Surely it is Better to Give

In the past few weeks, my time has been blessed with smiles, hugs and grateful tears. It has all been from giving. We have been giving out clothes, toys, furniture, coats, blankets, household items to the refugees. All the donations were given by generous people. We have received beds, couches, chairs, coats, all kinds of clothes, cleaning supplies, microwaves, toasters, silverware, plates, cups etc, etc. It has been amazing. But more importantly, it has made an impact on the lives of people who do not have much.

One story that stuck out to me was when we met with a young family. They have a 4 year old boy and the mother is expecting another child. The little boy only had 2 stuffed animals in the whole apartment. There was no extra toys. The apartment only had a broken kitchen table, a bed, a dirty couch and two metal chairs. When we got out of the truck, the little boy was jumping up and down and clapping his hands. He saw the fire truck, the ninja turtle and the toy soldier and started screaming. It was pure joy. His face was glowing with delight and I had to fight back the tears. I realized why we are doing this. It is for little boys just like this! That day we got to share God's heart with that family. That He will provide and that He truly loves them.

Yesterday, we gave a king size bed to a family of 7 (2 parents and 5 kids). They only had three beds in the apartment. The mother spoke no English but her smile was priceless. She hugged me and slipped a necklace over my head that she had made. It was her way to give back in some way. I will always cherish that moment with her and remember her when I forget to be thankful for all that I have. Sometimes we don't even realize that we are blessed because we have beds, sheets, blankets.

It is a humbling experience to be a part of giving to others. Every item we give, I see how much I am receiving.

The Journey Continues

So, Hope Rise is exactly one month old today. It was August 21st, I walked into the Secretary of State's office to be officially incorporated in Tennessee. Getting through security for the building was probably the most difficult part. After taking a scan of my face and my driver's license, I went up the elevator to a room filled with cubicles. A lady at the desk took my charter and a $100 check. They went back to a secret room and after about 10 minutes, I received a letter congratulating me on Hope Rise International status of incorporation with an official seal from the Secretary of State. Even though it didn't seem to be that great of a thing, to me it was surreal! It made Hope Rise official to me.

The next Monday, I got online and filled out a form for the Tax ID number with the federal government. As soon as I filled out the online form and submitted it, I received an official tax ID number. It was becoming all so real. Here I was this 27 year old, and I was the official president and founder for an organization.

Now, the real paperwork has begun. I'm working now on filling out the 1023. This is about at 15 page application for the 501(c)3 status, this is the status you must have with the government to be a non-profit entity. It is truly a daunting task. It asks for a full budget, a historical outline of the organization's start and a lot of other questions about the reason for this organization to be formed. I'll let you know how the status continues. Tomorrow I'm going to post the new logo for the Hope Rise.

Thanks!

Of Humbling Beginnings

I'm starting this blog at a time when my life is basically starting over. My name is Lauren for those of you who don't know me. I graduated from college December of 2005 and immediately in January of 2006 started working at the church I had attended all of my life. I have been working there for the last 3 1/2 years as the Director of Public Relations and then as the Missions Director. My plan was to go to law school this fall and pursue a career doing International Law, working as an advocate for human rights. But, God had another plan.

The doors literally slammed shut! How humbling. It is pretty awakening when we think we are doing what is right, just to find out we are pursuing our own dreams instead of God's plan for us. We should be careful what we ask God. When I asked Him to take my life and I would do whatever He asked of me, I probably didn't realize I was laying down my own agenda. Most of the time we figure we love Him so our agenda will just match His. So, on to what He was really asking me to do with my life. In October, a group of refugees, mainly from Nepal (originally from Bhutan) and some Africans from the Congo and Burundi, showed up at the church. As the Missions Director, I had spent a great deal of time with them and my heart was captured. So, when I sought after God in the midst of my confusion about my big law school plans, He showed me what He had in store.

I was walking through the apartment complex where most of them live, the sun was shining through the clouds and on my face. The dust was kicking up on my flip flops, waves of curry were stinging in my nose, kids were running barefoot on the concrete pushing tires as a toy and every face looking at me was dark skinned with dark eyes. God spoke softly, you asked me to give you the nations, here they are! Oh, it all made sense. For years I had known God had called me to the nations as a missionary and humanitarian. Those nations are people and here they all were. Two blocks from where I worked everyday. Like I said before, be aware of what you are asking of God, He may just give it to you!

So, in August, I quit working at the church to start a non-profit organization called Hope Rise International. It is an organization that helps assimilate refugees into American society through education, job training and service! Yikes!! It actually sounds like I know what I am doing, but please do not be fooled.

This blog will be about what I am doing, what I am learning and how a young girl felt a call on her life and is trying to discover what to do with it. I'll try to share the journey with you!