The Dorcus Project
I am so excited I can't sleep! Has that ever happened to you? Life is just going along and all of a sudden something happens that changes everything! It all started about a year ago when I became aware of a girl who was a gang member of the Bloods. I was told that she wanted to leave the gang and change the direction of her life. When the gang members found out about her plans, they hunted her down like an animal and stabbed her. My husband and I talked about this girl and prayed for her. I was happy to simply pray for her and let God take care of her. I was expressing this to my daughter and she said something that has changed my life completely. She said, "Maybe God wants to use you to take care of her." That thought hadn't crossed my mind. It's amazing who and what God uses to get our attention. To make a long story short - I drove from GA to NY and picked up this girl when she got out of the hospital (she was hospitalized after being stabbed). We drove back to Ga together and that is a story in itself. Imagine a Blood gang member and a 55 year old Sunday School teacher trapped in a car together for 18 hours. Miraculously, we both survived. Well, this girl lived with us for six months. During the six months she lived with us, she obtained her GED and found her father whom she had not seen since she was a very small child. When she left us, she went to her father's to live.
Several months passed and life seemed to be settled again. Then "SUDDENLY" it changed again. It was approaching Christmastime and we were getting ready for our Open House. I love Christmas and love to decorate my house. Since my family does not live close to me, I open my house to my church family. A mother came with her daughter to our Open House and stayed the majority of the time. We discovered that they had no heat in the place they were living. Some ladies in our church gathered blankets and took over to them but my husband and I felt we should do more. So, we invited them to come live with us. We knew the mother was having trouble making ends meet so we suggested that they stay with us until her daughter graduated. That would get them through the winter and give the mother time to regroup and get on her feet again. As it turned out, the mother had heart trouble and had to have open heart surgery in March. She had a son living in FL who she wanted to come and be with her during this time but we did not have room for him in our home. So, since we had promised to help her until the end of May, we rented an apartment and moved them in. We knew they did not have any living room furniture so we bought them a new sofa, love seat, end tables. lamps and a coffee table for the apartment. We paid for all moving expenses and the rent through May. The operation was successful and she is now back to work.
Again, several months passed. Recently I was having a yard sale for a friend who had moved to California. She had stored all the things that she wanted to keep but had to leave the area before she were able to get rid of what was left. I offered to have a yard sale for her. The sale was a success and we were able to unload all the wonderful goodies she had left. But during this yard sale, I met a young mother with four children who's story was heart-wrenching . I am not at liberty to go into detail because I do not want to jeopardize her safety and we are still in the midst of the situation with her.
However, I will tell you that I believe that God has brought each and every one of these people into our lives in order for us to show them His love. You see, the only requirement we have to have in order for God to use us is to be willing vessels. It is He alone who strengthens me and enables me to do anything good. We have the opportunity to be God's hands and feet everyday. He blesses us that we may be a blessing to others. The reason I am so excited tonight is because God has given me an idea which can enable me to help even more people. There are a lot of things we can do to help others that do not cost us a lot of money. But then again, there are needs that do require cold hard cash.
It just so happened that last week, I was talking with a friend who told me about a new antique mall opening up in a neighboring town. I love looking for a good deal so I stopped by to see what it was like. I began talking to one of the dealers and before I knew it I was picking out a space and making arrangements to lease the space for six months. The owner said I could mix in things that weren't antiques. That's what caught me hook, line and sinker. You see, I make Christmas decorations such as garlands, wreaths and other decor for many of my clients for whom I do seasonal decorating . With Christmas in less than six months, I could see an opportunity to make some money. All the proceeds from my sales are going to my new venture which I call the "Dorcus Project." I can't wait to see what God is going to do next!
Several months passed and life seemed to be settled again. Then "SUDDENLY" it changed again. It was approaching Christmastime and we were getting ready for our Open House. I love Christmas and love to decorate my house. Since my family does not live close to me, I open my house to my church family. A mother came with her daughter to our Open House and stayed the majority of the time. We discovered that they had no heat in the place they were living. Some ladies in our church gathered blankets and took over to them but my husband and I felt we should do more. So, we invited them to come live with us. We knew the mother was having trouble making ends meet so we suggested that they stay with us until her daughter graduated. That would get them through the winter and give the mother time to regroup and get on her feet again. As it turned out, the mother had heart trouble and had to have open heart surgery in March. She had a son living in FL who she wanted to come and be with her during this time but we did not have room for him in our home. So, since we had promised to help her until the end of May, we rented an apartment and moved them in. We knew they did not have any living room furniture so we bought them a new sofa, love seat, end tables. lamps and a coffee table for the apartment. We paid for all moving expenses and the rent through May. The operation was successful and she is now back to work.
Again, several months passed. Recently I was having a yard sale for a friend who had moved to California. She had stored all the things that she wanted to keep but had to leave the area before she were able to get rid of what was left. I offered to have a yard sale for her. The sale was a success and we were able to unload all the wonderful goodies she had left. But during this yard sale, I met a young mother with four children who's story was heart-wrenching . I am not at liberty to go into detail because I do not want to jeopardize her safety and we are still in the midst of the situation with her.
However, I will tell you that I believe that God has brought each and every one of these people into our lives in order for us to show them His love. You see, the only requirement we have to have in order for God to use us is to be willing vessels. It is He alone who strengthens me and enables me to do anything good. We have the opportunity to be God's hands and feet everyday. He blesses us that we may be a blessing to others. The reason I am so excited tonight is because God has given me an idea which can enable me to help even more people. There are a lot of things we can do to help others that do not cost us a lot of money. But then again, there are needs that do require cold hard cash.
It just so happened that last week, I was talking with a friend who told me about a new antique mall opening up in a neighboring town. I love looking for a good deal so I stopped by to see what it was like. I began talking to one of the dealers and before I knew it I was picking out a space and making arrangements to lease the space for six months. The owner said I could mix in things that weren't antiques. That's what caught me hook, line and sinker. You see, I make Christmas decorations such as garlands, wreaths and other decor for many of my clients for whom I do seasonal decorating . With Christmas in less than six months, I could see an opportunity to make some money. All the proceeds from my sales are going to my new venture which I call the "Dorcus Project." I can't wait to see what God is going to do next!
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