Micah 6:8 Laundromat Outreach | Somber Loss

Today was a bittersweet day. Emotions are all over the board in my church family as the day closes with a ministry success shadowed by a tragedy.

caitlin

We've met so many fantastic people so far as part of the Towerview family. Jarod and his daughter Lyla are just two of them. Late last night,  Lyla's mother Caitlin was involved in an ATV accident that cost her her life. I personally didn't know her, but what I do understand is the effect that losing a parent can have on a child, and even on the other parent, regardless of whether or not they are still together.

My heart breaks for the Thompsons, and for Caitlin's family. The gravity of this, the freshness, proved to be a dark shadow not easily cast from our minds over the course of our morning on ministry. It's going to be a long road for Jarod and for Lyla; My continued prayers for peace, comfort, and strength are theirs.

It's hard to transition from that. If there is one thing I have discovered about my church family, it is that they are able to emanate their own sense of mercy and grace while simultaneously displaying perseverance and strength unlike any other. Today's example of being faced with news of this tragedy yet still completing the ministry we had planned, with genuine smiles on our faces and in our hearts for its purpose, not only encouraged me, but made me proud to be a part of it all.

towerview bus!

Back during our 40 DITW study, my study group had developed a plan for our Micah 6:8 project. It started with a church-wide yardsale [remember that??], the profits of which would fund a community outreach. We collectively decided that we would break into teams and hit a few of the local laundromats, armed with coffee, donuts, laundry detergent and quarters, and just pay for people's laundry. No catch, no fee, no sermon. Just free laundry and breakfast. 


 << Oh, btw, our Towerview bus is now complete! Just in time for the youth group missions trip, which heads out tomorrow. It looks great! :)

We arrived at the church this morning and divided up into three teams, quick to plan our routes and off we were. I joined Diana, Olivia, and three of the youth group at the Maytag in Fairview Heights. Our very first offer was met with flat-out denial. I was amazed over the course of the morning at the wide range of response elicited by our desire to load quarters into washers and dryers and provide the detergent to go along with it. While it was slightly discouraging to be turned down, what mattered more was the handful of people who accepted, perhaps questioningly, but accepted nonetheless, and were so deeply moved by it that some of them even began crying. I met a woman today whose husband is in the hospital for a medical condition that has almost taken his life twice. Her two children's lives with their father consisted more of hospital visits and stays than it did of him being home. The trips to the laundromat are a family outing for them. I sat and listened to her story after we'd loaded quarters into the washers and dryers, and realized that this was more than just gratitude for her laundry being covered for today. She poured out her heart to us, and I would be willing to guess we'll see her soon, at the Tower. I was moved by this, in a sincere way. I was reminded today just how powerful God's love is on a simple Saturday morning, in a laundromat, over coffee and a donut :). I was blessed to be a part of this.

look at this little guy!! adorable friends at the laundromat

these things are expensive!

yummm summer salads!

The other two groups had very similar stories: rejection by some, whether by pride or fear that a 'church group' would demand an ear for preaching if they ceded to them paying for their laundry. Others were more than receptive, appreciating our efforts, and even delving into conversation over life in general. We all ended up at the Page house, where the kids had spent the morning along with Lara and Cathie. We ate lunch there before we all headed home. 

It's going to be a very difficult remainder of the weekend for the Thompsons and Caitlin's family. I hate that tragedies like this are what it takes sometimes to put life in perspective. Our very deepest condolences go to their families, and our love and support will be among the flood of such for which our church family is so well-versed.

xo | cmd  

Micah 6:8

Since we started our 40 Days in the Word study two weeks ago, one of our core purposes as a group has been to develop an idea encompassing of what Micah 6:8 instructs us to do. I shared in yesterday's entry exactly what our initial thoughts are at this point, but I thought it would be fitting to share the actual verse with those of you who haven't yet seen it, or simply need a refresher.

This particular inscribing is pretty cool because it's on a dog tag given to Joe by our pastor. I've said it before and I'll say it another hundred times: We have landed in a church living out loud for God. I am so excited to be a part of this place, its body, and its work. It pains to realize that some of our friends we've made here are military, and so by default will eventually receive orders to pack up and relocate; we've met some of the most incredible people through Towerview. [Thank you, Lord; YOU ARE GOOD!]

In other random and entirely unrelated news: 



keyloid remedy?
we'll see :)



I heard via the store cashier today that apply the gel contained within regular vitamin C&E capsules directly onto keyloid scars such as mine is a rather effective remedy for their sometimes garrish appearance. I'll have to be frank on this one: I very rarely notice them anymore, but apparently other people do, and for the first time in a while, I didn't mind when the gal started up a conversation regarding my scars. I think I'm gonna give it a run, though. I really don't care much about the existence of these things, but it would be nice if the one on my should disappeared, as it seems to always be an issue with seatbelts, shirt straps, and purses. [First world problem, I know.] I'll keep ya posted.

Tomorrow's the Hallmark of all Hallmark holidays. Get some sleep, Cupid.

xo | cmd

"Mommy! Sydni done take a shower!"

So here's the part I'm sure every parent can understand: The issue of having what seems to be a perpetually sticky, icky, slimy, smudged, gooey, dusty, muddy, or otherwise unclean version of a child running your life :).

No? Well, you're either delusional, in denial, or child-less.


shower time!

Anywho, it happened by chance this morning that I was up and moving at an earlier time than what's usual for Sunday morning. I'm not sure if there was an usual crispness in the air this morning or not, but Sydni was up and rearing around the same time, and so insisted on helping Mama take a shower. By helping, I mean joining, so I let her hop in with me. She danced in the rain for a bit and then got down to the actual shower part; we're making some serious progress in that regard, as she's just now coming to terms with the fact that the water from the shower head is not a threatening force. Hah. It was adorable. The best part of my day was probably contained in this morning, post-shower as she paraded around the house with her cape of a towel exclaiming, "Mommy! Sydni done take a shower!" She was so proud. It was hilarious.

Tonight we dove back in the Rick Warren 40 Days in the Word study, and decided that as a collective group, we're going to launch into a few different outreach projects:

1. Church Garage Sale: This one needs no description. Everyone wins. Haha.

our 40 ditw small group [+ mini's]



2. Laundry Mat Ministry: This would basically consist of a group of us going out to a local laundry mat on say, a Saturday morning, take some donuts and quarters, and essentially feed the folks coming through as we also pay for their laundry [with funds from the garage sale].

3. Pick a family in need, be it within or outside of our church family, identify their strongest need, and do whatever we can to cater to providing for them either in a full capacity, or in efforts to aide them through whatever situation they may be facing.

4. Relay for Life, Belleville! : More info to come, but we are gearing up to enter that as a church team, as well!

Outreach, folks. That's what we're called to do. 

It's been a busy day, but I loved every minute of it. 

xo | cmd