Dear St. Andrew’s,
On May 30th my friend Laura called me. She was upset by what she had just witnessed in Hereford, specifically the community there called El Campo. Having a most caring heart, Laura grabbed what supplies she could get her hands on, and she and her kids drove to Hereford when she heard the news of recent floodings. The situation there was dire. El Campo is not on the grid. There are no paved streets or traffic signs. The buildings are old, hazardous, and never inspected for safety concerns. Laura was particularly alarmed by young children playing in this non-potable water.
Listening to her my heart broke for our neighbors at El Campo and so the idea was born for St. Andrew’s to help this community. In true St. Andrew’s fashion, you stepped up big time! On June 14th your generous donations and a greathearted gift from the Amarillo Area Foundation combined to over $6600! With this, essential but lacking supplies such as formula, diapers, bleach and other cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene supplies were bought to alleviate acute needs. Just as importantly we ordered three generators to help bring sorely needed electricity back.
After tending to these most immediate needs, your donations were then able to order building materials needed to repair their homes as best as possible. Families arrived at Home Depot with trucks and trailers to pick these up. Many can repair their own homes once given the materials, and in the case of those who cannot, your love offerings even made it possible to pay for labor!
Before July 12th, the hottest Truckin’ event yet, I shared a list of items with you that were needed in El Campo. Now more day-to-day practical items. Sunscreen, clothes, non-perishable food items, dog food, things that allow people to get back to daily routines and work. Again, your generosity was overwhelming!
And I’m still not done people of St. Andrew’s! While all of this was going on, monetary donations kept coming in! Which brings us to the current account: We STILL have $2000 available to help our neighbors at El Campo with upcoming needs.
As broken as my heart felt when I saw the bitter need in this neighborhood, your generosity healed it. I am deeply thankful to serve with and for people who are not satisfied to pay the Gospel lip service alone but live into the Good News by fully participating in loving God and God’s creation. The words of Jesus in Matthew 25 keep popping up in mind:
“For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you took care of me, I was in prison, and you visited me.”
Most every Christian knows these words from the Gospel. And just as I always suspected, the Good News is most beautiful when lived out loud. Thank you, St. Andrew’s, from me, from Laura, and from the people in El Campo, thank you for making the Gospel come alive.
May we continue to be One Bread. One Cup. One Love.
Love and Grace
Mtr. Miriam
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