that the Lord is with me though. Sometimes I feel alone in this world, fearful of almost anything. That is when I need to not rely on my feelings but rely on the truth. The truth that the Lord is with me always. That He loves me more than I could ever love anyone else. More than I could ever understand.

In hard times I have to remind myself of that a lot. Jesus has not left me. He is right here with me, in fact He lives inside me. The Holy Spirit dwells within me, and Oh How Thankful I Am. When I feel scared, hurt, alone, confused, unloved, unwanted, robbed of joy, stressed out, sick, tired, emotionally empty, or broken, I am thankful to know that I have a Father, Friend, Savior, and Lover of my Soul to pick up the pieces, put my feet on solid ground and put my heart and life back together again. It is a very natural response to feel these things. Mary the Mother of Jesus felt scared as recorded in Luke 1 when the Angel of the Lord came to her.

28“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Even Mary was unsure, perplexed, and afraid. Aren't we glad though that Mary believed and trusted God? Scripture records in Luke 1:46-55 some of the most beautiful words ever written. Its called The Magnificat, also known as Mary's Song.

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul ^]exalts the Lord,
⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
⁴⁸ “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
⁴⁹ “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
⁵⁰ “And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
⁵¹ “He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
⁵² “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
⁵³ “He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
⁵⁴ “He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,
⁵⁵ As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

Beautiful words by the Lord's favored. I want my heart to continuously be in a humble state just as Mary's was. I want my thoughts and actions to be of those of thanksgiving. I want my words to express my love and appreciation for the Lord. He has done so much for me. He has saved my life.

As I read these words verse 53 stuck out to me. He has filled the hungry with good things;.

This past week A Hope was blessed by several people in their giving. We received goodies wrapped in pretty Christmas packages, someone even gave us their Christmas bonus, and others gave us new clothes to be given out. This past weekend we did just that and we were blessed.

With the money given to us we purchased socks, hand warmers, razors, soaps, deodorants, toothbrushes/toothpaste, and other toiletries. People were almost in tears as they told us that this was probably the only Christmas gift they would receive. God is good and faithful. This weekend he used us and those who gave so unselfishly to fill the hungry with good things. What we want our homeless friends to see is not that we are giving to them or doing something for them but that God is. That even in hard times the Lord is with them.

We want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas! Thank you for supporting us, loving us, and giving us grace. This is still all so new to us and so exciting to see what God is doing. We are truly blessed. With out you, your support and encouragement we would not be. May the Lord bless you and be with you favored one.

My favorite picture of all. My little man extending out his sweet little hand to give.

My second favorite picture. What a good lookin man I married. Look at his silhouette. Isn't he cute? He's so awesome! Sorry off topic. :)

Love ya'll! Merry Christmas!

Keep on Keepin on

                    Pinterest

Just an encouragement for you today to keep pressing on. Fight the good fight!
Oh how my heart rejoices for you. Love you so!

The Light from the Darkness

We as a nation had a very hard week and some people had a week that changed their lives forever. There was unimaginable loss. Ill people did horrific things. Things that we do not understand. As we move on with our lives let us not forget those whose lives seem to be standing still.  As we saw this past
week, life sometimes doesn't make sense. Life is hard and there is a lot of darkness all around us. We need to be the light. We need to separate ourselves from the darkness so that we can shine and give hope. We need to love without fear, encourage when we are disappointed, forgive when we are wronged, and keep moving forward when all we want to do is stand still. We need to hug longer, speak kinder, and show people what the love of Jesus is. This is not an easy task. Being the light sometimes doesn't feel natural, Its against what our flesh wants to do. I fail at this over and over again. I say sharp words and I hurry along with my day not thinking of others.

The Bible says in the beginning, the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said "Let there be light" and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

In a very dark world with so much evil and illness we need to keep sight of the Hope. The Hope we have in Jesus. That is where our light comes from. God not only separated the light from the darkness but he saw that the light was good. Even though our brains cannot imagine why a sick ill man would want to take the lives of so many innocent children and adults, or why someone would want to go into a mall and kill people who are Christmas shopping for their loved ones. But we can move past the hurt and share love with others. We can pray for these families. We need to. We can love them from a distance. We need to. We can cherish our own families. We need to. We can be the light. We need to.

