Change

This past week I listened to a song by Carrie Underwood called "Change".

I recommend listening to the whole song if you get a chance.

It takes daily circumstances that many of us face and gives encouragement to take action.

Many of us have change lying around that we don't even notice.  Carrie poses the question as to what to do with that change, when you see a woman on the street vent trying to stay warm?

How about when you are watching TV and the infomercials, with the sad music and sad pictures of people in need come on?  It is easy to change the channel or just ignore it...I mean, we see those all the time.  Yes, it is sad but what can we really do?


"The smallest thing can make all the difference, love is alive, don't listen to them when they say, you're just a fool...to believe you can change the world..."
                                                        -Change By Carrie Underwood




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The smallest things can really change someone's life.  You know how good it feels when someone takes an extra moment to show a little bit of love for you and how it makes your day so much better.

Building A Cycle of Hope

Neighborhood Ministries, serving some of Phoenix's poorest residents.  They not only care for their physical needs but also their emotional, mental and spiritual needs.


                                              MARICOPA COUNTY               SERVICE AREA

Median Family Income             $46,322                                  $26,771

Households living
below poverty line                     13%                                            36%

People over 25
with less than a
HS education                              18%                                           58%

Female heads of
households with children
under 18                                     11%                                           45%

It is their goal to help those trapped in poverty learn how to get out and stay out.  Many families continue in poverty, dependent on the government for minimal support, from generation to generation.  The children do not learn the work ethic or have encouragement from their parents and easily fall into the same pattern of dependency.  Many of the young adults/children are living in homes with domestic violence, drugs, abuse - both physical and sexual, and gang activity.

With no role stable role models,  how will these children learn to break out of poverty?

Neighborhood Ministries strives to provide food, clothing, a safe place to hang out, community, and so many other things.  Please visit the website for Neighborhood Ministries to see all the programs and volunteer opportunities offered.

I wanted to point out a few of the great programs they offer.

Kids' Life - weekly, K-12th grade kids can come after school to their building to enjoy a safe environment and friends, as well as food and other fun games.

Education for Life is a great program that mentors K-12th graders.  One of the biggest things Neighborhood focuses on is building relationships with the people in the neighborhood, letting them know that some one cares and loves them.  Many children do not have their parents there supporting and encouraging them to do well in school, or finish at all.  Seeing people are willing to care and take time to hang out with them,  shows them love that they may not be getting at home.

For different events, Neighborhood Ministries will drive around the town picking up kids to bring to the event, then taking them home after.

"To be the presence of Jesus Christ, sharing His life-transforming love, hope, and power among distressed families of urban Phoenix, igniting their passion for God and His Kingdom." ~ Neighborhood Ministries

You will be called...Repairers of broken walls and restorers of streets where people live. - Isaiah 58:12

But I Don't Have Any Money to Donate...

As a young college student, I catch myself finding reasons for why it is okay that I do not donate my time or money.  I have bills, school, groceries, etc. to pay for and barely have time to work to cover those costs.... the excuses go on.  We all have financial responsibilities and everyone is realizing now more than ever, how we need to be wise with our spending.

Let's just take a minute and think...What if you were to cut out one trip a week to Starbucks?  Make food at home instead of going out to eat?  Walk or ride your bike instead of driving?

Then... take that money you would be spending and put it aside for those in need (even just a few dollars a week).

One less cup of coffee a week could be providing children with their meal for the day.

Last summer, I began supporting a child-led family in Rwanda, two boys, Abucar - 9 and Filas - 15.  (Filas lost his mother in the Genocide in 94'- Abucar's mother took him in.  A few years ago, she passed away from AIDS and the two boys have been together since).

 I had the opportunity to go over to Rwanda in July for a 2-week missions trip and visit with them and other child-led families being supported.  I saw first-hand where my money was going to - their food, clothing, housing, and schooling.  Something as minor as a few dollars a week changes their lives dramatically -- it is hard to fully grasp.




At the time, I was a server at a restaurant, so when I came home, I would take a little bit of the cash I earned and put it in an envelope to donate each month, knowing that they needed the money more than I needed to go out to the movies.

If you are interested in hearing more about the HIV/AIDS Project we are doing in Rwanda, please take a few minutes to read the blog with more information.

Now bringing it back to our own cities.

I encourage you to take a look at a few of the sites listed to the right.  See if you are able to donate your time to help serve those in poverty or if you are able to set aside a few dollars a month to donate.

