Stories of the "Giveaway" in the November 13, 2011 service

At a neighborhood ladies breakfast I learned that a friend of a neighbor was having financial difficulties during a separation. The neighbor agreed to pass on the money I gave her (the giveaway supplemented with personal funds) with the church's card. I learned later in the day that the funds had provided the family a meal during an emergency trip, something they would not have been able to do without the gift. - Nancy Rueter

My wife Susan and I each received an evelope with money. We were not sure of the best thing to do until I noticed a fund raiser at a local restaurant for a former waitress who worked there about a year ago. I learned that the young lady, the wife of a young Marine currently stationed at Camp LeJuene, NC died a week after giving birth to their third child. We pooled additional funds with the gift and submitted a donation with the card enclosed with the gift. We certainly believe that the family benefited from the donation and certainly from the fund raiser. - Susan and Alan Zeiser

"Peace on Earth! Good will to men!" Five dollar challenge-wow!--Fantastic idea!--" Oh no,God, I really do not need this right now!" Later--2 weeks--A history class discussion turned very negative: the government is dysfunctional and unresponsive, as a class, we need to take action and confront these officials, and do something to end the hopelessness of the U.S. poor, so I pulled my envelope out of my purse. This challenge has been in my purse for 2 weeks, so tell me how or what can I do? Anything? What good could I make in a community of workers leaving home before 7:00 and returning 12 hours later? We don"t know each others names and we want to be left alone. After some discussion it was decided that indeed I could something for the community, ideas flew, but class ended. A student came up and threw $5.00 on the desk and said, "Add it to the envelope!" Astounded I replied, " I don't want more money!" He replied, "I know. Just add it to the envelope!" To help my community I pick up trash, plus with my $10.00 I bought 56 Christmas cards at The Dollar Store and 60 small candy canes at Target and hand -delivered them to 50 houses in our community plus 30 candy canes to my students. The response was immediate and so far very positive!--Alva Ramer

The Lord brought forth someone who needed financial help. The husband of a 54 year old woman, who died suddenly without financial support to pay for her burial. I personally did not know them but as part of a small community news travels. I added a donation to the Give-Away money and sent it along with the small card enclosed. To me this is just another story of "it is more blessed to give than to receive". - Clay Baker

We were able to help a family with a terminally ill 5 year old daughter. We added to the money and were able to help the family financially. The medical bills have drained the family. - Bill & Joan Simons

The history of this shelter began in 1987 when 8 downtown Fredericksburg churches merged in a mission to provide emergency sleeping areas in churches for the homeless in the winter months. Today, it has emerged as a facility that houses up to 80 men, women, and children. I heard the name of this shelter several times in the past, mostly through volunteer’s testimonies, but didn’t know much about its daily operations and mission. This shelter had captured my curiosity as I pass it three times a week but never actually took the time to research its mission. I waited for several weeks to make a final decision and my research confirmed that this shelter was a wonderful “community” candidate for the gift from Living Hope. Thanks to the internet I was able to find a couple of wish lists for the center, along with a list of frequently asked questions about homelessness that I found very informative. I called the shelter to see if there was an immediate need and made some purchases accordingly. I pooled my gift with three other people and then doubled the amount. I taped the cards that were enclosed in the envelope directly to the cleaning supplies that were purchased so the users of the supplies would know the intention. After dropping off the cleaning supplies, I felt a surge of well being as if God approved of our decision. My thanks to the anonymous donor who encouraged us all to reach out to our community and share this gift of God’s love. Lisa, James, and Elizabeth Evans and Ford Lautenschlager

Our family spent a good amount of time thinking about how we would donate our funds. We decided we could make a larger impact if we pooled our funds, so we did. Collectively we had $25 dollars and I challenged my family to match the amount that was in their envelope. They accepted and each child took money from their bank and gave it to the cause. Supporting homelessness is a cause I believe in strongly, as it has affected my family in the past. We made our donation to the Thurman Brisben Center in Fredericksburg. Instead of just sending a check, each family member took on part of the task. One researched what was needed. Others shopped for the items and others made the actual delivery with the Living Hope card attached. This experience was a pleasure and the Center was happy to have the donation. It was a great occasion for our children to be reminded of the blessed life they have. We thank Living Hope for this opportunity to think of others and to remember to help others where and when we can. Kim, Dave, Shelby & Lindsay Duff

We chose to share our gift with the Wounded Warrior Project of Virginia. This project helps those who returned from war to better adjust. Our continued prayers and support are needed so that we can enjoy the freedom they have so bravely fought for. Dick and Marva Moss.