NY Giants football player Victor Cruz is doing just that as reported by Yahoo! Sports.

On Sunday afternoon, Giants receiver Victor Cruz paid tribute to Jack Pinto, one of the students killed in Friday's Sandy Hook tragedy, by writing Jack's name on his shoes. He did so because Jack Pinto loved him above all other players, loved him so much that he may well be buried in a Cruz jersey.
After the game, Cruz stood and spoke before a semicircle of cameras and microphones four and five deep, and tried to make sense of the fact that he was one of the most important people in the life of someone who died decades too soon ... so much so that Pinto would watch Giants games wearing his Victor Cruz jersey.
"It's humbling," he said. "I was honored to know I was his favorite player. It's just unreal what happened."
Like the rest of the country, Cruz watched and read with horror as the events of Sandy Hook unfolded on Friday. And by Saturday, he realized that he had a personal connection.
"My Twitter feed started filling up with 'Jack Pinto, Jack Pinto,'" he said. "I'm reading this, and I'm in my hotel room fighting back tears." He asked his girlfriend Elaina to try to track down Jack's family, and within 20 minutes, she'd located them and patched him in on a three-way call.
This first time, Cruz and Jack's family didn't talk for very long, just a few minutes of shared sadness. But Cruz pledged to honor Jack's memory in Sunday's game, and more importantly, pledged that he'd be there for the family for a long time to come.
He'll head to Newtown later this week to present Jack's family with the cleats and the gloves. He was sketchy about the exact date, perhaps because he didn't know, perhaps because he'd rather not turn a visit with the Pinto family into a media opportunity. "The last thing I want to do is add stress on the family in this tough time," he said.
Going forward, he wants to do all that he can for the family. "We may do a fundraiser, something like that," he told Yahoo! Sports. "For now all we want to do is comfort the family. We'll think about other things we can do to help in the long term."

Let us as a nation and more importantly a people of God be the light in a very dark world. Mental illness is a very real disease that people need treatment for. If you or someone you know suffers from any form of mental illness please seek help, or be supportive of your loved one and help them to get the help they need. It could save lives.

There is no excuse for the actions taken by these killers. It was wrong and evil. They have stolen from people the most precious gift, life. We may not be able to physically reach out to the families hurting but we can love them from afar and pray for them.

I'm praying for you this week. Love you all very much!

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness please seek help.

Suicide prevention lifeline 1-800-273-8255

24/7 Treatment Referral Line 1-800-662-4357

Disaster Distress Helpline 1-800-985-5990

or text TalkWithUs to 66746

In  honor of all of those who lost there lives in the Newport Beach Mall shooting, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, their families, and the communities affected. You are loved and prayed for.

T.E.A.M.

T.E.A.M.
Together Everyone Achieves More!

Remember back a few years ago, there was a skit on SNL where a so called organization (Homelessville) and a look alike Salvation Army Santa were competing for donations to help the needy? So super funny. In the end they decided they could do more good if they both used the strengths and talents they were given and teamed up together. I'm not promoting SNL in any way, they say and do a lot of inappropriate things, but this skit in particular (which I do love), although meant to be funny, has a lot of truth. Why compete against each other when we can do more good together?

This Christmas season I want to encourage you to think outside the big shinny box with the pretty bow on top. There are so many great organizations out there that are doing great things in the name of Jesus to help others. Below is a list of a few of them. I just want you to look at giving a little different this year. It’s good to give to our families, it shows love and appreciation, but just think of what could happen if we also gave to someone who doesn’t feel loved? A widow who longs for the love she once had from her husband. An orphaned child who has never felt the love and care from a Mom or Dad. An inner city teen whose life could not only changed, but the lives of their families and generations to come as well if they only knew the love of Jesus. Remember how our lives were changed when we first received that gift?

