Christmas Outreach

     Last Thursday my daughter, Sara,  and I set off to the Rio Grande Valley with a van full of blankets, 312 to be exact.  We were delivering them to His Hands Ministries in Penitas, TX.  Every year for the last 7 years the Jesus Centers had provided hundreds of toys for the Christmas outreach there, but this year Ron had requested blankets instead.  The handmade quilts they usually receive had not come in and there are a lot of people not working this year.  So, with the generous help of Mike and Bernadette McGee we were able to purchase 312 disaster blankets.

Unloading

 

A blanket, toys, candy, a new hat and a New Testament

                                                                                                                                                                                   John and I were sad that there wouldn't be toys for the kids this year, but God had other ideas.   When Sara and I arrived we found out that there were quite a few toys left over from our load last year and different people had brought in toys and Christmas bears.

   













The outreach was planned for Saturday at 12:00 noon and the day started cold and rainy.   At 9:00 a.m. the volunteers started to show up and there was a record turnout.  Longtime His Hands volunteers Bruce and Lila brought 500 handmade wooden cars and trucks and New Testaments in English and Spanish.  At noon they opened the gates and the people coming for assistance started to pour in.    First they went through the food pantry, then on to get toys for the kids, and last but not least to get blankets, knitted hats, coats and a copy of the New Testament.  A group from Lake Jackson was there also that fed hot dogs to all the kids.

A total of 236 families received food from the pantry; we distributed rice, beans, canned goods, bread, fresh vegetables and citrus fruits, cooking oil and 1000 pounds of chicken. (The Jesus Center pays the Food Bank Bill each month.)  Between 500 and 600 children were there

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The day went really well and I was really blessed to be a part of it; many people and ministries worked together to make it happen.  Sara and I had a great time and even had time to visit with Ron and Bea and many of the other volunteers.  Thanks to all our donors that help us to help the poor while preaching the Gospel.  There are so many more pictures that I will probably post some on the website photo page.  Look for it.

Shalom,  Terri G.

Terri (me) with Ron and Bea Whyte - His Hands Directors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Started

Well, this is my first attempt at blogging, so please bear with me.  This is where we want to keep everyone posted on what's going on without having to always update the website.  I'm totally revamping the website and hope to have it up and running with a week or two.  John and I were  in the Valley last week, (specifically Penitas and Mission) to see how the ministries we support there were doing.  I will have lots of pictures and news as soon as I get everything going.  We really appreciate all of you who help us do what we're doing.  May God bless you for your help.

Shalom,   Terri G.