"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Matt 10:29-31 Scientist say that the same part of the brain is activated with both anxiety and gratitude. That is why it is so powerful to express gratitude, even in times of anxiety.
I won’t lie, a financial recession makes for very worrying times when running an NPO. One of the first things to go when people/businesses/donors are cutting back is charitable donations, and Life Changer has not been spared from this culling of finances. And yet, we serve a God who says that we are more precious than sparrows, and they never worry about where their next meal comes from. He calls us to cast our burdens on Him. So we did. In fact, the prayer was, “Lord, if this city still needs you, then we will trust you to take care of us.” Needless to say, the anxiety part of my brain was a little in overdrive, and this was about six weeks ago. Then things started happening…
It started with a group of faithful ladies, baking and producing goods to sell at a local market. They made about 150% of what they made last year, in total profit. Largely from people who had never heard of Life Changer. When the funds all came in, one of the ladies suggested we buy a cellphone for our office. (Our phone had been broken for about 6 months and we were missing calls.)
Then there was someone else, who had been trying to reach us (to no avail,) and asked on Facebook if we had an alternative number. When it was explained that our phone was broken, her response was, “My mother has a phone for you, basically brand new.” So the money from the market could be banked. Including the couple of thousand we would have spent on a phone. I counted it, amazed that a simple gesture, lots of hard work, and faithful hearts, could have accumulated such a generous sum. I wrote the final figure on the envelope and hid it away, as it needed to be reconciled with the church finance office.
Next, we had a cry on social media for clothing: for our second-hand clothing shop and for our clients. The clothing shop is one of our income streams that sustains our work, and naturally we need clothing for the guys. A local shopping centre made us their charity for June and we collected two bakkie loads of clothing, plus the donations poured in from churches, from schools. It was amazing. We could literally add some winter warmth to the streets and just in time. Plus, the extra cash from our second hand clothing store could be used to purchase cosmetics we desperately needed as our cosmetic donor has fallen away.
We also support a process whereby a youngster from a children’s home, who has no family, is “adopted” into a church community. In this case, it was DTeam, One Life Church’s year of your life program. But these programs do have a cost attached and we made a plea for donations towards this. Not only to cover his fees, but the hoodie, the beanie, the mission trips… Needless to say, the donations came in. Enough to cover well over 6 months of this program.
When I finally took the cash collected at the market up to the church office to deposit into a bank account, I had no idea our DTeam candidate had been supported with such incredible generosity. Our lovely finance lady asked me where I would like to allocate the funds from the market and I suggested the DTeam bill, to secure his continued participation. She told me that a whack had already been paid. There was only a relatively small amount outstanding. I was already in tears, so relieved that he could continue and have this incredible year, when I asked, “Well, how much will we need to ensure he can complete the year?” She gave me the amount, down to the last R5. I was stunned. The cash from the market was the EXACT AMOUNT, down to the last R5, that would be needed to cover his year. Tell me about God being in the details....
Mandela Day saw us being the beneficiary of countless kind, thoughtful and practical donations, which will go a lot further than just that one day. Gifts of clothing, scarves, food, socks… all blessings to our friends from the streets. But the best part of Mandela Day was how many volunteers and new faces came to Life Boat to see what we do there and how they can be part of it.
We then had someone celebrate a special birthday and feel in her heart that she would like to share her blessings with us. I don’t know what I was expecting, but when the donation came, I was incredibly humbled. The birthday girl in question was not from our church or community and yet she wanted to be part of this ministry to the unhoused. She has yet to see the actual Life Boat premises, but had heard that we work with heart. It was confirmation, once again, that God has called THE church (not only one church) to care for the poor. Confirmation for the heart at Life Changer that we get to share this task.
And finally, we had a day where the freezer was empty. Our manager was about to drive to a local shop to top up our supplies of bread, margarine, sandwich fillings… when a call came through from a church which partners with us, to ask if we need anything. They were about to do a shop for us and wondered if we needed anything specifically.
You – our friends and family - have all (unbeknown to you,) been such evidence of God’s faithfulness and love for our unhoused neighbours. We’ve seen miracle upon miracle unfold in the simplest and greatest of ways. I’m reminded of the little sparrows that come to eat the bread crumbs at Life Boat once all the pies and sandwiches are done for the day. Even they are cared for, fed by the left overs left behind by the clients we serve.
This post is to say thank you, and to be a reminder that we are all far more valuable than sparrows. Those who work in our project believe that when God is ready to shut us down, we will know. We trust Him as our provider, unwaveringly. The last few weeks have built enormous faith and shown, through you, that caring for those who live on the streets is still very close to the Father’s heart.
When I look at our bank statement, I am always so incredibly grateful for the donations of R50, R100, R300… The amounts that are sown in faith, undoubtedly. I am grateful too, for the phonecalls that end up as deliveries of bread, or socks. I am grateful for the black bags that are delivered containing not your pre-worn clothing, but our sustainability. We’ve had clients literally cry when they find a pair of shoes that fit. We’ve also seen our number of daily interactions almost double, implying that more people want what is on offer. It’s been remarkable. It’s been miraculous. It’s been God.
My encouragement to you, as you read this, as you read testimonies of such generosity and goodness, is to know that every little whisper counts. The lesson of the sparrows, which is what we see at Life Boat, is that they are sustained not on gold-dusted bird seed, but on the crumbs. Those little bits make up a generous, delicious meal. Same applies to our work, there isn’t one donation mentioned above (or not mentioned this time, but equally appreciated,) that is more important or significant than the other. Each and every one has made an impact. So when God whispers to you, like He inspired the baking and sewing that went on display at the market just more than a month ago, please be encouraged to obey. Be part of this miracle. Be part of the testimony of what He is doing with our unhoused friends. And come see for yourself, how even the sparrows that visit the Life Boat are provided for. And we are ALL worth so much more than sparrows.
Anxiety seems so foolish now, in the light of the gratitude that overflows and takes it’s place. It’s rightful place.
Thank you for your faith and kindness. As you have sown, may you also reap.
Thank you for building our faith – hopefully sharing this builds yours too!
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