Update on Kindness Week

Kindness Week was a success! We had over 100 volunteers sign up to spread kindness over Coleraine & Portstewart. Here are some stories from the week....

One boy, who the Night Light team met a few weeks back, reconnected with some of the girls on the team during the Valentine's outreach. He had remembered them from before and got into a really great conversation with them again that Friday night. He let the girls know that he had never been to church in all his life and that he would like to check it out sometime as he was quite curious. Sunday came around and the girls saw him standing outside of church just waiting to go into the building. He looked a wee bit unsure of what he was about to do but than saw the girls and and was immediately grateful for the familiarity. He sat with us all during worship but was a bit intimidated by all the people so he ended up leaving after the tea break. Even though he wasn't able to hear the sermon he did make an amazing first step into turning up at church. The seed was planted and now all we can do is pray that people along the way will continue to water it.

I lead one of the teams that visited the some senior citizens at a nursing home and was able to hand out flowers to some of the people who couldn't make it down to the gathering room for songs and chit chat. I took a few flowers with me and came to this one room and met a woman called Annie. Annie was so overwhelmed with emotion as I gave her the flower that she began to cry. I told her that God just adores her and thinks her to be so special. She said that she had always heard that God loves her but no one had ever told her that God thinks the world of her. She let me pray for her as tears ran down her face. It was amazing to me that a simple gesture can bring so much hope and comfort into a persons. life.

I was also lead the team that handed out free goodie baskets to the local businesses in town. It was so much fun to see the pure shock we received from a few shop owners after telling them that these baskets were for them and there was no strings attached. A lot of the shops remembered us from last year and were over joyed that they got a basket again this year. The man at the post office asked me a few weeks in advanced if we were passing out the baskets again and I made sure that he received one again this year. One woman, upon taking the basket in her hands, began to tear up and threw her arms around me and gave me the biggest hug. She had a most wonderful smile across her face and I was so happy to see that these baskets were brightening people's days and giving meaning once again to the day in which love is celebrated.

We had a most wonderful turnout at the Sunday Food Giveaway as well. I put together a team last minute of ladies who offered free hand massages as a way to restore dignity back to people who are continually looked down upon in life. One many called Tony, who is in his 60's, was so happy to have this little act of luxury bestowed upon him. He got to talking with one of the ladies doing the hand massages and he told her that he had heard over and over again the gospel but had never made a commitment. They talked it through again and   in the end Tony decided that Valentine's day was the day to give his life over to God once and for all.

Praise God for all these amazing stories and for the lives impacted in which we haven't yet heard.

Isn't it wonderful to know that the Greater Things are still to come? I just ask for more, Father....more stories...more people to come to know you...More greater things!!!