Doing Good

Rylee Boone, 11, and Hayden Hase, 10, are from Edna, Texas. After hearing about the floods in the Texas Hill Country, the girls wanted to do something to help. They decided to set up a lemonade stand. With the help of their generous community, they raised $6,000. After hearing of the girls’ success, a generous donor gave an additional $6,000 to add to their total. Hayden and Rylee have plans for other lemonade days so they can continue to make a difference for the people who lost so much in the floods.

With all the Hill Country flooding and devastation, the Kerrville Public Utility Board linemen have been working day and night to help restore power. In appreciation, a little girl helped her mom pack goody bags for the workers. Along with water and lots of snacks, each bag contained a special note with a hand drawn picture and “God bless! Thank you! You rock!” written on it. One observer commented, “A small gesture – big reminder. This is what makes the Hill Country special. It’s not just about rebuilding power lines… it’s about the power of community."

 

Feeling a calling to help after the floods, Laura Williams set up a group called “Washed with Love.” The idea came from her husband, who served in the US Army for 21 years. He had often complained about the misery of not having clean socks when he was on duty out in the fields. Thirty people have volunteered to wash clothes, for free, for the out-of-town 1st responders. After the shift on the river is over, the volunteers pick up the laundry at the hotel. The clean clothes are returned by 6:00 am the next day. To help out, people in the community are supplying detergent, gift cards, money, and new socks to help the “Washed with Love” group.

 

Timothy Lopez usually paints cars in a small body shop in Victoria. Because of the deaths in the floods in Kerrville, he has spent these past few days painting personalized caskets for some of the victims and is giving them to the families free of charge. Lopez delivered the caskets to Kerrville and then took time to help clear up some of the debris.

 

James Avery Artisan Jewelry is headquartered in Kerrville, Texas, where recent flooding took place. Through August 4, the company is giving 100% of the proceeds from their “Deep in the Heart of Texas” charm to help with flood recovery efforts in the Texas Hill Country area. Their artisans, in Kerrville, Comfort, Hondo, and Corpus Christi, have volunteered to work double shifts, in order to keep the production going 24/7. As of Friday, July 18, James Avery has orders for more than 51,000 charms and is donating more than $3 million.

 

May we, too, choose to live a life of doing good.

 

This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Titus 3:8