 |
Some of the youth joined their dollars together for "Given." One youth had researched MT Food Bank who said that one dollar can feed 8 people one meal. I think there were 10 students who gave their dollar to that youth who sent our donation into MT Food Bank. Maybe we helped 80 people or so? It was fun and prompted all of us to think of other ways we can serve people with one dollar or many, or even without money sometimes.
We know a minister in Kenya. He is pastoring and attending seminary several miles away from his home there, and his bicycle finally "bit the dust." Now he is on foot and cannot travel as many miles in a reasonable amount of time. We put our dollar, along with some more, toward another bicycle for him.
I recently heard of a family with medical needs – a need I can surely relate to, knowing the limits of self-employment. I gave my dollar to the family and added more to it.
A dollar may not seem like much, but if a hundred people gave one dollar, it adds up to much more! Although I have given my dollar, I keep the concept in mind in case I find way to give another "dollar" in the future.
My husband and I spent our two dollars on snacks to be placed in plastic baggies along with a gift certificate to a fast food restaurant, a small bottle of water, a tract, and a note of encouragement. These baggies will be handed to people who stand on street corners asking for assistance.
This project involves my co-workers as well. Each of us will have one or two baggies in our vehicles, ready to be handed out as the opportunity presents itself. We hope that this will be an ongoing project. My prayer is that God multiplies the dollars, like the five loaves and two fish were multiplied to feed thousands.
Our family combined our "given" dollars and bought roses for the elderly living at the Masonic Home. We wanted to brighten the lives of the residents with a rose and a short visit.
Not only were they blessed but us as well. The kids were awarded with several stories of how Montana "used to be" and how many grandchildren some residents have.
Although the flowers will eventually wilt, our memories of "giving" back will last forever! All of us will cherish this gesture of kindness for the rest of their lives.
We decided to give the $5 that our family had as a whole to one of my coworkers. She is going through a really tough time. So we gave it to her so that she could take her boys out and do something fun. She is really stressed out with all of the life decisions that she needs to make and it was a good time for her to step away from the stress for a little while.
I took the dollar that was given to me and bought a bible for a friend of mine and his wife. They have recently started going to church on regular basis.
This morning a gal came in to the bank where I work. She is a single mom working three jobs and she's trying to get her account in order. Having saved up her tips to deposit, she came up about .75 cents short. It was the perfect opportunity for me to tell her about the dollar from my church and that I'd love to add it to her deposit. It brought her into a positive balance by .52 cents!!
This was a great challenge thinking of different ways that I could use my dollar. I decided to purchase as many disposable casserole pans as I could for $1.00. I made two freezer meals and chose to give them to a family that has been dealing with some health problems. I hope this will bless their family but I know that this opportunity has blessed me. I plan to look for more opportunities in the future to use the "Given" principle that was shared with all of us on Easter.
We took our $2, added more to it and helped purchase tires for someone who was in need of tires and car repair.
I'm going to school in Havre, MT and I'm involved in a Christian group up there. Every Thursday after our meeting, which is kind of like youth group, we go out to eat at the same restaurant.
There is usually a lot of us and the waitress usually spends the next couple of hours just serving us; getting our drinks and refilling them, making sure we have everything we need. I used my dollar to give a better tip and let them know we appreciate their good service.
Well, the next week, we had the same waitress and she was much happier and willing to work with us and our big food orders. It was neat to see her attitude change just by being a little more generous.
I used my dollar this week by paying for the person behind me in the drive-thru at two fast-food restaurants. I gave a brief description explaining what the Given project was about at one place, and a WWJD card at the other.
I felt like a kid playing doorbell ditch in the drive-thru as our family tried to remain anonymous and drive away before the person behind us could figure out what was going on. Our family would like to continue to give each week by finding a small way to show Christ's love to someone.
