God's Guest List . . .

Before becoming officers, we worked at a corps as assistants - like many do. We had two different sets of officers and both taught us so much - learning that we continue to apply today as officers and ministers of the gospel. I told about the Nunes' earlier - but I'm remembering the Loomis' as well.

Ed is a great businessman and Joyce has a soft, gentle spirit. Ed disliked boxes sitting in a hallway, stuff on the counters, and unclean bathrooms - among other things, I'm sure. My husband hates these things as well. While we didn't work for them for very long, it was enough to ensure that we always reflected the Army well and we should take pride in who we are.

Don has spent the last two weeks working with some men from the Booth Center - fixing, cleaning, and repairing stuff at the corps and at Booth. They have to do "grant time" (like Community Service, I guess) and so they have willingly been helping with painting, wall repairs, yard work, and other minor repairs. He buys them lunch - usually a sandwich and a soda - and they sit around and talk about whatever comes to mind, eventually turning into a discussion about God. Never once do we ask them to come to church - because we don't want them to think that it's about a one-day-a-week proposition - God is an everyday matter.

But . . . last Sunday, two of those guys came to church. We didn't invite them but obviously God did. He brings whom he chooses and his guest list is often different than ours.

People do this for a living????

I worked all morning in the office and then in the afternoon went to a meeting about a grant - a rather large grant which requires the cooperation of several different agencies and the adherence to several rigid guidelines. We talked about information systems (tracking the homeless), collaboration of services, combining money into one big pot, and so on and so on and so on. It made my head swim.

See, as I understand it, Obama released a bunch of money to help the homeless - either preventing them from becoming homeless or speeding up the process to getting them into a house. Their idea is to put all the money into one pot (over a million dollars) and help the families one or two months worth of rent, help with utilities, having one social worker to deal with all of it.

MY idea for our share of the money is to extend our transitional homeless program - helping them with rent as long as they continue in the "treatment" program, going to classes, paying off fines, dealing with all the things that prevent them from following budgets that others are able to adher to, for a few more months AFTER they get out of our transitional housing. so they have 3-6 months in a transitional house (Booth Center) and 3-6 months living in the real world - all the while, working with us and the available agencies, groups, and teachers who can help them learn to make better choices.

To me, the first way is like going to Urgent Care - a bandaid until you can see a real doctor. It's much cost effective to look at the whole person and see what is causing the problem - instead of treating the symptoms.

Decisions, decisions. It's like playing God. I would hate to get paid to do this.

Oh, wait, I do.

Cha-Ching!

'm sitting in a room surrounded by people who are here to get money – money for the program that they do to help people. I'm sure it's as hard for them as it is for us – they aren't here because they are get rich quickers – they want to help people as much as they can and here is some free money to do that – except it's not free.

It costs money to prepare, money to track, money to report, time to do all that as well – time and money that could be given to someone who needs it.

But it's big money so with that comes responsibility, accountability, stewardship, project management, time management – not to mention staffing issues, reporting guidelines, lead agency, partnerships, collaborations, and a million acronym that all stand for something – RFP, NOFA, HPRP, EFSG, CDGD, and a myriad of others that keep getting mixed up with THQ, DHQ, TEAM, etc etc etc My head is swimming . . .

but I keep thinking of the people this could help and that helps me stay afloat.