Sixth Building Our Homes Together With Jesus!

Hello sweet ladies,

As I have been thinking over the last days about Building Our Homes Together I knew what I would be sharing. Sherry called one time as they were on their road trip to Joplin. It made me more aware of the sorrow of what some families were going through in Joplin.  Daddy's, Momma's, Grandpa's and Grandma's who all had lives that were one way in the morning and changed real fast in early evening in seconds. Homes were destroyed and gone. 8000 homes were demolished. That would change a city, but Sherry and Jim witnessed Hope when they got there. God was there working.  I can't wait to tell you their story. 

Sherry will be my guest today. I will have to break this post in two different parts. I took 7 pages of notes late last night as she shared their experience. It was amazing. I will never be the same. Thinking to myself Purses With Promises has just begun. We are praing it will go out into our country. Praying for other devastated towns with CHRISTian ladies in surrounding areas to pick up this idea of Purses With Promises and go with it. If there are other older ladies that have a little more free time who want to do Purses With Promises......it is doable. I am not excluding Momma's I just know raising children takes a lot of your time and don't want you overloaded. Anyone is welcome though!!!!!!!


As you will see the Lord was with Jim and Sherry. Our prayers were heard and He definitely gave traveling mercies.

Here is an email from Sherry to all of us, they got home on the 4th. Picture of Sherry and 

Forest Park Baptist Church 

725 South Highview 

Joplin, MO 64801

I will say here, people from the tornado are desperately needing sheets, towels and pillows. Families are living with others and if you can imagine each home and all their bedding is gone? 

Welcome ladies and meet our Sherry, (if you have anything you would like to say to Sherry and Jim, leave it in the comments. They will read and I will tell them to look)!


This is where they brought the purses. This church was not touched. Others were gone. God is using this church and has already. Sherry said that Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Grahams organization, had just left an hour before they got there. 7000 volunteers had been in Joplin helping. They had brought semis loaded with food and needs. I need to say, that when these volunteers go out........they see things that are very sad and will be in their minds forever. You can not have over 300 people killed without remains under the rubble. We need to be praying for them.  The volunteers were there to minister and help clean up. Amazing. I hope that they were there beings they are CHRISTians was on the evening news, I so hope so. She said that people are getting saved........lots!  Turning their lives over to the Lord for Him to start working in their lives. He will make a difference in our world if we let HIM!
Here is Sherry's email in the different font.

Linda, we are home now after seeing so much devastation - I wept most of the time for the lovely people who lost all they had.  The pictures just don't do it justice - you really have to be there to understand it.  Miles and miles of it everywhere you look.  Here's the first picture I'll send you - this is me besides our mini-van filled with exactly 250 lovely purses and each purse filled with a Bible, devotional book, and many other items such as
tea cozies, manicure sets, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Merle Norman products (not samples) from Bright Side Boutique in Highland Village, Tx who supplied over a 125 simply beautiful purses - most of which were designer purses - Coach, Brighton, Dooney & Bourke, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, Vera Bradley, etc.  Most were new and those that were gently used didn't looked like they had been used.  The ladies filled them with lovely items - some had new Prada Sunglasses - Linda these are $250 to $400 a piece.  And the case itself it probably $50.00.  How generous the ladies have been.  I know each who gave will be blessed in many ways by the Lord as these were actually given to Him and you cannot outgive Him.  

We also took 3 bags of sheets, pillowcases and towels which they desperately need.  I will be contacting companies to see if they can make a big donation to them and I need lots of prayer for that please.  

Linda, pls. tell the sweet, precious ladies that I so love and appreciate them all for giving to this endeavor.  It wouldn't have happened without them.  All the items and purses they gave and the LORD considers it a gift to Himself as He said "if you give to the least of these my brethren, you've given unto Me" - Matt. 25:40.  The world would consider these people the least as they now have no earthly possessions.  All kinds of homes were utterly destroyed - modest ones and very, very expensive ones - many over $1M.  But no matter the size or cost - each lost all the property they owned.   Just think over 8,000 homes destroyed.    

Also, pls. tell the bloggers "a huge thank you for their prayers".  We had one very close encounter with a big tractor trailor who also hit us at a fast rate of speed but God was hearing their prayer and somehow protected us 
by directing us to the middle where there was no lane.  A split second timing.  Praise the LORD and thanks to all who prayed.

Here's a view from upstairs where they put our many huge bags of purses - they will display them for the ladies.  This is the gym where they have set up a store for the victims.  They have shopping carts for the people to shop just like in a store.  Each person has to register and show that they had a home in the area where the tornado hit.  Then a personal shopper will go with them to help them select items needed - some don't want to take much at all and are embarrassed at having to take as they have not experienced being on the receiving end but always on the giving end.  We must learn to accept and to give - both are necessary.  Then each person is prayed for and the gospel is presented.  Many have come to know the LORD thru this.  

We had 10 big outdoor bags filled with 25 purses each along with the linens and towels.  We had almost no room for luggage and had to pack each a very small bag.  But we made do just fine - perhaps we don't need to take so much after all when we travel.

Here's where I am talking with Lori who is in charge of the receiving into the warehouse.  What a job she has and she was so excited about the purses - no one had given a purse before. 

This is Part one, I have more to share, but I will do it in parts. I want to get this post up so ladies can start linking . I want to say thank you so much for being a part whether you made the tea cozies found along my side bar), sent purses, prayed or  whatever it was you did, God noticed. Now other's will be loved. Sherry said last night that they are not going to set the purses out. That they were going to be used for something special. Maybe used to start a Bible Study or something like that. Think of it over 200 purses with Bibles in each!  The ladies are needing a touch from the Lord. I think the purses will be an avenue to do something very very special. It tickles my heart to think of a silly purse!


Please let me know if you want to do the Tea Cozies. We are not stopping!!!!!!!!!! If you have purses please let me also know that! I will get you the info. 

What is going on in your HOME?

First off PLEASE PUT UP THE Building our Homes Together LOGO on your post and link back to this post. Thank you.


YOU HAVE UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY TO LINK UP.


Here is how to link up

Use the linky below in four easy steps.

go to the bottom of my post and it will say

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Up will come this.

1. Enter a link to your blog post

2. Enter a caption

3. Enter your email

4. Upload a thumbnail

One more thing if you want to link all the linkys to your blog, there is a place that says GET THE CODE HERE.

God is using us ladies, we had 12 ladies link up last week. Precious! You are welcome to go back at any time and see the week before and click on the links. Wonderful information and encouragement as we Build and Love on our families for 
HIS GLORY!


He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you are who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" The king will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matt.25: 33- 40

I will write more tomorrow on this precious story of one woman Sherry, one man Jim and some precious ladies from a blog, with a heart for God. God's name is being honored. We are going out.......sharing the Jesus.......right from our HOMES.

Love you all very much, 

Linda

70% chance of rain tonight. Please pray for us. It would make such a huge difference in our crops. My green beans in my south garden are crispy. Not going to work for canning. If the rain would come I could plant again.