My daughter @ school

My daughter had a friend at school who ran out of lunch money so she donated $5 to help her out in a bind. On the same day, a boy from the 5th grade was selling candy bars to help out his grandma who had cancer. She used her other $5 to help his grandma's cause. She came up with these ideas on her own.

Groceries

As we were driving down 32 last week we happened to see a man, haggered looking, leaving the Marsh supermarket and crossing 32. He was using 1 arm to carry his groceries and the other to keep his pants up (they were definitely several sizes too big). We stopped and gave him $10 to help pay for more groceries. He didn't quite know what to say. It felt good to help someone in need.

The Orchid

All week I waited for the right moment and finally on Saturday it came to me. As I was walking through the grocery store I noticed that there were some beautiful potted Orchid's on sale for Mothers Day. Sale price...$20! I decided that there was a mother in the store somewhere that could use a beautiful Orchid and a thank you for being a mother. I bought them....exited the store and waited for the next mother that exited. A minute later a lady with a child came out....I approached, handed her the Orchid and I told her that I just wanted to wish her a happy mothers day! Her reaction was part thank you, part confusion but I know that when the dust settles I will have made a difference for her on that day.

Scrambled Brain

Tuesday night we went out to eat. I thought maybe for our ‘Big Give’ we could pay for somebody’s dinner. When our waitress brought us our check, she also had two other customers’ checks. And since we knew the waitress, I asked to if I could see their checks. I’m sure she thought I had lost my marbles, but she let me see them.

I told her that I wanted to pay for both of their checks but I did not want them to know who had paid for their meals.

She asked, “What am I supposed to tell them?

I was like, "I don’t know. I’ve never done this before."

One gentleman refused to leave until he knew WHO had paid for his meal. Our waitress kindly nodded in our direction. We were just sitting there talking and I looked up and a guy was just standing there with this kind of lost, confused, puppy dog face. He said, “I guess I owe you a Thank You for buying my dinner, but I am still very confused as to why.” We just kind of sat there and didn’t really say anything, just smiled.

He then said, “Well….Hmmmm! I think I get it. This is some kind of favor that I should pass on, Right?.........Yes I think it is. Well thank you again for dinner.”

He was very welcome. I am pretty sure paying for his dinner scrambled his brain, but in a good way. It also made us feel pretty good. I hope everyone had as much fun with their Big Give as we did.

That was fun.

Rainy Thursday

On a rainy Thursday, I was feeling sorry for myself as I had miles to go and lots of stops to make and I was already drenched......about that time, I saw a homeless man (also drenched) on crutches making his way across the highway. I gave him my seed money from Crosspoint and he smiled and said God bless you!

Suddenly the day seemed brighter -

Blessings Through Belts

I used the money to purchase belts for students at school. (If they are not in full dress code (including belt), they must serve an in school suspension). My thought is: this is a blessing that keeps on giving, because I give them a belt in the morning and they have to return it to me at dismissal, so this "blessing" can help another student stay out of in school suspension! It keeps on giving! :)

Also used it to purchase the $1.00 coke at McDonalds for some of the support staff. I was coming back from a school meeting and thought they might need a "refreshing" drink. The biggest problem was carrying them all into the building! haha

Thank you for this blessing to us. It really makes you aware of how just a simple gesture can make someone's day!

Gas Money?

My blessing was to give the $10 to a man who I work with. He comes to work from Avon to Fishers and has to get gas in his vehicle every day. I gave the money so he could get the gas he needs, but he went to get a hair cut instead. He also needed the haircut. He looks a lot better with the haircut and I am very glad that he used it for something he needed.

Mother of Three

I work with a young mother of three who is going through a nasty divorce right now. She is doing her best to keep everything together, but it is obvious she is exhausted, and for good reason. I bought a gift card to a nail salon and put it in her mailbox, attached to a note telling her to let someone pamper her for an hour or so. I didn't say anything about the "big give," thinking I would explain that in person when I saw her. She sent the following email...."Thank you so much for the gift card. What a wonderful treat. Also, thank you so much for being a great support to me. I am blessed to have you in my life." It blessed me to think that I had been a blessing to her and it has caused me to think about ways I can bless others in both monetary and non-monetary ways.

