LOL donates to Charity

This week has been amazing!! Despite being hectic, it has been absolutely fulfilling. Finally LOL, an annual  charity event that I host made good its promise to make monetary donation to Samaritans.

Samaritans is  a non profit organisation which provides support to persons affected by Suicide and I was deeply honoured to make a contribution in my "little way" but borrowing the tag line of one of the biggest super market lines in Europe "EVERY LITTLE HELPS.

Words can not truly express how I felt that Tuesday as I shared with the representatives of the charity group on the vision behind LOL and why I chose Samaritans as one of the beneficiaries of my fund raising

Trust me I gladly shared.

LOL (Laugh Out Loud) is an annual comedy event I organise to promote positive mental well being through entertainment. It was borne in 2014 out of several reasons but chiefly in obedience to God. The 3rd edition of the event aptly titled "LOL 3"was to commemorate 3 years of impact as well as raise funds for Samaritans and St.Laserians school for special needs children. At the second edition in 2015, all monies raised chiefly from ticket sales all went to the school to support their great work with "special children" despite cut backs in government spending. I know this for sure because my son  attends the school so I thought whichever way I could help I WILL.

So since inception LOL has been driven by charity  and the favour of God with help coming from friends and well wishers who believe in the vision with me. At the last LOL, I  went from store to store, spoke with strangers and practically begged to achieve my vision no matter the weather with my young son in tow but I didn't mind. I finally found use for all the plenty certificates that I've gathered over the years...in fact I'm the real LOL!

On a serious note, it had nothing to do with skills just PASSION; a heart to help those who are "going through" and GRACE of God.  I am simply a vessel  glad to be in the lord's service.

As I shared my story and vision with the women in that cosy reception area' what I saw in their eyes words still fail me to express.
I left that building with a bounce to my step and awe at what God can do with a life broken and yielded to him-warts and all (in my case seven fingers and a colourful past)

LOL is a vision inspired by God to restore joy and laughter into the lives of His children who have been robbed because that is what any form of mental health challenge does IT ROBS. LOL is still a small part of the greater picture and I am grateful that God is the Master Artist.
Next stop is St. Laserians. I heard they've got something great planned.

Every Little Helps

€100 might not mean a lot to many people but it was exactly what *Kathy* needed to sort her daughter's music lessons. Unemployed and single, getting by financially was hard enough without adding the extra burden of music lessons but her daughter loved singing. Little *Tabitha* needed a new guitar as her old one was broken but there was no way her mum could afford a new one at the moment. Not being able to provide for a child is any parent's dilemma and Kathy was no different.
But she turned her concerns to the one who can.

That morning Kathy had come to church broke without even the requisite money for offering. Imagine her surprise when an usher gave her an envelop with her name on it. An anonymous person had dropped the envelop in the offering basket with a note for her. It was specifically addressed as a contribution towards her daughter's new guitar. I CALL THAT A MIRACLE! Even as I write this article, Kathy does not know who gave her the gift.

We all need a miracle don't we?  A confirmation that God's got our back when the bills are pouring in or the medical report aint that encouraging. What's your trust gauge in the wake of challenges? Like Kathy do you trust God and expect a miracle or do you throw in the towel and panic.
CENTRAL TRUTH: God is still in the business of doing the supernatural. HE HAS NOT CHANGED. If He has to cause manna to rain from heaven for your sake He will. Don't worry about the method of provision TRUST THE PROVIDER.

God can do anything all by Himself but He wants you and I as part of the process. God wants to involve you in performing miracles in the lives of others. WHAT A PRIVILEGE. Remember the story of how Jesus turned water into wine in John 2:1-11? The servants had to fill jars with water-fetching water and filling the jars was their role in that miracle process. I'm sure after the miracle happened they made a boast about how they logged jars after jars of water for Jesus. I WOULD!

God desires that we become conduit of His blessings-no more hanging on the sidelines. The €100 did not solve all of my friend's financial issues but it was one less problem for her to fuss about. It was a €100 she did not have earlier that day. IT WAS UNEXPECTED YET APPRECIATED. That's the benefit of helping others. Your gift no matter how little will help assuage the other person's challenges.You may not be able to single handedly end world poverty or eradicate hunger but you can make a difference in one life.

 There is something beautiful about helping others. ITS INDESCRIBABLE. You have to experience it to know it. According to my people "at all, at all, na im bad pass". This simply means, not giving anything is worse than giving a little.
Be part of the change. Be a conduit of God's miracle. Be part of the process.  Don't go worrying about what  little help you can give  because that little might just be all the help a person needs. Remember, EVERY LITTLE HELPS even if its a smile or a hug.

Simple things.

I opened my mail this morning and was blessed by a personal reply to one of my posts. It did not only bless me, it inspired me to do more as it shows that in a way the stories are making an impact which makes the few moments spent slugging at my laptop worthwhile (don't mind me, I love what I do when I do get to do it *sigh* ..lol) The stories do not serve to inspire and bless you alone but encourage me as well. It also goes to show that every simple act we do goes a long a way to impact our immediate enviroment and the world at large. So what are you contributing into your world. Remember, the story about the slave girl in the book of 2 Kings 5? Her name is not mentioned but her simple act of good deed is recorded for generations to read and learn from. She was a slave serving in the house of Naaman,Commander of the Aram army. Despite his enviable position, Naaman had a problem-LEPROSY which this little slave girl had a solution to. What blew my mind about this girl is that she did not consider her inhonorable position as a slave or that she'd been taken from her family (probably never to be seen again) but rather saw an opportunity to be a blessing. She did not allow herself to be embittered by her circumstances but sought to be an object of blessing. A simple advice and recommendation to Naaman from a nameless slave girl set this army commander forth to his deliverance from a condition that had otherwise marred his life. Another simple act act of good deed is the story of the little boy that gave up his lunch for Jesus to feed five thousand people in John 6:1-13. I believe that the boy had more faith in his little fingers than all the disciples put together. Unlike kids that are naturally selfish, he gave up his lunch without a struggle because he knew that Jesus could use his little contribution to feed a much needy crowd. Moses did not know how powerful his shepard rod was until he lifted it up for God to part the red sea Gen 15:16. I'm sure it never crossed his mind that his simple rod could make the difference between life and death for the Israelites.

Don't despise the effect of simple things. A simple kind gesture could be a life changing act that someone else needs. It could be as simple as a smile. I remember when I just had joshua. Single me with a disabilty and no family in a foreign country. No one to seek the much needed assistance from. I could barely take care of myself how much more this little lad. Imagine, my surprise when this beautiful lady in my place of residence walked up to me and offered to take care of josh so I could rest. She wasn't really a total stranger. I had been seeing her around and we shared the occasional chit chats but at that point in time I wasn't ready for any form of relationship but she eventually broke down my reserve with her offer to help. 6 years on, we are the best of friends as a result of that simple act. Never underestimate your giftings saying its insignificant compared to what Bill gates is doing but you are YOU and that makes you IMPORTANT. Why not give that idea a kick start, it will sure make a difference. Remember there is power in SIMPLE THINGS.