A story about Brian

About 2 yrs ago we met Brian.He had 2 grandchildren who he hadn't seen often.But,this Christmas due to his failing health he wanted to do something special for them and his daughter.He emailed us asking if we could possibly give him some Christmas presents for his 2 grandchildren and daughter.Brian wasn't sure what the children really liked as far as toys.All he was sure of was of their ages.We looked through our toy donations and found 4 toys per child.For the 6 yr old girl we gave her a beautiful doll with its very own brush,nail polish set for herself and a pocketbook that had a few dollars in it,a coloring book with crayons and some barrettes for her hair.For the 8 yr old boy we gave him a fire truck that actually made noise and had moveable parts,a wallet with a few dollars in it,coloring book and crayons of super heroes and matchbox cars.For his daughter we gave her toiletries and a frame with a picture of him in it.(Which I had taken when we first met him)All the presents were wrapped so Brian had no way of knowing what the gifts were.After the holidays Brian had emailed us and told us he had moved in with his daughter and grandchildren.They had resolved most of their differences and although he had not been a good dad he was going to be the best grandpa ever.As long as his health let him.(he never mentioned anything about the grandchildrens dad,so we figured he was not in the picture).Months later we learned Brian had died from the Cancer but his daughters favorite thing had been the picture of her dad in that frame.Just think if it had not been for those donated items he might never of gone over to see his daughter and grandchildren.And they might never of had those months together.
Believe me when people are generous its like a stone thrown into a lake it has a rippling effect.

A story about TRACY

We had received an email several yrs ago from a woman named Tracy who lived near Atlantic City.She was beside herself.She had just gotten temporary custody of her sisters children the ages were from 3-9 yrs.She herself had just given birth to a baby and her and her husband were adjusting to being new parents.Her sister had been brutally killed.(We never did get all the details).However,Fr John spent many hours on the phone talking to her after the first email.We were able to get clothes for her nieces and nephew.We also had received many donated toys we gave to her.We helped her off and on for about 8 months.The last time we had seen her they  were applying for full custody of the children.The childrens father was in prison and signed the papers.And they were moving to Georgia where relatives lived.Their life could of been a lot more difficult if it had not been for the generous people who donated.Tracy mentioned after knowing us and meeting us she realized how many good people were still out in the world.Her faith had been renewed.And she was going to raise all the children to know the Lord.(the 2 scriptures that come to mind are Proverb 14:14 and Proverbs 22:6 ,they pertain to those who have back slide from  believing and  the importance of teaching our children about the Bible
*to me it seemed like things became easier for her to accept and work through once she let her faith back into her life.

AN OFFERING TO GOD

EXAMINE YOUR OWN LIFE WHEN TEMPTED TO CONDEMN OTHERS.
(gospel today-JOHN 8:7   LET THE ONE AMOUNG  YOU WHO IS WITHOUT SIN BE THE FIRST TO THROW A STONE AT HER).

A FEW PICTURES FROM THE PAST YEARS

A few books from our past years

Fr John likes to have a few memorable pictures put

in books every year because the people we have met are important to us.And we love the smiles,lol

A WORD OF THANKS

Please thank everyone who helps make your organization possible.They have no idea how much their kindness and donations meant to me and my children.
                                                   Yours Truely,
                                                               Karen

HAVE A BLESSED HOLIDAY

UPDATE

WE HAVE DONE OVER 123 families since Jan 2014.Many of these families were brought to our attention from a lady who does census.Here is just 1 story. A very poor,poor woman our census lady came across had hardly anything not even curtains on her windows.She had blankets and or newspapers.The poor,poor woman was so surprised that someone left a box of items on her porch with no note attach.In the box were some curtains.We heard the curtains have been hung up and the blankets/newspapers have been taken down.(if you know someone who is struggling you can always try to help in some small way without letting them know who you are,since many people have foolish pride,and would never ask for any assistance of any kind).Of course none of this would be possible without the donations we receive.

