Author: mreakus

Together with Sapphire Salon and The Learning Experience of Marlton, we collected 85 brand new book bags filled with school supplies. Yesterday we dropped them off at The Cramer School in Camden, NJ where they will be distributed to their students. Thank you to everyone who got involved to make going back to school an exciting new adventure!

Due to the extreme heat and Code Red declared in Philadelphia this weekend, Feeding Philly’s Homeless will be rescheduled for Saturday, August 24th.

Today we teamed up with Habitat for Humanity in building a home for a family in need. We worked on the curb appeal for a duplex in Trenton, NJ. One half of the duplex had been completed the day before and the home owners were moving in. We worked on the other side moving dirt, mulching the flower beds and adding river rock all around the perimeter for a clean look. We got to meet some new friends, learn more about the process of how these families get to live in the homes and also see how the process works. We ended up only working half a day because of the heat but we were able to get a lot accomplished and one step closer to another family having a home.

I wanted to take some time to share some of the conversations we had with the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House this past visit.

The stories are raw. The stories are real. The stories are their lives.

One mom shared her journey of birthing premature twins one of which was born with his bladder outside of his body. You couldn’t tell by looking at him but she assured us if you were to change his diaper you would find his bladder lying on top of his skin. He had already undergone several surgeries but required quite a few more. His next surgery scheduled was estimated to take up to 16 hours. As you can imagine, his parents are anxious about such a long time under anesthesia and any complications that could arise. Please keep this little guy and his parents in your prayers. He has a long journey ahead.

The next family we met shared their miracle story with us. Their little girl was born with complications of her heart. They’ve been from doctor to doctor only to keep hearing the phrase “heart transplant”. But she was just a baby. After visiting the top hospitals in the nation and mustering up the courage to schedule the surgery they made their way to the east coast. After settling in at the Ronald McDonald House they took their precious baby girl to her pre-op appointment and scan to learn that her heart had completely healed. All of their scans and tests showed no complications and her heart was functioning on its own at 100%. Praise God!

Finally, a mom came in who had just said goodbye to her little girl who was taken off of life support that afternoon. I can’t pretend to know what that feels like or even start to understand why that happened. We didn’t have any words of wisdom or past experience to draw from, we didn’t even know her, but we sat with her so she wasn’t alone.

These stories aren’t meant to make you sad or guilt you into volunteering. These stories are a reminder of how blessed we are and how thankful we should be. I don’t know about you but things like this always help me get a little perspective.

May 4, 2019

I had the pleasure of serving at Cathedral Kitchen this morning. Cathedral Kitchen serves a hot meal to the homeless in Camden in a restaurant-like environment and services nearly 325 guests per day. I was in charge of manning the drink table and engaging the guests in conversation. This was my favorite visit yet. I walked in there with all of my baggage, discontentment and crap (for lack of a better word) and was encouraged by the men and women I got to speak with. A lot of times we go to things like this thinking we are helping and brightening someone’s day but today was reversed. Hearing people say things like “this is only temporary” or “God is always good” was exactly what I needed to hear to get over myself and get things back in the right perspective. God is always good.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Today we had the opportunity to hand out lunch bags and water bottles to the homeless in Philly. We received generous donations of snacks, water, candy, bread, and so much more. A very special addition to this event was the Pemberton Schools first graders decorated our brown bags with pictures, messages & stickers.

We had 2 volunteers join us in giving out the food. This time was particularly special for me because it is the first time we brought our kids. I can’t put into words the happiness it brought to my heart to see my 2 little ones handing out lunches to those in need. They had no fear, no judgment and no barriers keeping them from sharing love. We can learn so much from children. Unfortunately, we ran out of bags and water before we were able to serve all of those we came in contact with, but we will certainly be going back.

Thank you so much to the people who donated and those that volunteered. We couldn’t do this ministry without you. I thank you for giving hope to the hopeless and love to those who feel invisible. You are appreciated by the people you serve and certainly by us!

We are so grateful for the opportunity to spend some time with the families staying here and get their minds off of the stress they are facing and provide them with a little fun! Tonight we played some games, made some jewelry, colored and painted, made picture frames & played with playdoh!