"Promising Futures"

After thinking alot and talking with God, I finally figured out what to do with the twenty dollars. There is an organization in Hamilton County that hosts "Promising Futures," a place where teenage girls 10-19 can go if they are pregnant. They offer counseling, a place to live, anything the young women need. I was amazed with what this group does. They have a wish list on their website of things they need. With my money, I went to stores and bought some things that they really needed and could use. After delivering my blessings, I really felt like I did a good thing and that was what God wanted me to do.

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Our kids...

Race and Reyna decided to go all out on this service. Race chose to buy stuff for foster children in Carmel. there is a house that houses 8 kids at a time and he raised money to go along with the $10 for church plus added some of his own. He was able to buy lots of toys for this family. Following is one of the e-mails we received back from the family that owns the house.

Dear Rhonda and Race,
Thanks so much for your deep hearts, and care for God's children. Every gift is appreciated, not only by the kids, but by God Himself! I believe he smiles when we do what he commands - to love and care for the orphans. I was so touched by the efforts of Race, in raising money to help the kids. I have put in a call to the foster mother at the Agape house, and asked her what the kids needed, that Race's efforts could supply. She is getting back to me within the next day, and was also very touched by your efforts. Just wanted you to know how special your story is to us, and we will let you know (very soon) what the kids need. Sincere thanks, and Blessings~

We hope to make the delivery this afternoon. Race was also able to get Target to donate a $20 gift card to buy some outdoor toys for the children.

Reyna wanted to help babies so raised money to buy a crib, get diapers, baby socks and baby blankets to donate to the Crisis Pregnancy Center. She was also able to get Target to donate $. what a thrill this has been for her!

This has been a real blessing for our own kids. what a blessing it has been as their parents to see how they want to help those in need! We were told by one couple that they, the kids, are the walking feet of Jesus! I have a feeling it will not stop here and is something they will want to continue to do throughout the summer and years to come!

Thanks for giving them this opportunity!

A Stop by the Pharmacy

I've been trying all week to come up with a good way to use this money - a way that would give more "bang for the buck" so to speak. I've been praying as I went along for God to show me someone who especially needed it. Today I was praying while driving down the road and I got my inspiration...

When I stopped by Kroger to pick up some things, I went by the pharmacy and asked if they had any people on fixed incomes who could use help paying for a prescription. She said that as a matter of fact, there had been a woman on the phone with the pharmacist that morning who needed assistance with paying for her medication. I asked if she would please put this money on that prescription and tell the lady that I wanted to bless her that day. She seemed pleasantly stunned and was happy to do it. Somewhere, there's a lady who needed assistance with something critical and we helped. Won't she be surprised. Thank you, Crosspoint.

Still looking for more people to bless.....

I thought Starbucks would be a good idea...

As soon as Curt mentioned what the $10 under every chair was for, I had the idea to buy someone's Starbucks behind me in the drive through line (as if I don't spend enough money there already).

Then he uses that as his example of something to do for someone in his teaching...

I didn't want to do that then because I figured all kinds of other people would, too! So, all week this money has been burning a hole in my pocket as I've been looking for something to do with it. I finally gave up on trying to think up something else and handed the girl working the drive through line money for mine. As she handed me my change, I said, "Can I buy the next 2 people's drinks, too?" and handed her a $20 bill. She smirked and started working on it.

When all was said and done, she started handing me $12 & change... apparently, the 2 people behind me were alone and were "conservative Starbucks drinkers." There wasn't anyone else in the line, so I told her to put it in the tip jar. She couldn't believe it, but gladly accepted it! It was nice to make so many people's day!

Thanks for the push, Crosspoint!

Meals & Time

Our neighbors (the husband ant the wife) both went to the hospital for different reasons this past week (he checked in Saturday and is still there). So, my husband and I combined our money. I cooked dinner and took groceries to the grandma who is staying with the three children (under 4 years old) who is not in the best of health herself and cannot drive. I have tried to give them my time in helping with the kids whenever I can. It felt really good and the grandma was very thankful. Thank you for the encouragement. What a great idea this BIG GIVE thing was and all the lives being blessed because of it !!!

Who doesn't like treats in a meetings?

I used my Crosspoint $10 and matched with my own $10 for the same event. My office had a meeting first thing Monday morning. So I left home early and on my way to the office stopped at Panera to pick up bagels, coffee, and juice for everyone. They were surprised to see the food come in and excited to have the treat. It made the Monday morning syndrome a little bit more manageable.

