This past Saturday our Church hosted a community outreach called "Lot of Love."
We partnered with "Convoy of Hope" and created an event that helped nearly a thousand people in need.
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| Here I am before all "Heaven" broke loose! We were able to Bless people with free services such as : Haircuts, New Shoes, Clothes, Medical and Dental assessments, Vaccinations, Toiletries, Diapers, bags of Groceries and much more. There was a Pampering room for Women to have their nails painted and we had Carnival activities for kids along with a Fire truck spraying water hoses up in the air like a fountain for the kids to run under. Our Awesome Worship Team gave a great Concert while folks enjoyed a nice lunch and enjoyed the fellowship of one another. I am the "Prayer Ministry Coordinator" at our Church so my role was to have a team in place to pray for the needs of the people coming to our "Prayer and Resource Tent." Our team prayed with hundreds of people! There are so many folks that are hurting out there! They were so thankful to know we cared and took the time to listen to their stories and pray with them . When you know Jesus as your Savior, you can offer Love, Hope and Joy to someone who can't see a way out of a dark place. Hundred's of people came and sat for prayer in our tent that day. There was however one special lady who never came into the Prayer tent. She is the one who touched my heart the most. I saw her sitting in a parked van for most of the day. She was in the drivers seat so I assumed she was waiting to pick up someone who was in the church. I walked over to the van and introduced myself. Her face , neck, arms, and hands were covered with severe burn scars. She must have had many surgeries to graft the skin on her face and body. I asked How I could pray for her and she mumbled under her breath; "Where do I begin? There is so much." I placed my hand on her shoulder , she tensed up and pulled back at first. I could tell she wasn't used to people touching her. As I prayed out loud I asked God to heal her heart and something broke inside of her. She slumped over the steering wheel and began to weep uncontrollably. A river of tears that were dammed up for many years broke forth as I told her how much God loved her and how God still had a purpose and plan for her life. I could see years of hurt and shame in her eyes. Though her face and body were covered with horrific scars from a fire , it was her heart that was burned and damaged most. Scalded with scars from years of abuse, rejection and shame , she felt unlovely and unloved. I held her and hugged her as best as I could through the window of the van, she held on to my shoulder and as she wept I could feel the years of pain melting away. It wasn't anything that I did that erased her "Heart Burn." It was Christ alone that washed away her pain. It was he who bore her grief and sickness. Sometimes the scars on the inside hurt more than the scars on the outside. We have all experienced " Heart Burn". Some of us have carried it around for our entire lives. As I said goodbye to her she mustered up a smile. I could tell she hadn't smiled in a while . Her voice cracked as she said , " You will never know how much this day has meant to me. I feel free for the first time in a long time. Thank you so much." ~ Today I ask you, just as I asked the lady in the van... "Won't you give your heart to the Lord and allow him to heal your pain and scars from the past?" Let Jesus take away the hurt and heal your "Heart Burn." ~ May your Heart be grafted into the heart of Jesus! ~ " I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take HEART! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 ~ BE A ORGAN DONOR...GIVE YOUR HEART TO JESUS! Hallelujah! "Praise the Lord and Share the Good News!" Donna Selma Lind |
