(by the way…not my first choice for a song! haha…but it ended up fitting pretty well. gotta love some Bon Jovi)
Today was a great day. Started off bright and early at 5:50 am. I am in a program lifestyle (??) called Clearwater Master’s Commission. Today we had the privelege of volunteering with an outreach program in Pinellas Park, Florida, Taking it to the Streets. They have a big focus on serving homeless and addicted people, but they’re welcoming to everyone. They are the kindest, liveliest…loudest people around and they have a heart for helping people in need. They have recently partnered with Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa and they have named this new endeavor Compassion in Action. Metropolitan Ministries hands out food, money, and Christmas presents to over 2,000 families in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This is the vision for Compassion in Action. They are going to be reaching out to the city for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What will it take? A HUGE tent, 180 volunteers per DAY, and a love for helping and serving this community.
Today was a launch…a trial run, if you will. Compassion in Action fed 200 people today, but their goal is to feed three counties worth of people this holiday season. If that is not living life like it means something, then I don’t know what is.
I couldn’t leave this adventure without asking at least a few people TIQ (for those of you who are new, TIQ stands for the infamous question, “What would you do if you had one month to live?”) So I asked Judy. Judy just got back from Trinidad 5 months ago where she served the needs of her community for 12 years. She said she would just want to spend as much time getting to know God as possible…”When I die I’m gonna have to meet him…so I better know who he is!” Then I asked the President and founder of Metropolitan Ministries, Morris. He said he would give everyone hugs. Then he hugged me…haha. Nothing like a nice sweaty Florida humidity hug from a stranger. I tried to ask the Mayor who brought his little press crew, but he disappeared before I got a chance. Met some great people who were so thankful that there is a place where they can come to get the things they need. Being a part of something like this is enough to change your perspective on life. Why spend your time wishing you had more? More money, more this, more that…there are people who have nothing and they can still find it in them to smile, to live life, and to be thankful for what they do have. Let this push you forward. As Bon Jovi says, “It’s my life and it’s now or never. I ain’t gonna live forever.” The words of a wiseman.
Living life…
Tags: compassion in action, hunger