Blessings on a table

I was going to leave $5 bills on random co-workers cubes in my office, but when I went to do so, I was afraid someone would see me. I ended up leaving a $5 bill on the break room counter. With the $5 bill was the attached note: "This is yours to spend. There are no strings attached. Use it however your like. I hope this brightens your day.... blessed.donor@gmail.com".

I left an anonymous e-mail address I set up this morning on the letter. I didn't think anyone would respond. The email below is their response. You can blog about this if you would like.

How long can this go?

Here is the email I received from the recipient:
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Hi there. I first want to tell you that I think what you are doing is absolutely wonderful. I too am a Christian and came across the money left on the counter, I have wondered what to do with this money, and have decided, like you, I am forwarding it on to someone else who needs it. God says to share what is yours, and so that is what I am doing. I want to thank you for your kind generosity and therefore, I am passing it on for someone else in need. I wonder how long it will go? May God bless you and your family. God is good!

Brownies & Balloons

I was overwhelmed with joy today!!!

My kids and I made 8 pans of brownies and delivered them randomly yesterday morning between 7am and 8am on the way to school and work. We delivered to a dry cleaners, construction site, gas station, car wash, fire station, car repair business, copy center and hardware store. It was amazing! People couldn’t believe someone would do something kind for them and invite them to be a part of such a great kindness initiative in our community. The smiles on their faces were PRICELESS!!!

We also delivered a cake (for the staff) and balloons (for the residents) to a local nursing home. As soon as we walked in, the first person who saw us (a resident) said, “Those balloons are pretty!” (not knowing one was for her). J

Thank you for the wonderful teaching on Sunday and for challenging us to actively serve in the community. It was a true joy!

Special Day Surprise

We went to Chili's for dinner tonight and at the next table was a mom and her maybe 10 year old daughter. They had dinner and dessert and I asked the waitress to bring us their check. We paid for their dinner and wrote a note on their receipt that said "Your dinner has been paid for! Hope this makes your rainy day a little brighter! God Bless You!" The waitress delivered it and they were all smiles!! You could see them looking around trying to figure out who did it. It felt really good...and even better when the waitress came to tell us that it had been the little girl's birthday dinner!!! The waitress said, "That was so nice! I thought you knew them." I explained that it was a church project, and she said, "That's awesome!"

Helping Internationally

I sent the seed money (plus my own) to help the survivors of the cyclone in Myanmar through World Vision organization.

Flowers for those who help others

I used the big give money to purchase bouquets of flowers for the six staff members of the Alzheimer care unit at our local assisted living facility. When I delivered them, I thanked them and told them how much I appreciated the work they do in caring for those who are no longer able to care for themselves.

THE BIG GIVE

Sunday @ Crosspoint, we started a new series called HEROES. With as many different ways as that could go, we've decided to take a look at some of the Old Testament heroes. This past week (5.4.8) we looked at Abraham's call from God. Genesis 12:1-3 shows God calling Abraham away from what he has known to "be a blessing to all." The passage ends with "all nations will be blessed through you."

That's what we want to be at Crosspoint. So, Sunday AM, we taped envelopes containing $10 under each chair in the auditorium. The goal was to bless someone this week. If everyone that received an envelope would follow through, we would be putting over $1500 into the community as a blessing. If everyone matched it, as we were also asked to do, then over $3000 would bless.

From buying someone's Starbucks, to buying a few stranger a few gallons of gas... the goal is to bless... because we can.

What Children's Ministry Means To Us

I wanted to share...

Last Sunday as we were walked out of Crosspoint, Lena (our oldest daughter) says, " Mommy it was fun." I said, "What was fun, honey." She said, "My Class was Fun!"

That is a real testament to the time put into, not only to make a safe environment for our kids, but one that is FUN! Even at 2 1/2, they know the difference.

Thanks for all you do.
-The Niharts

The Glory of It All...

These are the stories that shape us: CROSSPOINT.
They make us laugh. They make us cry.
They make us happy. They make us sad.
We do these together. That's the glory of it all.
We rejoice together. We mourn together.
We grow together. We are together.
We are not alone.
We never were.
And, we never will be.

I am Crosspoint.
You are Crosspoint.
We are Crosspoint.