Being His Hands

Last week I had the priviledge of being invited to a first for His Hands- a wedding!  I've attended many funerals.  Funerals for mamas, grandmothers, even children.  But never, before now, a wedding! Kim's children have been attending Bible Club for a couple years.  She's a hardworking mom who has gone from being homeless to living in the projects to having a little house on a relatively quiet street.  I've always been impressed with her boyfriend, Ellis.  He is softspoken and seems kind.  When they lived in the projects, he would wait outside next to the curb for the children to come home from Bible Club so that he could walk them into the apartment. Last week, Ellis walked out the van after I dropped the kids off and shyly announced the news: "Mrs. Mary, me and Kim's gettin' married on Friday."  "Congratualtions!" I cheered as I shook his hand.  He just beamed.  "I want to come!"  He beamed more. So I went to the courthouse, ...

Teen pregnancy  is a major component in the continuing pattern of poverty and despair faced by our families.  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy says the chances of a child growing up in poverty if: (1) the mother gave birth as teen, (2) the parents were unmarried when the child was born, and (3) the mother did not receive a high school diploma or GED are: • 27% if one of these things happen. • 42% if two of these things happen. • 64% if three of these things happen. • But, if none of these things happen, a child’s chance of growing up in poverty is 7%. Our teen girls are getting a Biblical perspective on love and sex with Bible lessons from The Mailbox Club . While the lesson content is excellent, the stories are slightly outdated (they refer to boys as "fellows", and talk about "going steady"), and when we went over the first lesson over the nature of true love and the three types of love, it was a disaster.  The girls were gigglin...

Our His Hands Christmas Project went splendidly this year!  Over 200 gift were given to children who may not otherwise have had any gifts!  We had the largest number of children on our list this year, and the fastest, most generous response by donors ever!  Thank you to everyone who made our Christmas a huge success. The week before our party, we were short-staffed, and my dad helped us out at Bible Club on "Little Kid Day".   On the bus route on the way to Bible Club, one precocious little girl was fascinated with my dad, and noting his similarity to a certain jolly old man, complete with white beard, glasses, and round belly, began to call him "Santa".  She and the other children followed him around like the Pied Piper all day. Before they left, she pulled me aside, put her hands on her little hips, and with grave concern, informed me: "Mrs. Mary!!  Santa thinks he's your daddy !" "Santa" and his granddaughters