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Sunday, November 6, 2016

Meeting Their Needs: Small Things With Great Love

 She showed up on the front door step with a baby held snuggly on her back by a tattered towel. Her eyes looked tired like an aged adult, but she was young. So young. She hadn’t made it past her first year of high school. “Can you help me?” she asked in a near whisper. “I need work.”

It’s a weeknight. After dropping off the interns, I leave the volunteer house to head to my house. I approach the stop before the traffic circle and movement on my left catches my eyes. She’s wearing a skintight mini skirt. Two more young women are on the corner with her.  It’s a weeknight. It’s only 8 p.m. They need work.

“I want out of prostitution,” she tells me with intensity. “But it’s so addicting. Every morning after…” she pauses to catch her breaking voice, “I hate myself.” She asks me for help. She wants a job and a safe place to stay. But she already has two children. The girls home is full. There’s no room for them.

I get a call from the sexual-abuse counseling center. They’re pleased with our work and ministry. So pleased that they want to start an official partnership with their counseling organization. They also have more girls in need of a safe place. In need of our ministry.

I get a phone call from another missionary. She has a young woman who is suicidal and in need of help. But she has children. There’s not enough room for them.


All of these happened in a month. One month. So much need. Living in a place where the needs seem to always be increasing, ministry can be discouraging. But that’s when we remember that we are not the saviors. “We cannot do great things in life, only small things with great love” (Mother Teresa).

We can’t do everything. But we can do something.

If you’ve ever wanted to do something to help us meet these needs, here is a list of little (or big) things marked with great love:

Stateside:

·      Attend “From the Ashes” event on November 19th at Nitty Gritty in Sun Prairie, WI. At this event, you will get the chance to bid on incredible silent auction items (including Amelia Island vacation package, autographed Brett Favre football, photography packages, LuLaRoe gifts, and so much more!), eat excellent food, and learn about the expansion project which will help meet all the needs of the stories listed above! Attend the event and bring a friend!
·      Or consider substituting your attendance by donation the entrance fee ($10) online at www.hoseasheart.org/donate. 

·      Do you have skills in marketing? Would you donate your time and talent in helping Hosea’s Heart launch their expansion project?

·      Get your church involved. Or be the bridge to other corporate sponsorships.

·      Host a February fundraiser for Valentine’s 2017! Calling all hearts and hands for this major fundraiser that will occur in several cities on the same weekend for the same purpose. Already there are events being planned in OshKosh, La Crosse, and Madison, Wisconsin. Where else can you host/plan an event? It can be something as simple as asking a restaurant to donate 10% of its income that night to Hosea’s Heart or something as complex as a dinner or dance. Be creative!

·      Simply spread our message. Like our Page and invite your friends. Share our posts on social media. Share your heart with ours.

Onsite:
·      Join our January mission trip! Jan. 3rd-17th we are sending a team of willing volunteers to get their hands dirty by breaking ground on our expansion project! The project is a three-hectare chunk of land to house up to 55 girls plus staff.  The team will prep the land for the construction of the buildings. This includes land clearing, landscaping, and also building one of the most important elements of the project: fencing for security and safety. Email rachael@hoseasheart.org for more information. Or consider donating the price of the trip ($2,000) to someone who can't afford to go or to the project itself.

·      Four girls are in need of a homeschool teacher! Their school year starts in January and ends in the beginning of December.  Starting this January, they will start a new school year and need a teacher willing to learn alongside with them and help build curriculum. The girls in need are teenagers but in grade levels 3-4, 7-8, 8-9. Time commitments are conditional but preferably for a six month (or more) service. Email rachael@hoseasheart.org for more information.

·      Interested in short term trips? The girls would love a vocal teacher, dance teacher, or art teacher to come and offer new skills. They also need a reading teacher or someone to help them improve reading comprehension. These individual trips are offered during term break interims (April, August, Dec-Jan) and can be arranged by contacting rachael@hoseasheart.org.  

·      Interested in long term trips? Check out our website for information on becoming a year long intern. http://hoseasheart.org/volunteer/


“We cannot do great things in life, only small things with great love.”

-Mother Teresa