40-40-40 ... Days 31,32,33

We're nearing the end of Lent and while I'm sad that I've gotten too busy to devote more energy to learning about and sharing these organizations with you, I remember that God called me to GIVE and as long as I am doing that I am being faithful. So here's another digest for you, days 31, 32, and 33. I'm so close to getting my 40 donations of $40 to 40 organizations in before Easter Sunday! If you have last minute suggestions for my final 7 donations, PLEASE send them my way!

40-40-40 ... Day 31: Sugartree Ministries

Sugartree Ministries is located in Wilmington, Ohio. Their vision is to reach the poor, broken, lonely & addicted. Their ministries include "Your Father's Kitchen", a soup kitchen and food bank, and "Joe's Java", a coffee shop that brings in live music to raise funds and generate a sense of community. You might remember when Rachel Ray visited Sugartree Ministries in 2009. DHL had just shut down in Wilmington, putting many people in town out of jobs. Rachel Ray came to town, remodeled the soup kitchen and served Thanksgiving dinner to over 500 people. Many churches in Wilmington volunteer their time helping serve and clean up and donating food to the kitchen. Randy and I were even able to serve there before I moved to California in 2014. We look forward to being able to jump in and help again soon.

ACTION STEP

DONATE to Sugartree Ministries or to a soup kitchen in your area.

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40-40-40 ... Day 32: Eagles Wings Ministries

At church here in San Felipe a few months ago, a couple gave a presentation about Eagles Wings Ministries in Southeast Alaska, which focuses on addiction recovery. You can read their story here. It is a beautiful tale of a people who asked God to do something through them, and God responded by telling them to look around them. What they saw was people drowning in addiction, and no services available to them. Eagles Wings Ministries was the result -- a no cost in-patient recovery center for those seeking help (not those who are court-mandated to receive treatment, but those who've made the choice).

ACTION STEP

VOLUNTEER to serve at Eagles Wings Ministries, or DONATE to the cause.

(I've sent an email to the Facebook account for this ministry because the donate button on their website is not currently linked to anything. I'll keep you posted here!)

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40-40-40 ... Day 33: Friendly Water for the World

When I was looking for ministries to support, my friend David suggested Friendly Water for the World, which focuses on low-cost water cleaning technologies as well as teaching people about health and sanitation. I have known others who have been part of this organization as well. When I worked for Friends United Meeting in Richmond, Indiana, Friendly Water taught us how to use bio-sand water filters and helped us take them to rural villages in Africa where death from water-borne illnesses was a reality. According to their website,

In the past decade, more people around the world have died from waterborne illnesses than from all wars combined.

Obviously this is not an issue we can take lightly. 

ACTION STEPS

DO MORE. Attend an event, donate, volunteer, become a representative, learn, shop (they sell COFFEE!)... do something... anything at all.