It’s the thing that’s different around here. It’s what helps grease the wheels and turn the cranks. It butters the bread and floats the boats, it brings tears and cheers and dollars and sense. It’s relationship.
One of my favorite New Year’s Eve Family Promise of Lawrence stories is from 5 years ago. One of the coordinators at First Baptist Church sent me an email about 12:30 about her experience hosting that night.
One of the “artificial” goals for many families in Rotation and Program 515 is to have their own place by the holidays. Year after year, we see a surge of families meeting that goal and getting into their home by Thanksgiving, or by Christmas, or before an anticipated milestone birthday. This year is no exception.
Eye contact is a big deal.
And when it happens at Family Promise, we rejoice. Often the child of a weary new guest won’t meet our gaze. She clings to her mom. She turns her face away. Looking up, interacting with others, is too risky. Don’t engage. It might hurt again.
Then, often, something magical happens.
As I reflect on this season of Thanksgiving, I am praising God for the opportunity to be part of something as important as Family Promise. We are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to visit and stay the night
It is that time of year again already! Time that we pause from our busy schedules, our work, school, activities, and our taxi service for our kids. We can stop, give thanks and reflect on all that is good and perfect in our world.
In the office at FPL, we have a Thanksgiving journal.
Family Promise of Lawrence receives an average of 300 calls from separate families inquiring about our services annually. The average family size is 4, so that represents about 1200 people who are in a difficult situation and are exploring options for their family annually. More than 50% of the people we serve annually are under the age of 5.
Job descriptions for staff positions with Family Promise can be rather daunting and perhaps somewhat impractical. How do you possibly incorporate all about this beautiful, wonderful, interesting, and sometimes messy work at Family Promise into a single document?
I had a precious observation this morning. One of those moments when as you see it play out, you realize how special it is, even though it is just part of the normal. Such moments are gifts.
Our group of in-rotation guests is constantly changing. New families enter the program and others move out. I love seeing new families begin to relax and trust one another and trust our staff. Especially during the summer months, graduated teens come back to do odd jobs. Today one brought a baby bunny along. Another took…