After receiving my gift, my first thought was to share it with those who provide safety to the community. I bought cookie dough and wanted to give the gift on Thanksgiving day, thinking the gift would have more impact when given on a Holiday. However, I got caught up in the day's events and realized Friday afternoon I had forgotten about the give away. Feelings of regret and embarrassment rushed in. I was determined, however, not to let these feelings keep me from sharing the gift and the blessing to the community. Saturday morning I made the cookies and as I was baking them began having second thoughts. I thought this is silly and, I don't really need to give the gift. No one will know. I can rationalize it by saying, "Oops, I forgot" or "Sorry, I just didn't have time." I pushed those thoughts aside. Then I thought about giving the gift to the mechanic that works on my car, thinking the gift could be made available to his customers and have greater community exposure. Then I thought, what if the shop is closed, then I'd really feel embarrassed and probably not give the gift at all. Finally, I decided on going with my original plan, even though it was just a day and not a Holiday. I packaged the cookies and delivered them to a fire and rescue squad. I taped the card inside the lid of the Styrofoam container so the squad could see that Living Hope appreciates them and as a simple way of saying thank you - no strings attached. Blessings to the donor of the Living Hope Give-Away and praise be to the Almighty Giver. -Tom Mueller

We have neighbors who have lost their income (job). They have now lost their home. We offered the money to them as a Christmas gift to use as they see fit. The response was that they would share the meager amount with others who might need it. The money helped us the most ... to be appreciative for what we have and to see God's mercy and grace in others. The love of God is abundant and alive; it was and is humbling to witness. Anonymous

Yesterday, I was behind a young Hispanic couple in the check-out line at Giant. The couple had lots of groceries, and $125.00 in gift cards, which was not enough to cover what they had. They spoke very little English and could not seem to understand what the problem was. The checker told them they would have to return some of the groceries. When I saw what they were doing, I gave the checker the $10 I had in the envelope, plus some extra so that they could keep their groceries. Truly, I don't believe that the couple was even aware of what I had done, but I gave the checker the Living Hope card along with the money. She tried to explain what I'd done, but I'm not certain that it made any impression. The man looked at the card and dropped it in the grocery bag. The checker said, "God bless you, honey," however. It made me feel as though I had done something nice for someone, and although they didn't seem to be aware of it, I hope at some point they do read the card and that it makes some impression. I'll probably never know that, but it really doesn't matter. Linda Musselman

We prayed about what we should do with our give away money, and we were moved to combine our two envelopes as well as to add some of our money to it. We decided to anonymously gift a no kill animal shelter in the hopes that some of God’s creatures could have a little better life here on Earth. Chad and Laurie Hraha

Living Hope witnesses, It was a very nice idea and generous for our fellow member to share the outreach gift, like sowing seeds for more giving. I mailed the money shared with me, and added to it and sent the contribution to ACTS, along with the card provided. "Action in Community through Service" (ACTS) is a community organization located along route 1 in Dumfries, VA. Their mission is to prevent homelessness, hunger, and domestic violence in Prince William County, VA. I know that this organization, ACTS, works faithfully to help people improve their lives and get past difficult circumstances. ACTS was begun by a number of churches in Prince William county. I have seen how people in the Woodbridge area have responded generously to food drives for ACTS. May God bless those who benefit from ACTS, the volunteers at ACTS, and increase our awareness of the needs of others. Mark Sporleder

We received $30 total in our envelopes. Grace immediately decided to give $10 to the animal shelter--we love all God's creatures! Nathan couldn't decide, just wanted it to go to a good cause, so we combined it with Amy's and gave it to our hairdresser whose husband has been out of work for more than a year. They have four children and it's tough going for them. Andrew finally decided to make a $10 donation to the CIA Memorial Fund which helps the families of fallen CIA agents. We thank the congregation member who was kind enough to give us this opportunity! Englishes

