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December 3, 2011 - LAUNDRY LOVE,
DALLAS , TEXAS
 I
had an amazing experience today that has given me a great
deal of hope for the church in America. I had the
opportunity to join a group of individuals from one of the
congregations here in the Dallas area ministered to a
community at a local laundry mat. These individuals raise
money each month to wash and dry clothes for, actually what
I observed and participated in today, virtually every
individual and family who used the neighborhood laundry
facility today from 9am to 12pm. They also provided laundry
detergent, bleach and fabric softener to the customers. They
had a table with the Book of John in both English and
Spanish along with other literature from their congregation
free to all. As this month's event was also a holiday
celebration, they served coffee, orange juice, breakfast
burritos and donuts to anyone who wanted to partake. A table
was set up for face painting, one for children to read books
and play games while their parents either do laundry or
volunteer in the ministry. At the end, they make sure before
they leave that the facility is swept and tidied up.
During the 3 hours in the facility the
volunteers greet the customers as they enter and exit, read
to the kids and play with them, assist with putting clothes
into the machines, share the gospel, and see how else they
can assist the patrons. I heard a testimony that someone had
donated a washer and dryer and after ministering to a family
in the laundry mat the volunteers were able to donate the
machines to them. Many customers told me how much they
appreciated what this group of people were doing in the name
of Yahweh and what a blessing it is to them.
I asked how the project got started and
the originating couple told me they had done the same thing
in the state they moved from and once they came to Texas
they saved for a few months to have enough money to help a
few families until now it has grown to virtually helping all
who enter the laundry mat at their specific time of
ministering.
Just imagine for a moment that such an
initiative by one couple to do some shaking and moving in
their community with the little they had could impact so
many families. I was told that the first event they only had
about $150 but these last few months they have been
operating on about $700 a Saturday. One rental complex had
suffered some water damage to clothes because of some
pesticide contamination and they were able to do the laundry
for the entire complex. People use this facility from all
walks of life and all with different challenges. A little
thing as paying for laundry could mean the difference
between eating or wearing clean clothes to work or school.
Without the latter their might not be a means of earning
money for food.
Kudos to those who have the audacity to
exit the congregational doors and walls to do such as this.
May we all be inspired to pick up this baton and run with
it. Imagine what your donation of $20 or more a week or a
month to assist your neighbors with laundry could do. We
would go from being hearers of the word to being doers of
the word. Yeah! That would be Christ-likeness living out
LOUD.
Let's take it a step further and imagine
every believer putting a few dollars a week or month and
starting such a project in their neighborhood or going to a
ghetto and showing this kind of love. You don't have the
money, then how about taking someone's laundry to your house
and using your washer, dryer and laundry supplies and
showing the love. I think this idea is so relevant today
because laundry mats are one of the few places where people
of all walks of ;life especially the poor still have a use
for and can be found there mostly on Saturday mornings in
America,. I know many of you out there have ideas and think
you need thousands or hundreds of dollars to make it count
but the truth is you only need to use the little that you
have for Yahweh to give you the increase to do more. If you
don't start you will never know how far you can go.
Take a look at these Shakers and Movers:
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU CAN DO THE
SAME! GIVE IT A TRY - LET'S PASS THE GOOD IDEAS FORWARD.
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