RECENT DONATION

........... BAGS OF BLANKETS,LINENS,


DISHES

isnt this the cutest?

A SHORT LESSON PERTAINING TO THE WOMEN OF THE BIBLE

There were 3 women who served as God's messngers ;they were-
1.Miriam,she was an acclaimed prophet and recognized as a leader of the Israelites.Miriam was Moses sister.She became jealous of her brother when he married a Cushite woman.She challenged her brothers leadership.Moses did not react to his sisters challenge.God's response came immediately.Although Miriam and Aaron possessed the gift of prophecy,Moses was his chosen one.For challenging Moses authority ,God struck Miriam with a disease that turned her skin white with leprosy.Moses interceded in her behalf,and eventually God healed her.(no one is to question God or doubt his word(for more on Miriam  read Exodus 15)
2.Huldah,she was bold bordering on fearless.She was unafraid to speak to the nations king.She spoke Gods will and truth.She offered hope and a sign of renewal to all who listened(for more on Hulda read 2 Kings 22)
3.Anna,she was a prophet who served in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' birth.She was no stranger to pain and grief.She suffered a devastating loss as a young woman when her husband died 7 yrs into their marriage.His death left her childless and alone.Yet,instead of growing bitter she channeled her pain into a life of ministry and spiritual reflection.Anna was so devoted that she never left the temple.Constantly worshipping,fasting and praying (if you like to read more on Anna read Luke 2)
*note-THE NAME HANNAH AND THE NAME ANNA BOTH MEAN"gracious'

THANK YOU's

A giant thank you to Laurie from Pt Pleasant for the much needed household items.
Thank you for the food and childrens items from Bonnie in Toms River.That food came just in time for a needy family....,
Thank you Melodi for the seasoned childrens clothes,we definitely could use some of them now.And as always toys were a welcome sight

A SMILE THAT GOES FOR MILES

GRANDMA AND GRANDAUGHTERS WERE SO THRILLED.THE LITTLE GRANDDAUGHTER WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO POSE WITH HER DOLL.

STILL DESPERATELY NEED BABY & CHILDRENS CLOTHES

Although we have received quite a few clothes donations we are unable to use most of them because they are out of season.Now we must find a spot to store them for the Winter months.(Thank goodness I sort everything before giving to families or they would of wondered why they were getting long sleeve shirts in the Summer months.Winter articles takes up the room we need for Summer items.Please if anyone is going to donate please hold off giving us out of season articles.All we have is 1 garage for our storage.THANK YOU!
GRANDMA AND GRANDKIDS WERE THRILLED WITH THE ITEMS WE GAVE THEM.THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW EVERYONE CAME THROUGH FOR THEM.

REMEMBER TAKE TIME TO ENJOY WHAT GOD HAS MADE

 TODAY WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY,THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT WITH YOU'S BY SNAPPING A FEW PICTURES

A FEW PICTURES/NOTES FROM THE PAST

A FEW RECENT DONATIONS

MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT A JOKE

WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS?

It is a medical or emotional condition that disrupts a persons thinking,feelings,mood,ability to relate to others or their daily functions.Unlike addicts who experience disruptions in their thinking it is not self-inflicted.
 