The day before Veteran’s Day, I was informed by my manager that I only had 80 more hours of ‘coverage’ for 2011. Also, it was revealed that I would be less than full-time when I return in Jan 2012. The following week eight others were notified on Tuesday that Friday would be their last day. (4 days notice – no signed plaque – no luncheon) One of these eight, an associate of mine, is a young family man. Before he came in that Friday, I put the $$ that I had received, with the card enclosed onto an envelope and anonymously put it on his keyboard. This man is from Bangladesh, so he is probably not Christian. Anonymous

My wife and I matched the $15.00 received and made a contribution to the Fredericksburg Area Foodbank of $30.00. Matching the original gift increased the gift by 100%. By contributing to an organization that matches each dollar received with additional grant dollars, we were able to leverage the original and matching gift even further. These combined funds fed 120 persons according to the website. Praise God! George and Dawn Fitzelle

I had been praying for some new piano students. The week before the $5.00 arrived in my purse, I had gotten 2 new students, a mother and son. During our introductory session it came out that they both did tutoring to a group of children that are in impoverished families. These children frequently go home to no dinner or breakfast, sometimes getting the school lunch for their daily meal. When they come to tutoring they are supposed to be working on home work but can hardly read. So these tutors are teaching these kids how to read and do simple math. After the Sunday “offering”, I decided to give a free book to my students, that cost about $5.00, and asked if in return they would do something to help these kids. The Mom was more than happy to do that. She said what they needed more than anything was flash cards that they could take home and work on letters, simple words, and math. I had already decided that my salary for one of my students would go back in the offering plate. Then I decided that instead of doing that I would buy flash cards and nutrition bars. So I did. I will be giving these items to my student on Tues. of next week. What happens after that will be in God’s hands. The old saying, “If you give someone a fish you will feed them for a day. If you teach them how to fish you will feed them for a lifetime,” had come back to me. I am trying to feed a child for today but also trying to give them tools to learn to feed themselves and their family for a life time. Thank you for this opportunity. Bev Kerns

What a great idea to "Pay-it-forward" with Thanksgiving coming up next week. I loved this idea and wanted to start right away. Here are the humble ideas we came up with to share our envelopes. We told the kids about this very important lesson to be learned about sharing and giving to others. Our kids, Hailey and Clayton, are 4 and 3 respectively, and at first wanted us to give THEM the money. I explained it again and then Hailey wanted to give some of the money to the American Cancer Foundation to help kids (and adults) find cures for cancer. The other two envelopes went to the kid's preschool, Kid's Station, where they are collecting food for the food bank. We put the envelopes in the box for each of their classrooms where they will go to the food bank to help feed the hungry. Thank you for the generosity to share more generosity! Pay-it-forward. The Lemke Family

In deciding what to do with the gift we received, we considered the following. We wanted to contribute it in a way that would extend the gift as far as possible. We wanted to define using the gift “for the community” broadly. We wanted to give the gift through a locally headquartered (i.e., rather than international) organization. At the same time, we wanted the organization receiving the gift to be recognized and able to effectively make use of it. We wanted the gift to extend beyond any immediate material needs and provide for sustainable growth and improvement. While defining “for the community" broadly we still wanted to have some sense of those who would receive the gift. With these considerations in mind, we decided to donate the gift to an organization that supports microfinancing in Bangladesh. The organization we selected is an autonomous, local, non-governmental organization (NGO) that rose out of the World Lutheran Federation's (WLF) involvement in Bangladesh immediately following Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971. It's been in existence since 1972 and maintains ties to the WLF and a number of other internationally recognized relief and charitable organizations and supports programs in and around the Rangpur-Dinajpur region of Bangladesh, one of the poorest regions in the country. Bangladesh itself has historically ranked amongst the poorest of nations; roughly 40% of the country falls below a poverty line drawn at a $1.25 per day standard of living. In addition to its other missions (e.g., health care, education), the organization provides full-scale financial services as well as business development services to the rural poor of Bangladesh. Personally, spending time in Bangladesh earlier in my life helped me see the real need among the country's poor. My family wasn’t able to attend church on November 13th. We assumed we'd have all received a gift similar to the $10 I received if they had been able to attend. Based on that, we decided to pool our gifts together and add additional money in the final gift to the organization. in Christ, The Klimeks