Together we can give and be blessed because were a TEAM and Together Everyone Achieves More.

A few great organizations to give to this Christmas season and all year long and in no particular order. Check out their sites!

Kansas City Rescue Mission
http://www.kcrm.org/newkcrm/Identity

Kids Across America
http://www.kidsacrossamerica.org/

A21 Champaign
http://www.thea21campaign.org/

Amazima Ministries (Kisses from Katie)
http://amazima.org/

Compassion International
http://www.compassion.com/

I Sanctuary
http://www.isanctuary.org/

City Union Mission
http://www.cityunionmission.org/

Hope Faith Ministries
http://www.hopefaithministries.org/

A Hope for the Homeless (of course)
http://ahopeforthehomeless.blogspot.com/

12 Days until Christmas!!! Are you ready?
Love y'all

*Note: I am not receiving any compensation from any of the above organizations. These are just my opinions alone.

Thanks to You!

If we were together right now I would wrap my arms around you and give you a great big squeeze. We are so thankful to all who donated their resources, clothing, coats, hygiene items, and time. Because of you we were able to serve our community in a mighty way. You may never know this side of heaven how many lives you touched and how much love and hope you gave someone living on the streets, but let me tell you it was big. We were able to get to know a few new people and build some trust. We heard stories that would break your heart. More loss than you and I could ever think of. Death, despair, loneliness, heartbreak, hunger, families torn apart, addictions. You name it it’s out there. It’s hard to hear but I'm sure its harder to share. All some of these people wanted was someone to listen, someone to talk to. The coat, the soap, the clothing, the toothpaste, it’s all just a tool used to make a way in. To serve a physical need so that people trust us enough to share the emotional need they may have. You are a huge part of that. Without you there would be no us and we are so very thankful. Doors were opened to us that we could not have known about or made happen on our own. That’s how much God thinks of what you are doing and giving. He is making a way where there is no way. You are amazing and here at A Hope we are so in love with you!

Special Thanks

I wanted to say a special thanks to Community America and Tru Home Solutions and their employees
for giving so generously and allowing us to meet a need through you. You're the best!

I also wanted to thank Vickkie for all you are doing to serve and for getting the word out, and to Melissa for helping to plant the seed and spread the word. Two of the best girl friends a gal could ask for.
You are two amazing women!

Thank you to the volunteers and my beloved family! They are pretty much one in the same :). For all they have donated and all of the time spent driving around. You are making a difference!

To my wonderful, amazing, hard working, hunk of a husband and my two beautiful boys. You are what keeps A Hope going. You support this ministry in so many ways. You are out there on the streets serving, praying, and loving. I am extremely blessed to have you. You are not just touching hearts out there but you are touching hearts right here at home. Mine! I love you!

If however you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself", you are doing well. James 2:8

Rejoice!

Family Need

Hello there family.

I can call you family right? Were all in this fight together and isn’t that what families do, fight together? Good or bad, thick or thin, families stick together. Love one another, share with one another, take care of one another, and fight for one another. Right?

I know that’s not how all people feel about family. I know that some of us have had hurts and cuts so deep to our hearts that it has left scars. I know that some of us may feel like loved ones have abandoned us or given up on us for one reason or another. Or maybe we have given up on them. Pain is hard, hurt is real, and forgiveness sometimes feels almost impossible.

No one can hurt us more than the ones we love and the crazy thing is that we can't hurt anyone more than the ones who love us. Aren't you glad that when Jesus said "It is finished" He meant it? Aren’t you glad that we have such a Savior as Christ who came to take not only our sins but our hurts and heartbreaks as well? Aren’t you glad He never gives up on us? I pray sweet friends that you don't give up on Him. I pray you share your load with Jesus. I pray you cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. I pray you find the healing for the brokenness you may have. I pray that you don't give up but instead just give! Help me to show someone living on the streets what the joy of family feels like.

Below is a list of items that are needed this time of year for the men and women living on the streets. If you are able to give please post a comment below, facebook me, text, or email and I will contact you for pick up.

