A Christmas Feel Good Story
One of the things that never ceases to amaze me as I go through life is how selfless many people with very little money are.
Obviously there are exceptions to this rule. I’ve known some people with very little money who are stingy, and I’ve known a number of people with plenty of money who are extremely generous. But as a general rule, I’ve found that those who have little are very anxious to share what they have with those who have even less.
I think part of this enigma comes from the fact that some people with plenty of money don’t have any idea what it feels like to have little. Those who are poor, on the other hand, understand all too well the anxiety that comes from not knowing if you’ll be able to afford your next meal.
At a church I attended, we had a volunteer benevolence team that took care of the poor and homeless in our community. About 90 percent of those volunteers either had been in that scary position or were currently in that condition. Their bank accounts might not have been large, but their hearts were huge.
I read a news story about a 36-year-old man in Pennsylvania who had just completed his eighth round of chemotherapy for colon cancer. His favorite restaurant held a Christmas raffle for a year’s worth of free pizza, and he won it.
So, did he decide to enjoy a pizza every week for the next 52 weeks? No, instead he donated his prize to a local food bank to help the unfortunate in his community. He knew all about suffering, and he wanted to do what he could to help those suffering from hunger.
Once they learned what the man had chosen to do with his prize, the pizza parlor owners decided to double the gift so he could have a year’s worth of pizza and still donate the same amount to the food bank.
You might have little, you might have a lot or you might be somewhere in between. Regardless, it’s truly more blessed to give than to receive.
We have been homeless (with 5 kids) and I have never known more generosity than what we received from our fellow homeless neighbors. We lived in our travel trailer for many months in various parks and parking lots and so on until we were finally able to get a rental home. When others would go to the food bank, they would almost always bring us some of what they were given. One year a local “wealthy” man anonymously gave a pair of pajamas and slippers and a toy of our choice to every child in our school who was considered “low income” – that included our 5 kids. It made that holiday bearable for us as parents. Generosity comes from many people, but always from the same place – the heart. When I was looking for a job, the local help agency gave me clothes, simple jewelry, makeup and other grooming supplies and a pair of good shoes to make that possible. In my new job, one of the first things I did was to sign up to help with collecting employee donations in a program sponsored by the company.
Recently, someone in our area had 2 granddaughters to raise now and they were becoming more and more ill. It turned out their house was filled with black mold and the toxic insulation that is now banned. They were going to have to leave their home and had nowhere to go. We owned our mobile home and we made the decision to give it to this family so they could recover and be healthy. They have not shown a much gratitude to us. However, they are all well and he (who was on death’s door) is now much healthier and can finally walk and is off oxygen. Those girls have a much better chance of growing up well. That is enough reward for us. If we give expecting gratitude or recompense, we are giving for the wrong reason. It is enough that the Lord knows our hearts and our love for the people who need our help.
God works through people to accomplish His purposes. Good works are a way to praise and honor Him and to spread love and kindness to all His children.
Dear Frank,
Since 1995, we have been an integral part of a program that we humbly helped develop (here in Colorado) called W.I.N.N. Ministries.
WINN, stands for “We’re Involved Neighbors Now.” The overall mission of WINN was the brain child of both my “Ex-Black-Op Partner” Hank Salmans and I.
Then, in 1998, Hank experienced a “calling” to turn away from our skilled, morally based, violent response against violence (hired private sector guns) to devote his life to Christian Passive Giving!”
Honestly, Hank is, “A better man than I Gonga Din!”
During 1995 and 1996 Hank and I spent endless private hours studying scripture and developing a plan for how we could help people thrown into sudden distress.
As some point, Hank became totally dedicated … the passive warrior … while I continued to fight the hardcore physical fight (blood, bullets and black-op deception against evil.)
Long story short, since 1995 … our humble and local service group called WINN, merged and morphed with several similar service groups and became “COF” (Community of Faith), an international support organisation.
During 2016, COF fed approximately 121,000 distressed families for a year, while teaching them how to grow food, sustain and lift themselves up,
Over the years, WINN/COF has provides temp. housing, furniture, clothing and other needs for families struck by fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters. We have served in all 50 states and several foreign countries.
When bad things happen to good people, COF/WINN will respond. Our mission; rebuild healthy families and motivate productive lives.
Whoever you are, whatever your talents may be. Do not doddle or hesitate. Get into the game of life!
Share what little you think you have to give. You will be amazed and humbled at what you have accomplished, beyond worrying about yourself.
God knows your talents and the “Gifts of Life” you possess in abundance … so give them away freely!
God Save America,
Orrin
Orrin, over the years I have read your statements and have agreed with most of them – been there done that. After reading this I have a renewed respect for you. All I can say is this, “GOD Bless you and thank-you.” I know this has been said before, but I want you to please take a moment and realize that I mean it from the heart and soul.
Orrin, we’re very proud of you and the great work you and your family are doing to help people in need.
Generosity should be a natural part of everyone’s life. When I had money, I was extremely generous to friends and even strangers, cooking at the local Men’s shelter with food I bought. Now I am totally broke and all those friends to whom I was so generous, wealthy or not, have no generosity for me. SAD
Deborah, you have just learned an important lesson about human nature, I’m sorry to say. I have heard it said, no good deed goes unpunished. This seems to prove it.
when I deal with people I have this one rule, do so with a grain of salt. If I go out there and put myself out there to help those who seem to need it then I don’t expect that they will reciprocate in turn. People are often more concern with their own situation that to worry about others.
You are one of those special people that are willing to pick up the slack and do what is needed for whoever needs your help. Well Deborah, I too am one of those people. So this is what I want to do for you. If you need help – no matter what it may be – you contact me any time and I will be there for you. You have my word. I read Frank’s blogs after I have written my statements. If you leave me a request I will contact you.