You can help change a life.

Do You Have Any Change?

Just like most of you have encountered, I had people asking me for money this past week.  One asked for spare change, another asked for $22.  As I was stopped at a light, I saw a man holding a sign that said "I am not lazy...Just going through a hard time".  

What do you do?  Do you always give them money?

Or do you question as to whether they will spend it on food or alcohol?

Many times it is easy to say no and walk on by, forgetting about the short interaction.

As I was walking through downtown Phoenix, where I saw several homeless men, it really made me think. They have no job, no place to go home to and most of them, no family.  It breaks my heart.

What can be done to help these people?  

I know many people who, instead of giving them money, offer to go to a restaurant/store nearby and buy them some food.  If they are legitimately looking for food, they will take you up on your offer.

Another idea if you are going downtown, is to carry some extra granola bars or water bottles.  Even something little could help their day.

Project Homeless Connect was started by Valley of The Sun United Way.  They work to provide goods and services, such as food, clothing, counseling and job placement.   As a volunteer, you work with the homeless to help find the things they need as well as getting to know them and hearing their story.

"FACT: About 8,000 homeless men, women and children are on Maricopa County streets and in our shelters every day." - Valley of the Sun United Way

I encourage you to volunteer if you have a free afternoon.  The next opportunity is on Tuesday, March 23, 2010.

First Southern Baptist Church of Avondale
1001 North Central Avenue
Avondale, AZ 85323
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Links To Inform

Here are a few sites that I found useful when I was researching this topic and would recommend that you take a look at a few!

The Phoenix Children’s Project is a non-profit organization with the aim of helping the impoverished children in Phoenix.  They provide food, clothing, education, necessities and miscellaneous assistance to children and their families.  They commit to helping the kids’ build self-esteem, which in turn shows them self-worth.  In addition, they help the parents learn to fend for themselves. They will “give them fish a few times” but then “{they} teach them to fish.”  This site goes into detail of different ways you can help, as well as showing examples of how they have helped in the past.

The Phoenix Rescue Mission each year, has thousands of homeless people depend on them for food, clothing, and shelter as well as safety, spiritual support, addiction recovery, and a new start in life.  This site shares what programs they have, how you can help volunteer and a link to donate.  It is connected with the Changing Lives Center, which focuses more on building the people up, with the Children's Developmental Enrichment Center, Chapel, etc.  It describes what the real NEED is.

Kitchen on the Street is an organization that began out of a passion for helping those who cannot help themselves. One of the founders learned after many years of volunteering in local shelters that the most vulnerable never make it there. Kitchen on the Street combats hunger by taking help and hope to children and families in crisis. This site shares its story and mission to help feed the hungry, giving links to volunteer, donate and learn more about the problems.

Valley Of The Sun United Way mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of community.  Once you are at the homepage of this site, you are able to read about their goals, vision, campaigns, volunteer needs, donations and work.  It also informs you about different press and news releases dealing with them and their topics.  It is very resourceful and informative.

CNN.com is a great resource to find out about poverty in a more widespread form.  It searches to a few articles/sites about phoenix, but also shows articles of the poverty issue in politics all around the world.  It helps us to see more of the picture.

 

Hunger, Homeless, Jobless...Poverty...What Do You Think About It?

What comes to your mind when you think of poverty?

Homelessness? Hunger? Disease? Drug abusers? Alcoholics? Laziness? People on the side of the road with signs? Failed government policies? Orphans? Shacks? Dirty water? Africa? Haiti?

As we know, many Africans are living in horrible poverty and the conditions in Haiti are terrible.  In Haiti, there was 76% unemployment rate, children dying of the common cold, unclean water, etc…then…the earthquake hits. I won’t go into much detail now, but if you are interested in reading more or donating, please take the time to do so.

It has been awesome to see how people are joining together and stepping out in love to help one another. They are donating their time and money to these strangers.

Sometimes it takes a disaster to shake us into action and make us realize what is genuinely important.

What I want to do is take a closer look at poverty.  Not just poverty in other countries, but the poverty specifically outside our front door in the Phoenix area.

People are sleeping on the streets, homeless and hungry, in our OWN cities. What can we do to help?

 

Are we going to wait until a disaster hits to take action?

Here is an example of one man who is often overlooked…22 years of age.

Mark from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.

Organizations and missions are out there striving to help the needy in our community.  I will be going out and talking with the homeless and the rescue missions leaders to find out what the biggest issues are and how we can be helping.