Jesus or John?

 

I passed a church the other day—you know, one of those with the reader board out front. They often post funny or inspirational sayings along with notice of events and times. I am often laughing as I pass them by on my way to work in the morning, but this message really struck a chord with me, so here are my thoughts on this pearl of wisdom:

“It is easy to act like a Christian, but harder to react like a Christian.”

Since my job literally demands that I act like a Christian you would think it would be easier for me than it often is. After all, practice should make perfect, right?   Ha Ha, I hear Him laughing right now. J Every morning before we open at Hope House, we offer prayers for kindness, compassion and patience. It’s the last word that gets me every time---patience. Oh Lord, please bless me with patience!

Without patience, my reactions to angry, demanding and stressed out clients can be very reactive and non-Christ like. My staff says I end up using my “Mom voice” to redirect clients into polite behavior. I say I just lose my cool and am too demanding of people who are already struggling with life on a moment-to-moment basis—much to my shame.

I also saw a t-shirt advertised online that said “I’m part Jesus and part John. Get closer so you can see which one I am today” I love it, but I tend towards John almost every day. I am brash, outspoken (often without thinking first!) and direct for the most part---but I do love all of the Body of Christ so much! I hope He understands that (I’m sure He does!)

Blessings, compassion and patience from Hope House.

 

Where did the time go?

                                                                                                             

 

It’s hard to believe that we will be having our 21^st year of Hope House anniversary in October! Twenty one years!!!!! I remember thinking when we started that this was a small attempt at helping with a HUGE problem and wondering if we would ultimately make any difference at all.

Well, I would say that we have indeed made a difference—in many ways and for many people:
·         In our community, the chance to reach out to those of our neighbors who need assistance in times of stress---or just to help make life bearable—has led to an unexpected benefit Hope House offers to our clients. That benefit is the chance to feel like part of a community, a “family”! Our waiting area is often the home to recipe exchanges, resource sharing and even good natured sport ribbing.
·         To our clients, our Market window, our clothing and household items, books, puzzles, games and toys mean that often they can make their rent that month, or buy the shoes their child so desperately needs. Helping them stretch their budgets feels wonderful!
·         Our mostly volunteer staff. Wow, I don’t even have words for how awesome my staff is—truly they are angels. Always willing to fill in and work extra shifts, always prompt and friendly. Don’t get me started on how far they will go to find just what a client is in need of (let’s just say that once in a while, one of the staff goes missing in the middle of the shift—only to reappear with size 4 diapers because someone needs them and we are out!) I am constantly trying to get them to go with what we have out on the shelves, but they are too compassionate not to look further.
·         Our donors. Just wow. So many wonderful people who think of those in our community with less than they have. So many bags of clothing, food, household items, diapers and hygiene. Monthly online donations to us, seasonal chunks of change, memorial donations when one of our loved donors passes…….just thanks seems so small, but it is all I have to offer…………

We are truly blessed at Hope House, and I can’t even wrap my head around 21 years of blessings!

I work on the presumption

that if you are doing God's work,

it is God's business to look after you.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome back!

 

So close! So very close to “normal”. Or as normal as it will be for a while around here….

So, Hope House will be CLOSED July 1-7^th to give our volunteers well deserved time off. We are hoping to reopen on July 8^th with more expansions in service:

·         15 people allowed inside at a time—both shopping and waiting are counted.

·         Children will be allowed again, but if you are here with children, your time to shop will be 15 minutes maximum, as your children will be taking up some of those 15 slots.

·         Unless you can show us your proof of vaccination, all clients must wear masks. No exceptions.

·         One of our restrooms will be available for use.

·         We will still be limiting visits to once per month per family unit.

We are full of “stuff” and looking forward to seeing all of you! Let’s have a great summer and get back to our wonderful Hope House community again!

Blessings to all of you,

The staff of Hope House

Our long nightmare.......

 

The long, long wait is almost over. With any luck (and blessings from above) we will soon be able to throw our doors open, put out the coffee and cookies, turn on a children’s movie and get back to “normal”!! Just in time for summer Friday afternoons of children writing in sidewalk chalk outside, moms chatting and everyone enjoying the warmth of the sun. Blessings!

We have been so blessed with donations from our wonderful donors and supporters over the last year—even when we were closed, we were able to accept diapers, toilet paper, etc. We are, however, very, very full of clothing—particularly women’s and infants clothing. So right now we are not taking those items. Keep watching our Facebook page for a return to unlimited donations.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Since it sounds like the schools will be open in the fall, we are going to need to be able to offer school supplies and backpacks to our families in late August. Back-to-school is such a budget buster when you are on a limited income! New underwear and socks are also appreciated for all ages of children. J

Looking forward to “normal”!!!!!

Waiting for normal....

 

Hope House has always been more than a “store” to our clients—it is a social gathering spot, a community center for those who don’t feel comfortable and/or welcomed in other places and valuable lifeline for those in need. This has become more apparent since we re-opened from the pandemic closings. We are slow these days—much slower than normal.

Granted, we are only able to allow 6 people in to shop at a time, due to social distancing guidelines and we are unable to accommodate children and, most importantly, I think, we have no waiting room available! We have turned our beautiful and welcoming waiting room into the men’s clothing department. Gone is the coffee cart, baskets of cookies and treats and Disney movies on the television in the children’s area. Our waiting area was often filled to capacity with moms chatting, children playing and adults sharing resource information and recipes. It is so quiet. It is so sad.

The fact that we are very slow these days presses home the point that the social aspect of our waiting room was a big draw. Here’s a prayer for a quick return to “normal”!!!

 

Hope House will be closed Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday so that our wonderful volunteers can spend much needed time with their families. We will re-open on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Happy Easter!

Nostalgic for "Normal"

 

I still have the best job in the world, but it is not so enjoyable these days. This pandemic has caused us to:

•          Close --- which was very, very hard for all of us. Staying home, knowing people needed things was excruciating.
•            Open to distribute hygiene, food and diapers from the doors. At least we felt we were helping.   
•      Open to limited full shopping, which is where we are now. Only four clients in the building at a time, one person per family (no children), masks and social distancing, 15 minutes to shop. Not ideal at all!

Anyone who has ever been to Hope House during “normal” times would not recognize it right now. No coffee, no cookies, no movies and toys for kids to play with (no kids! L ). We are not comfortable offering the restrooms yet, either, so they are not available. Hope House has always been a community gathering space for those in need, and the needs are not just physical “Stuff”. The friendship and comradery, the listening ear and hugs of comfort, the sharing of information, resources and, yes, recipes with each other.

I have always loved the sound of a full house, with laughter, kids giggling and a Disney movies going in the kids’ corner. The opportunity to not only admire a new baby, but to hold and cuddle that precious angel is the best perk of my job!

Those of our regular clients who struggle with mental health issues often get comfort, hugs and acceptance here. Recently, in this new version of service, one of our long time clients appeared in full bipolar manic mood, tempered with deeply felt depressed gaps. I have always been able to calm her, offer her hugs and send her on to her therapist for services. This time I could only watch helplessly without the ability to hug her, talk quietly to her in a private place and hope to make a difference in her day. Thankfully, I have seen her since, and she made it through.

We need to pray so hard for healing from this pandemic! People are hurting all over, and being a low income person/family only makes it worse. I am so looking forward to the day we can throw open the doors and welcome our “family” home again!