Blankets are like Gold

2/19/2010

Greetings!

Earlier this week, we had a hotel donate about 75 blankets to us. Today was as good a day as any to hand them out to the refugees. It was the first sunny day without snow Nashville has seen in weeks!

It’s a special thing on days we have mass donations. How it usually works is we park the van in one area of the neighborhood, and within five minutes almost every one of the 300+ families are surrounding us, there to receive. Kids were getting off their school buses, and parents were running trying to see what we were giving out today. It still blows me away, the amount of culture we miss out on in America. Just the fashion of the Nepali was a sight.

The Nepali’s were dressed in bright hats and colorful sweaters. Some just had t-shirts. It was hard passing out blankets, knowing they had survived the worst of the winter without one. Many of the family just pile sweatshirts on top of themselves for warmth at night. It’s hard knowing that, but not being able to have enough resources yet to fix it.

Days like these keep us fighting. The joy of knowing our efforts are actually helping makes this worth all the emails and late night phone calls, trying to get anything from donations to volunteers. The grateful bow and thank you from one single mother means we’re doing what we know is right.

A special thanks to our friends at Mercy Ministries! They donated some really nice hoodies that we gave out as well.

We met some new families who have just come into the neighborhood from World Relief. We are excited to get to know their stories and they’re dreams in America. We are trying to get them a TV and some beds for their six-person family. It’s a start.

As this spring approaches, we’re really trying to get more activities to raise money and awareness. Can you say Culture Festival? It among many others is in the works for outreach and support possibilities. Keep praying for us, and believe in the miracles God is blessing these people with. Keep hope alive! See you soon!