Last time, I couldn't wait to publish a new post because there was so much going on. This time I didn't get to write a post because so much was going on.
On November 13, I had the pleasure of joining a homeless outreach outside. It was cold, really cold, but I loved being there because of all the wonderful people. For me, it was two hours in the cold while quite a few of them live in tents. Let me be clear, I am not talking about a temperature in the 60°s, I am talking about 10°s! We served warm thanksgiving meals and hot drinks. The organization I worked with also brought clothes and other necessities for the people in need. It was absolutely worth it because a lot of people were showing up desperately for warm coats, blankets, gloves, boots, scarves, etc.
A few days later I got sick. Not surprising after freezing for two hours. A couple of days later Nolan got sick and became quite ill. A fever of 104 and trouble breathing. So we took him to the doctor and learned that we had finally caught Covid, after 3 years. For me, it was like a bad cold. For Nolan, it was a scary moment, fortunately, he got much better after they gave him steroids and recovered the quickest. Ray got sick as well. He didn't feel too bad but took had lingering symptoms for several weeks. We were worried that we would not be able to move because of Covid. Who wants to help you move when you have a virus that everyone has been afraid of for 3 years? However, on the day of the move, we all tested negative, and we could go ahead and settle in our own home! We haven't had our own home for over one year now. And our last home was at my workplace.
The next adventure was to finalize the planning for the event I was talking about last time (3000 Acts of Kindness). We were able to get coffee and cups donated from the local grocery store (Cub) and Costco gave us a $50 gift card. A baker gave us 1,500 cookies. And other people gave us a few items and donations as well. The event itself was a great success. It was such a pleasure to be part of this. We were able to have a lot of good conversations with people in need and we also had the chance to connect with other nonprofits. I would like to join next year again. I think it is awesome what the community in the Twin Cities is doing for their neighbors who are struggling at the moment.
The last weeks were pretty crazy for us and I am still processing everything. One day after the event I got sick again so I am busy recovering again and hoping that the little one doesn't get sick again. Ray is recruiting a few people from the YWAM team to "adopt" a refugee family together early next year. They will partner with a local agency/ministry to help a newly arrived family settle here. The work is both practical and relational. Firstly helping the family figure out things like transportation, cell service, registering for school, etc. Then committing to spend time with the family over the next year to build a relationship with them. Ray will also begin to work more actively to advertise and prepare for the DBS next year. We will write here probably next year again since we all need a few days of rest after all. The YWAM Christmas break starts on Friday.
We wish you all beautiful holidays. Thank you for being part of this journey!
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