My story actually spans a few years and involves my many friends and my family who have given me a considerable amount of support. My life felt out of control – my marriage was failing and I didn’t have the emotional strength to do anything right. I had no patience for my kids or myself, and at times I felt like I was crazy. I don’t know what may have happened if it wasn’t for the support of my friends, including those I met at Living Word. They helped me see what was real and true because my perceptions of the world had become so distorted. I was suffering from so much anxiety I could never quite relax and felt sick most of the time. I had a “wake up” call when my heart began to beat out of control, and numerous doctors found nothing physically wrong with me. I then knew that my dysfunctional marriage was making me sick.

The gifts of support and love my friends gave me were the answers to my prayers. Slowly, I was able to get enough strength to put my life back together. The best gift they gave me was fill me up when I was empty and had nothing to give. Knowing we are not alone as we journey through this difficult life is really the best gift we give each other just as Jesus does for us. It certainly was the best gift for me.

Story of Giving

When thinking of stories of giving I learned more about giving from some Peruvian friends. While visiting in November 2009 after some conversation a lady I met in the village ‘New Jerusalem’ wanted me to see her baby, so we went to her home and later I also met her friend and next door neighbor. This village had one source for water, people were limited on what time of day they could fill their buckets. There was limited electricity and very small homes. Through my broken Spanish (from my high school and college Spanish 1 classes) I wanted to share with my new friends some domino necklaces that my friend Jenna made—these ladies, probably in their early 20s were so excited to receive this gift but then they told me to hold on (in Spanish, that was all they spoke) and went to the back room, one of the girls went back to her house, this went on for about five minutes. I had no idea what was happening since my Spanish was limited so I just sat there. My new friends came back and gave me a hot pink purse and a necklace and earrings. I was speechless, but knew that I needed to accept this gift as that was part of their culture. I experienced a gift from people I saw as not having much at all, but no matter what material items they owned, they had hearts of gold and wanted to share what they were blessed with too. Giving is not about giving whatever is left over, but giving is off the top sharing with others around us; giving of our time, talents, and treasures. From my Peruvian friends I learned that giving is not about what we do in our spare time or the giving of leftovers. Giving is at the core of who we are as children of God.

Special Kindness

Imagine recently moving into west Houston, a transplant from over 1,000 miles away, not knowing a soul, trying to establish new roots for your growing family and then being faced with a medical crisis! Our three year old was a handful, my husband was traveling a lot on business and my 2nd pregnancy became complicated when a blood clot formed in my leg. I was admitted to the hospital for a week and sent home with orders to keep my ankle elevated above my heart for 4 months. Needless to say, we were suddenly forced to make dramatic changes. Fortunately we'd formed friendships in our neighborhood and at Living Word and received much needed help with prayers, meals and childcare. At first it was difficult being on the receiving end. I am an independent person and take pride in being self-sufficient. But God taught me several important lessons. I remember turning to a neighbor and saying, "How can I ever repay you for your help?" She responded with: "You will help someone else in a similar situation. That's the only "repayment necessary." I also learned that it is easier to accept help when the giver asks: "When can I bring a meal/run errands?" etc. rather than "Can I bring over a meal?"