Giving Gardens

 "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:18

It's been awhile since I have mentioned a truly fantastic part of what I get to see at The Sheepfold and that is our volunteers! I know I have posted (several times) about our amazing Christmases and some crazy specific donations like canned smoked oysters and people showing up with dinner when there was no food to put on the table, but that's only a teeny tiny part of the awesomeness that I get to see on a regular basis. The Sheepfold is going strong because of the support from thousands of really awesome individuals and groups.

This past Saturday I had the privilege of receiving a group of volunteers at the shelter. It was a local small group from a church and as part of their community building and spiritual growth they decided they wanted to participate in some kind of service project. Lucky us, they looked up The Sheepfold! They showed up early on a Saturday morning (how many people are willing to give up a relaxing Saturday morning?!) ready to get down to business.

The group gave us a ridiculously cool gift...they put in an almost entirely portable garden, updated all our landscaping, and gave us some new lawn furniture to make our backyard space inviting and comfortable for our moms and kids. They brought in all their own supplies and hardly needed anything from me throughout the day. We now have two blueberry bushes, several varieties of tomato and pepper plants, cucumber, basil, cilantro... even two dwarf citrus trees and an avocado tree! Not only does the exterior of our house look amazing now, but these items help us provide healthy food for our families and stay within a modest budget. The results of their work will continue to be a blessing to us for years to come!

This group of adult men and women who have responsibilities and lives of their own sacrificed their time, energy, and money to show our families that they are loved and not alone. To top it all off they started a hand mural on one of our backyard walls where we can put the names and hand prints of each child that comes through our doors. They do not know how much their gift blesses us, even as managers. We will now have a visual way to remember each precious little one that we get to love on.

Groups like this are so awesome and there are more people like them that have blessed us in so many big and little ways. We have people who make birthday cakes, our "Happy Bakers", mentors to invest in our older children who need some extra loving attention, handy men like "Grandpa Joe" who fix our broken sprinklers and install carbon monoxide detectors, tutors who help our moms gain the necessary confidence and skills to get their GEDs, art teachers who give our moms and kids a much-looked-forward-to break, and interns who spend time keeping little hands occupied while moms work on their goals. So many people willing to ask "How can I serve?" and then actually following through with doing it. To all of you... I LOVE YOU! Thank you for being a blessing to us.

PS. If you're reading this and are wondering if there's any way you could get involved with your crazy schedule or random talents and abilities...talk to me! I would love to hear from you and you can always sign up to volunteer on our website: http://www.thesheepfold.org/volunteers/volunteers-opportunities.htm

"If there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother;

but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.

Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.

For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land." - Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11