An awesome response

Last week I sent out a notice that we were out of winter coats. This week, our supply is full and overflowing. Wow! Martha and I are humbled at the awesome response to our need. We send out of big "Thank You" and "God Bless You" to everyone who donated.

Here in our hometown of Dothan, Ala., we have experienced a record cold snap, and we are still in it. By the time it's over, we will have had at least 10 consecutive nights of temperatures below 32 degrees. The previous record was six nights in 2003. Most of these nights have been in the teens and low to mid 20s with wind chills in the low teens and single digits on a couple of nights. That's cold any where, but especially in southeast Alabama where the normal temps at this time of the year are highs in the upper 50s and lows in the upper 30s.

So many people responded. His Radio 94.3 started announcing our need and after I pick up more coats this afternoon at lunch, we will have picked up four truck loads of coats and blankets from them. Earl Kelley, his staff and their listeners are awesome!

Every Thursday from 4:15-5 p.m. I am on the air on 91.7 WAQG with Debbie Irby. We announced the need last Thursday, and the next day people started showing up at the Love In Action Ministry Center with coats and blankets. Debbie and 91.7 has long been a great blessing to LIA.

Pastor Ralph Sigler of Harvest Church, which is our home church, announced last week that they were doing a coat and blanket drive for us. We knew the response would be great, because the people of Harvest have tremendous hearts for the hurting. We took two truck loads of coats and blankets to the Ministry Center on Sunday from Harvest, and there are more to pick up. We have an awesome home church family.

Tabernacle United Methodist is bringing a large load of coats and blankets to the Ministry Center this evening. They are an awesome church. They have done so much for us this past year.

I will be picking up at least one truck load of coats and blankets at Wiregrass Church today on my lunch break. Their response to our need is wonderful. Several members of Wiregrass are supporters of LIA and they have a great church.

Southside Baptist Church in Ozark was a drop off site for His Radio listeners and members there donated coats and blankets as well. Southside has assisted LIA ever since the ministry began.

Crossroads Community Church in Enterprise brought a truck load of coats, blankets, and some food to help. They have been a real blessing to LIA this past year. They have great hearts for the homeless and needy.

The response was great and we were able to immediately start helping people with winter coats and blankets. I will write another blog to show how your quick response helped those without immediately.

I've said this many times and I will continue to say it, because it's true. We could not do what we do without all of you. We are all working together to meet the needs of the homeless and needy, and that opens the doors to their greatest need - Jesus Christ. Thousands of people have given their lives to Jesus over the past 10 years, and that wouldn't have happened without all of you helping us. It's an eternal difference that we are all making, and that's exactly what Jesus instructs us to do.

Thanks so much for everything you do to help us help the "least of these brothers of mine." (Matthew 25:40)