God is Amazing......

WOW, a lot has transpired for the ministry since last summer. We received a donation from our Christmas offering at church. That was a huge blessing! David was able to buy a laptop, create a website for the ministry, and buy all the software from a company that sells to nonprofit organizations; Tech Soup. Our new web address is www.byhishandsministries.org. We are now open the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month and as of this weekend  September 16, 2011 we have given out over 15,000 items to families in need.

We also had our 1st annual coat and blanket drive in December. It was a huge hit. We were able to give away every coat  and blanket that was donated. We been working with Least Of These Ministries, which is also a ministry created by some people in our church. They cook and serve box meals at various locations in the Jackson and Gwinnett County areas. We went with Least of These and gave out coats as they served meals. Least of These also comes and serves food while the Clothing Closet is open on the 3rd Saturday of each month.

This spring, our biggest supporter via prayers and word-of-mouth is David's sister Tammy. She had a clothing drive for us in Odessa, Texas; yes I said Texas. She collected so much clothing that the shipping was way too much for anyone to handle. So our friend and also member at our church, Kenny Dove, asked his boss if his company would cover the shipping cost. THEY DID and when all was said and done, 2 pallets of clothes was shipped and arrived within one week of the set-up. God continues to amaze me!

We were also in need of lighting and fans in the clothing closet and a couple of our church members helped out; thanks Stovall Construction for your financial donation and Ron Bower for your time and knowledge for the install! We now have light everywhere and can tolerate the heat since we are located in a portion of the church that does not have central air.

We have also been going around to local garage sales, giving out our cards, and letting people know if they would like to donate clothing that doesn't sell we will give them a tax receipt. We've gotten a couple of calls on that.  All I can say is GOD CONTINUES TO AMAZE ME!

Walking without Worrying

WOW June 2010 is almost over and I haven't updated since November.....where has the time gone? I have been meaning to write an update but something else always gets my attention. I feel like this blog is an extension of our mission with God, so please forgive me for not keeping up-to-date.

In November and December I was struggling with making sure we followed this plan so David could get a paycheck......ministry???? paycheck???? That seems kind of funny. As I spoke my thoughts out loud to David, God reminded me..... you aren't in this to make money or make a salary. You are in this because I need you to do this for me. Then funny God put Matthew 6:33-34 on my heart; But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. This passage comes after ten prior versus of how we are not to worry. With that I say, God is truly amazing!!! David has not had a full-time job since 2008, we are living on 1/2 of what we were making, and we don't go without a thing! We are almost debt free and are about to payoff our last car!

On April 3, 2010, By His Hands Ministries became an official 501(c) (3) corporation. David is now searching for grants. He recently submitted one to Coca-Cola that could allow us enough money to secure a facility and begin growing an inventory. At which time we will begin making contacts with suppliers for food donations. This is a very slow process, but as we continue "Walking Without Worrying" I know God has this all under control and only needs us to be obedient!

Its Official

By His Hands Ministries is officially Incorporated! That didn't take too long and it was pretty easy. Now, we have to meet with our board and move onto the paperwork for 501C3 status. It will be much more difficult, so we ask our all our friends and family to pray for wisdom for us so we take care of every step needed to be successful with all the paperwork!

Another Step

This week David mailed off the incorporation forms and ran the ad in the Jackson Herald announcing we are appling for 501C3 status. The paperwork should take about 14 days to process. Once we get incorporated we will start filling out the many pages for the 501C3. We still need to raise about $800 to get everything legal....God is so apparent in every step we take!

Just Enough

We have received enough donations to file our articles of incorporation and run our ad in the newspaper. God has showed up with just enough to bring us through the next step for the food bank.

On the Clothing Closet end, I posted our info on The Fish Atlanta Facebook page in case there are families from the recent floods who have clothing needs.

God's Hands

Wow, this has been an amazing week for learning and leaving the wordly things in God's hands. I say this because whenever you are raising money you focus on the MONEY! That is just how we are programmed as humans. Therefore, we too had to take a step back and remember this is all God's and the donations will come in His time. Thank you Lord for allowing us to discover this!

New Direction

For those of you who do not know what has been going on with the Georgia Scheels I would like to fill you in. Over a year ago, David lost his job of 10 years. After going on numerous interviews, David was told either "you are not the right fit," or "you are over qualified." After much searching, questioning and prayer we felt something bigger was happening. As many events started to take shape, we have been able to launch a clothing closet through our church, New Community in Hoschton, GA. We have been up and running for about 1 month. David has been able to fit approximately 10-12 families with clothing to meet immediate needs and at no charge to them. We have received generous donations from our church and community of clothing items, hangers, and hardward supplies to create racks.

As an extension of By His Hands Ministries, we feel very led to open a full service food bank that serves Northeast Georgia in Jackson County. David has a passion for food whether he is cooking or making sure it is organized for an event. We are now beginning the process of applying for nonprofit status for By His Hands Ministries. The cost for this is approximately $1000.00. We are asking for our friends, family and even those who know us indirectly to give whatever is on your heart to our new journey. We also ask for prayers of wisdom and guidance so we can follow God's will. You can donate at http://www.byhishands.chipin.com