TODAYS LESSON IS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS

There are many forms of mental illness.Acute Stress Disorder,Autism,Bipolar Disorder,Catatonic Disorders,Major Depressive Disorder,Narcessistic Personality,Retts Disorder,Sadomasochism,Schizophrenia,Tourette Syndrome are just a few.It is most likely in your life time you will have met someone with mental illness.With medication and treatment a lot of people with mental disorder can live a fairly happy and productive life.In the BIBLE it refered to people who were mentally unstable or unwell as LUNATICS.(in Mathew 17:14-22  it starts off with LORD HAVE MERCY ON MY SON,FOR HE IS A LUNATIC AND IS VERY ILL,FOR HE OFTEN FAILS....,  also in Mark 5:15 the BIBLE mentions PEOPLE WERE POSSESSED WITH DEMONS it was another way of saying mentally unwell.Some people who are homeless are mentally ill.Due to their lack of financial resources they can not afford the medicine or therapy needed.The NAMI(National Alliance on Mental Illness is the worlds largest non profit organization trying to help those with mental illness.The reason I have written on this topic is because over the years we have met some people who have some form of mental illness.1 time when we delivered clothes to a mom with a teen daughter we noticed the young girl never raised her head when she talked.Her mother mentioned she suffered from periods of severe depression with thoughts of suicide.Another time a man had emailed us asking for clothes but when we went to deliver them he demanded we step back to our car so he could open the door and get the clothes on the steps that we left.We noticed he had cameras on his house to watch the neighborhood and 2 guard dogs.The neighbors said he had a problem with being Paranoid after the Vietnam War.The mentally ill have been with us since the beginning of time.We must learn how to live with them.We must educate ourselves to understand them.We must also pray for them and their families.NAMI has a website if you would like to learn more.

Donation headed to Pastor Karen

Every month we try to send atleast 1 box of items that the reservation needs.

REMEMBER;

GOD LOVES EACH OF US AS IF THERE WERE ONLY ONE OF US.........

THANK YOU's

Thank you Melodi from Jackson for the children's clothes,toys and baby items. Thank you Debbie from Toms River for children items.Thanks goes to Artie our neighbor for some household items which is desperately needed for the women who are starting over from the Transitional House.Some have been placed in apartments and are starting over.

A CROSS WE GAVE TO AN OLDER MAN WHO FOUND JESUS

THIS CROSS HAD BEEN ORDERED OFF OF AMAZON.

LET US ALL TAKE TIME OUT OF OUR BUSY LIVES AND PRAY

On this day of all days let us not forget those mothers in Nigeria who's daughters have been kidnapped.Let us all pray for their safe return.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

May everyone have a blessed Mothers Day today.

A Cross from Fr John

 About 8 weeks ago Fr John went to a Family Restaurant that also sells Pizza.While there his waiter admired his cross he wears.And they conversed in Italion.And talked about the Orthodox Religion and Catholic religion.And the similarities.

Last week Fr John bought a cross for the waiter.To surprise him.Only the waiter was not working that day.However,since its a family restaurant the cousin was.So Fr John gave the cross to her(who also was his waitress that day).

The picture below is the cross 

Baby items that will be delivered as soon as there's room in garage

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE DISABLED?

There are many verses in the BIBLE that refer to those whom are disabled.LUKE 14:12-13 states when you give a luncheon or dinner don't invite friends,your brothers or sisters,your relatives,your neighbors.If you do they will invite you back and so you have been repaid.But rather invite the poor, the crippled, the lame ,the blind
In John5:1-47 Jesus performs a miracle of Healing a Lame Man.
A few other verses pertaining to the disabled can be found in Mathew-Mathew 18:4-5,Mathew 11:4-5,Mathew 15:31 and Mathew 5:15.
The one thing we can learn is all people even those disabled have a place in our world. They are to be treated kindly and with dignity. We are not suppose to turn our backs on them. In fact we are to reach out to them in kindness. We need to keep this in mind in our daily lives.

A FEW IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE

1.The BIBLE was written in 3 languages HEBREW<ARAMAIC<and KOINE GREEK
2.dogs are mentioned in the BIBLE 14 times and lions 55 times.There was no mention of domestic cats as we know .
3.The BIBLE is the worlds best selling book,it is also the most shoplifted book
4.there are 27 books in the New Testament and 39 books in the Old Testament
5.7 suicides are recorded in the BIBLE
6.the shortest verse in the BIBLE is "Jesus wept"found in John11:33
7.the word "TRINITY"is not mentioned in the BIBLE
8.The last word in the BIBLE is "amen"
9.There are 4 ANGELS mentioned in the BIBLE they are:
           1.Gabriel
            2.Micheal
            3.Lucifer(Satan)
             4.Abaddon
the first 2 are good angels the other 2 are bad.Lucifer(Satan)is often known as the fallen Angel.Isaiah 14 reveals the fall of Lucifer.
Abaddon is an angel of the Bottomless Pit which is mentioned in Revelation 9:11
THE TERM ANGEL MEANS MESSANGERS.......,

