Difference Makers

 

Dolly Parton announced that she is donating $1 million to the relief efforts, from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, to “Her Tennessee.”  Her businesses are also making an additional $1 million contribution.

Sarah Taylor reported that 2,000 people had been located at a church in Candler, North Carolina.  They hadn’t eaten in 6 days.  Will Adkins made several helicopter trips to deliver food and supplies.

 

Walmart has donated $10 million for the Hurricane Helene victims.  They also have workers from 3,858 stores filling trucks to deliver needed supplies.

 

Texans on Missions, formerly Texas Baptist Men, left Monday morning, to take supplies and teams to help with cleanup work from heavy flooding in Northeastern Tennessee and North Carolina. 

 

Carolyn Scruggs is from Brevard, North Carolina.  The people at Tractor Supply have loaded a 24’ stock trailer with food for livestock and pets, work gloves, tarps, batteries, shovels, brooms, and other equipment.  They stopped at the Food Lion, in Cleveland, North Carolina, to add food and additional supplies that people brought to donate.  The mule team was able to load and take food and supplies to the people in Black Mountain.  They were able to check on several of the people who were trapped in the area around Swannanoa.  Scruggs stated, “The devastation in the mountains has broken all of our hearts, but we are thankful that even in this sadness, we see God working through so many wonderful people.  We will continue to praise HIM.”

 

Keri Selph, of Selph Farms, has set up distribution points for farmers who are donating hay to the farmers in North Carolina who are the most in need.  People are donating money, to help with the cost of fuel, so the hay is free to the farmers.  There are also farmers in North Florida and South Georgia willing to give and deliver hay.

 

Thursday morning, Paul Lambert and Jason Hall, from Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, headed to Boone, North Carolina, to help with disaster response.  They are pulling a UHAUL full of supplies, that church members gave, to meet the requests of churches in the area.

 

Alabama has opened 21 state parks for people who are evacuating from Hurricane Milton.

 

The owners of King’s Arrow Ranch, in Lumberton, Mississippi, have opened their ranch for people who need to evacuate from Hurricane Milton.  They are also generously offering their pastures and stables for animals, livestock, and horses.  The place can sleep 300 and has 80 RV sites available.  King’s Arrow Ranch owners are offering all of the accommodations for free.

 

May we too seize opportunities to be difference makers for God’s glory and the good of others.

 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Kindness Matters. Always.

 

The Cooma North Public School rugby league boys played Goulburn North Public School in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia.  They won the game 8-6.  As the boys were walking back to the bus, they noticed an 81-year-old man in the process of moving the woodpile in front of his house to the backyard.  The boys and dads immediately offered their help and in record time, the wood was moved to the desired location.

Shannon McCarthy-Bibb was having a somewhat rough morning.  The kids were at school and she had already taken her husband to work early that morning.  Instead of going back home, she decided to stop for a frappe.  As she pulled up to the first window to pay, the lady told her it’s free.  Surprised she pulled up to the second window and the lady handed her the drink.  She told Shannon, “I don’t know if you remember me, but you handed me a yellow rose at the gas station.  I was having a horrible day that day and you made it so much better.  Drinks on me.”  Shannon and her kids hand out roses, at times, to make the day brighter for people, to see them smile, and to remind them that they matter.  Never did she expect for the favor to be returned.  Shannon commented, “Today she did more than give me a free drink… She reminded me that there is no act too small to make someone’s day better!!  Kindness matters.  Always.”

 

Rose and Frank Tripp were on their way home from an appointment at the Fresno VA.  Suddenly, Frank made a U-turn and pulled off to the side of the road.  A man was having trouble with his wheel chair and nobody was stopping to give him assistance.  Frank was able to put the drive motor back on so the man could use his chair again.

 

The skate park in Cambridge, Ontario, opened this summer.  Jeanean Thomas’ 6-year-old daughter, Peyton, enjoyed watching the skaters, but thought it was a boy sport.  Being a skateboarder in her youth, Jeanean assured her that girls could skateboard, too.  They went to the basement, found her skateboard, and cleaned it up.  She also purchased a pink helmet for Peyton.  When arriving at the park, Peyton was hesitant to skate because only boys were there.  Timidly, she began to ride.  Jeanean had already prepared her speech to tell the boys that her daughter had a right to skate at the park, too.  Surprisingly, within five minutes, Ryan Carney, an avid skateboarder, came over to offer advice to Peyton.  He showed her how to balance, position her feet on the board, and to steer.  He held her hand and helped her get up when she fell and encouraged her to stay away from the rails so she wouldn’t get hurt.  After an hour of instruction, Peyton was skateboarding with pride and confidence.  When commended, Ryan said, “I didn’t really think that much of it. I went up there simply to be nice.  If I didn’t know what I was doing, and I was in a place that could be intimidating at that age, I’d want someone to help me.”

 

May offering kindness be a priority.  Always.

 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3-4