Coats
Blankets
Sleeping Bags
Warm Winter Clothing
Tents
Socks
Boots
Hats
Scarf
Gloves
Long Johns
*Tooth Brush
*Tooth Paste
*Deodorant
*Soap
*Shaving kits
*Hand Sanitizer
*Bottled Water
Bus Passes

* Denotes items that need to be purchased new.

Let’s be the family of God and give until our precious little hearts can't take anymore.

Loving you like family,
(and I don't mean like that crazy uncle everyone has, oh you know the one)

Edie :)

We are family, I got all my sisters with me, We are family, Get up ev'rybody and sing...Anyone else humming some Sister Sledge?

Don't believe the lie!







 

 Last Friday, we made a few lunches for our friends on the streets and went to pass them out. The weather was so beautiful outside. It was warm and the sun was bright. Just a kind of day that makes you feel good. As we packed up the lunches and loaded them in the car we were full of excitement on who we were going to see today. We have built some relationships with some of the people on the streets and were hoping to see some of them today. Hoping to see is a weird thing to say. Your really not hoping to see them, what you are hoping for is that they are off the streets and getting the help they need. But if that has not happened then you are hoping that you can find them and catch up a little. You want to see how they are doing and try to meet a need.

As we drove around it was the strangest thing. We saw no one. We hit up all of the normal spots. We were thinking we would only be gone an hour but after an hour we had only seen a few people. My Mom actually came with us to help and I remember telling her to be ready at a certain time because we needed to get the meals out at lunch time. Any other time we had ever been out the need was usually greater than the resources we had. It was the strangest feeling. Where is everyone I thought? Where have they all gone?

Eventually, we started to see a couple people here and there. What we came to find was since the weather was so nice they were doing other things. They walking farther than normal, they were sleeping in the park on a bench or in the grass under the blanket of the warm sun; they were traveling to the food pantry for lunch. I remember thinking what are we going to do with this food? We have been out for over two hours. Two hours was starting to feel like a very long time. I felt as if we were driving in circles. That is when I got convicted by the Lord. Why was it that I had turned serving the homeless into something all about me? Wasn't I glad that we weren't seeing anyone? Shouldn't I be happy that maybe the reason they weren't around was because they were getting a need met somewhere else. My patience was wearing thin because it was taking so long, I was getting tired of driving around, there were a few other things I had planned to do that day and I was wondering if I would have time. Why had it been about me? 

I realized that I was only giving what I could spare. I could spare an hour or so in the middle of the day but not much longer. Instead of thinking about what I could spare I should have been thinking about what it was going to take? What is it going to take to meet a need, what is it going to take help someone, what is it going to take to change a life, what is it going to take the serve the Lord? I know I can't single-handedly alleviate homelessness but I don't want to believe the lie that since I can't do everything, I'm not going to do anything.

We did however see a few familiar faces. Our friend Tim told us that another man we had met before, Whiskey was his name, had been taken to Kansas for treatment. Someone cared enough to pick him up and help him not because it was what they could spare but because that’s what it was going to take. I don’t know what Whiskey’s future holds he may be back on the streets soon but I pray not. God showed me a lot last Friday, not so much about the homeless but more about myself. We all have blind-spots and I'm thankful that God showed me one of mine.

What about you? Are you believing the lie? Are you not doing anything because you feel the need is too
great or are you like me and you are only giving what you can spare instead of what it's going to take? I encourage you to step out and give. Give of your time, trust me the time lost will be restored in so many ways.

Loving you all like crazy!
Edie

Awareness Is Key!

Christine Caine... A name I was not familiar with until just a few months ago. That was until I attended a women's conference and she rocked my foundation. She wasn't even the main speaker but God used her to speak deep into my soul. Her passion and her heart spoke louder than her words. Believe me when I say, she is who I want to be when I grow up, and not just because she's a cute little blonde spitfire with one amazing Australian accent. But because she heard the voice of God and she went.