THE GARAGE

WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO ARE EAGER TO GIVE US DONATIONS,HOWEVER OUR GARAGE IS VERY FULL AND WE ARE HOPING TO MAKE SOME DELIVERIES NEXT WEEK TO MAKE ROOM FOR THEM.WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT IS DONATED AND AS SOON AS WE HAVE SOME SPACE WE WILL GET THESE ITEMS ASAP.
THANKS!

Answer to a question pertaining to 10 yr old grandaughter

adult shoes 4EEE means 4 extra extra wide.(we asked a shoe store manager on the phone and he said sometimes people will buy the next size up which would be adult 5E so it will be alittle loose in the width.)evidently they are not that easy to find in some stores..

THANKS YOUS

Thank you Lorie and Tim from Lakehurst for the childrens clothes
Thank you Susan from Medford for the girls clothes and items,and meeting me at the parking lot of Red Lion Diner.
Thank you Melissa from Lakewood for your donation of some toys,we can always use them

The grocery bagger

Alittle story I would like to share about my shopping experience

Several weeks ago I was in the grocery store the lines were long at all the registers. I picked the register that had a woman bagging for the cashier. The bagger was a woman who had down syndrome and she was pretty fast at bagging when she wasn't talking to anyone who stopped by to say hello. Evidently a lot of the customers knew her. Finally I was the second person in line. But wouldn't you know it an elderly man stopped to say hello to the woman and again she stopped bagging and turned to face the man and talked for a few brief moments. Meanwhile, the customer at the register was carrying on how slow it was to get out. And the woman said 'dont blame me you picked this line"..,(we all laughed in hearing distance ) lol. I finally said to the woman" bagging my you have a lot of friends "she replied"yes, and I always answer them when they talk to me so they feel special".
   So many times people are so impatient with others and in a hurry not having any consideration for others. I call these people the "ME PEOPLE" because usually everything is about them. The fact that so many people stopped to say hello why this woman was bagging showed me she must of been quite thoughtful, as each person she talked with left with a smile and felt special.HEBREWS10:24=Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good work.

TODAYS SCRIPTURE IS;

Ecclesiastes 5:2
Do not be rash with your mouth,and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. (often words spoken does more harm then good,think before you talk,because once it is said the words can not be taken back)

We recieved another surprise in the mail

SOMEONE SENT US $40 (2 twenty dollar bills)WITH A CARD SIGNED -someone who cares .NO RETURN ADDRESS BUT THE POST MARK WAS FROM CHICAGO.NOW WE HAVE  EXTRA MONEY  SO WE CAN SEND OUR MONTHLY BOX OF ITEMS OUT TO THE PINE RIDGE RESERVATION.WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR ANY AND ALL GENEROUS DONATIONS.WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK OUR MAILMAN WHO DELIVERED IT TO OUR HOME ADDRESS SINCE IT HAD BEEN SENT TO THE PO BOX WE NO LONGER US................,

ELDERLY WOMAN NEEDS

Depends or something similar. She just started having bladder problems. Size small

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

2men

2 men were killed in a city on the same day.The first was a police officer, was shot while trying to help a family. The other a homeless Vietnam Vet who was drinking with some friends earlier that day.
  The whole city grieved for the policeman. He was a fine young man who cared for others and was loved by his neighborhood he served.
The second man had fought the war and returned never to be the same.A few homeless people who knew him grieved for the friend they loved and lost.But I think Jesus grieved the same for both


the scriptures John 11 :33-35  states that Jesus had wept with them even though he knew he would be raising Lazarus from the dead.