That Went Well

By the grace of God on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, we received items from the residents of this apartment complex for senior citizens.

Then on Wednesday, they were taken to the thrift store in Ennis that supports First Look Pregnancy Clinic https://www.firstlookclinic.com/

It took 2 pickups to hold the more than 40 boxes and a dozen garbage bags of items plus lamps, pictures, and more. Mostly those were clothes, books, and housewares.

I had sent out many prayer requests about this. And God brought in lots of things and the operations unfolded smoothly. I am grateful for each person that prayed.

There is a chain reaction from those 2 days.

That event will benefit those who buy inexpensive things and save money contrasted to buying the things new.

The money will pay for staff at the clinic and their equipment.

The women will receive test results, counseling, and support.

The fetuses will be born instead of aborted.

The donors of the things will have more space and will be blessed by God.

Here is a photo.

https://guidemejesus.blogspot.com/2018/10/here-is-photo-of-what-was-taken-to.html 

NEXT

My next project to serve my neighbors is to research and compile 2 lists. I want to offer them a selection of options for holiday activities and volunteer possibilities.

Most of my neighbors are widows or widowers. There are just a few couples. Mostly they are in their 70s and 80s. A few are in their 90s. I am the young one that is only 65.

In the one year I have been here I have witnessed a few that died and some that moved into assisted living. Others went from walking everywhere to needing to use a walker with wheels. So there is a constant reminder of their mortality and possible declining health.

Take time to imagine these are grandmothers and mothers that had cooked big holiday meals. They had lots of relatives to connect with during November and December for decades. Yet here they are in a one bedroom apartment cooking for themselves. And some cannot cook so they get Meals on Wheels https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/

People take for granted that they can sit on the floor and then get up on their own. Many of my neighbors have not been able to do that for years.

During the short videos of those that had gone through Griefshare, there were many testimonies of how the holidays stirred up painful memories of the past. So deeply missing a spouse, child, or sibling can complicate these two months for a person of their age.

Very few relatives come to visit my neighbors during the year. Surely there will be an increase during the holidays.

Most career people watch some TV each week to unwind. Can you imagine watching TV all day and all night for year after year? This generation is not web savvy, so TV is their major companion.

Many of the women have small dogs and a few have cats. The good news is that the dogs will listen endlessly and give unconditional love. Plus they must be walked so that makes them go for a walk if they can. When these little dogs die that is a very painful tragedy for them. Your special prayers for their dogs and their relationship with their dog will help.

So into this context, I seek to sow some good seeds that I hope will bear good fruit in due season.

I want them to know where they can go and what they can do during November and December. There is a wide range of options in the area. I plan to research the secular and Christian possibilities. I will make a list of the events, places, times, and contact data.

My intention is to broaden their horizons so that they know there is a world beyond the walls of their residence. There are ways to go out and experience some enjoyment in a safe setting.

I know already that only a few of the residents will take action on this. But I feel that it is my responsibility to provide the knowledge of what is possible.

While the holidays are an intense season of memories the other 10 months are a desert of loneliness. So one possible antidote to loneliness is to volunteer. Some neighbors have said that they volunteered years ago and a few volunteer regularly these days.

So besides the holiday options, I will list the volunteer options.

My intention is the same but more long term. My intention is to broaden their horizons so that they know there is a world beyond the walls of their residence. There are ways to go out and experience some enjoyment in a safe setting.

The difference between going to a holiday even and volunteering consistently is that they will engage with others socially. They will be serving a greater good. They will think and act beyond their own daily survival.

Some extroverts might think that this is a grand opportunity to go visit with dozens of my neighbors. But there are several problems with that. I am mostly an introvert. Visiting lots of people would drain me in ways that an extrovert could never fathom.

Yet I do care deeply about their emotional health.

Like I told the apartment manager it would not be right for me to be seen going into the residence of these women for more than a few minutes. In this community, there are eyes on every activity. These old women have perfected gossip.

During the next few months, my central focus is to give myself wholeheartedly to grieving. And on a related note, there has been and there will be needs to massage my body due to the emotional junk that is flushed up in this grieving processes.

Let me make a quick aside to state that like Griefshare teaches, every person grieves differently. How I grieve the loss of my dad would be totally different from how another person grieves the loss of their parent or spouse. I put my unresolved issues in my upper body. Another person might put it in their gut or back. They might store the junk in the trunk of traumatic memories somewhere besides the body like overeating, excessive anxieties, or other toxic habits.

I told my pastor that the relief in my neck, shoulders, and upper back led me to envision that I had been carrying the weight of the world on my back like Atlas. This might seem crazy. But my sense of excessive responsibility is related to the fact that I am first born and Type 1 on the Enneagram. When I get totally honest about my ego then I notice that I felt personally responsible that every human on the earth was evangelized and every person online was effectively disciplined. Also, I want to save the world from all the injustice and suffering.  So as I grieve the loss of my dad I have begun to put down that clearly impossible assignment.

PRAYER

Just like with the thrift store project, I can do research and share the lists in the energy of my flesh.

I am committed to sharing these lists with my neighbors at the end of October.

Yet I need your best prayers.

My tendency is to just present the raw data. Yet I know that if I use some graphic art design in the formatting then it will be better received. That is easier said than done because that is outside my skill set. So pray for God to teach me or partner me with a person that can do this well.

Here are my prayer requests:

May God guide my research.

May God guide my writing and formatting of the lists.

May God prepare their hearts and minds to receive the lists.

May God prompt some to act on the options that will bless them the most.

THANKS again for all your prayers.

Shalom

John

P. S. You are invited to forward this to the best intercessors.