The Lord spoke to her in a very real way about a very real need. Human Trafficking. This was something that my heart was broken over and had been for sometime but something that's so unbelievable and horrific was hard for me to even think about. It's so real and so hard to believe that this is happening in the 21st century. I'm talking about young women and children from all over the world being kidnapped or lied to and being sold into modern day slavery. Being shipped across the world in cargo shipping crates just so they can be sold, abused, used, lied to, broken down, beaten, and owned like a piece of property.

If that is not crazy enough to wrap your brain around, there are women right here in Kansas City that the same thing is happening to. Kansas City is a hot spot for human trafficking. They fact that their are major highways that run to just about anywhere in the U.S., trains, buses, and planes that do the same make it easy access for traffickers. The women you sometimes see on the streets don't necessarily want to be there. They are not always there on their own free will. Other women could be there because of choices, circumstance, and things that could or couldn't be out of their control. Some of the homeless women you see at the stop lights are the same women that you could see on the streets on any given night. Either way these women are lost in the darkness. They need The Light. The Hope. The One. 

Several years ago Christine Cain and her husband Nick started The A21 Campaign (http://www.thea21campaign.org/the-problem.php) to stop human trafficking. They are doing great things on the streets all over the world. They are rescuing the trafficked and they are helping to get the traffickers put in jail. God has used Chris in a mighty way and He can use us too. We need to open our eyes and our hearts to need that is all around us.

"When you decide enough is enough, that the darkness of this world must be lit with the hope of Christ and his transforming love, and that you are a conduit of that love, you will not rest."
-Christine Caine

I could go on and on but I will let you have your turn to check it out for yourself. Thanks for checking in. Please comment, I would love to hear your thoughts. Don't forget to follow as well. This is all so new to us and we are taking baby steps so please excuse the mess. I guess I'm just a work in progress. Thankful He's not finished with me yet! Love ya'll

To report Human Trafficking please call the national hot line at (800)373-7888

Hey ya'll, (OK, so I'm not even close to be southern but I just really like the way it sounds). To say we are so excited about what God is doing with A Hope for the Homeless is a huge understatement. It truly is amazing, we are blessed. Tonight we went to pick up the items from the coat drive we did last week. So exciting! We received a lot of great stuff. I will share more on this later. I just thought I would share with you a few cute photos of some of the crew. I hope ya'll had a great day! Know that we are so thankful that you are reading our blog, following, and giving. We're lovin you like crazy! 

The family truckster put to good use. Tell me you don't just love the crafty sign. Now that's talent!

Two amazing helpers. Jackson has such a heart for the homeless, what a blessing. This boy will grow up to be such a great man.

Our sweetest and littlest volunteer and his Momma. He may have the biggest heart of all. He's gonna get some things done in life, Let. Me. Tell. You.

Local Agencies

If you or someone you know needs help please click the link below. The website is a list of agencies here in the greater Kansas City area that can help with addictions, shelter, meals, abuse, long term housing, health services, mental health services, and much much more. Please reach out it could save a life.

http://hscgkc.org/agency.php

Real Faces Real Need

These are the real faces of despair, bondage, hopelessness, hurt, pain, and sickness, among many

 other things but these are also the faces of the people we love and are called to love.

 It's different now. It used to be when we would pull up to a stop light and see a homeless person on the corner; I couldn't wait for the light to change. I did everything I could to not look into their eyes. I was not willing to see their hurt. I might feel something that made me uncomfortable. That was until God did something deep inside of me that made me desire to see behind the eyes of the hurting on the street. He made me want more than to just give to them, He made me want to know them, see them for who He said they were, and love them deeper than I ever thought I could.

God gave me a desire to give hope to the homeless.

That is what this blog is about. We are here to bring a realness to the need, to put a face with the pain. To show that the homeless are people too, just like you and me. A Hope (A Hope for the Homeless) is out on the streets bringing them the love of Jesus Christ. We do that by cooking and delivering them warm meals on the streets, coat drives, purchasing and passing out deodorant and hyigene items, among many other things. Whatever we are able to give we are giving and we want you to join us. If you would like to donate or volunteer please contact us. You will be blessed.