The best present ever

The last 24 hours have been amazing - as I've had the honor of being 'messenger' on behalf of all of you as I've delivered money to people who really need it. There are no presents under the Christmas tree that can compare to the value of meeting these people.

As money was passed on to those who needed it, each recipient received a list of your first names, city & state - so they could read for themselves the people who reached out to help them.

Last night, along with my husband Chris & son Wes, I went to the offices of Community to Community so I could meet with the 6 women representing the families affected by the recent immigration raid - known by C2C as "Las Margaritas". The folks at C2C have embraced these women, doing all they can to help them during this time, and were kind enough to set up the meeting for me. Through a translator, I was able to explain the events of the last week and that I had $300 cash for each one of them. Their gratefulness was expressed through tears, and words that brought myself to tears. One women just sat in her chair weeping, and then got up to hug me and just wept in my arms. Another told me that she was going to put me and everyone who contributed at the center of her prayers - that she was going to dedicate this Sunday's Mass in our honor, and that she prays for God's richest blessings on us. One by one, they gave me hugs and words of gratefulness. The last woman to speak told me that on behalf of the group, she wanted to make tamales for me and my family - and so tonite we tasted the most amazing tamales ever!!! And for those interested, you can order their homemade, organic tamales and other organic mexican food!!! Just call the people at C2C for more info: 756-2330.

This morning, I was able to pass on money to two others.

Through a nurse at St. Joe's (Ingrid), I was able to meet with Maria, the mother who recently left an unhealthy marriage and now has nothing. Again, I was able to explain the events of the week and then told her I had $800 cash for her. She just had this look of disbelief on her face and as we sat in Starbucks on Bakerview, she just cried and cried - telling me that she thanks God for us - that she prays for rich blessings on us. She has never worked outside the home and is hoping to perhaps do housecleaing as a means for earning money - so if you know anyone who needs a house cleaned, then let me know! Ingrid, the nurse, was also there to pass on Christmas presents that she and her friends and family has purchased for Maria's children - and it was so encouraging to know that others in the community were looking out for Maria too.

And then, we moved on to meet with the folks at The Whatcom Dream and the young mother of 3 (Nadine) who was behind on her rent. We met at the home of John & Trudy, who run The Whatcom Dream and much to my surprise, we were also greeted by Bob & Joy Soltis, who originally got me connected with the folks at Whatcom Dream. We were able to learn about the great work that The Whatcom Dream is doing in the Roosevelt neighborhood as they help bring folks out of poverty - mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Trudy went on to explain how Nadine, who has lived in poverty her whole life, has risen up as a leader in her community - and even though her physical life may be impovershed, Nadine is living and thinking as though she is blessed. Of course, to Nadine's surprise, I was able to tell her the great news that we raised enough money to cover her back rent, plus her current rent, and so I handed her a check made payable to her landlord for $682. I also gave Nadine the original $50 Visa gift card, knowing that she was the right person to have it - that she could now 'pay it forward' - and so I left her with that challenge. She had so much joy in her heart - because of the relief of knowing she was no longer going to be evicted and secondly, because she now had a way of paying it foward too. Of course, there were many tears again - for everyone involved!

Thanks to my dear friend Kelli Tolf who owns Dream Dinners, I was also able to leave Nadine with several prepared dinners which she and Trudy were going to deliver to needy people within their neighborhood - another way that Nadine could share with her community.

The final recipient will be given the funds in January - once school is back in session, so I'll update the blog then about that.

But - this truly has been one of the greatest experiences of my life - a true honor to be able to meet face to face with real people with real needs - and to know that their value as a human being is no different than mine - they just struggle with some things differently than I do. These people were beautiful, authentic and so grateful for the blessings they received. And I can truly say that my own blessings out of this surpass anything that money can buy. A good reminder that we have so, so, so much. I do hope that you will keep looking for those people around you that you can help or bless, in whatever little way you can. And just know that as small as your donation may have been, the value of the impact was EXPONENTIAL! Just think what your $10 or $20 or $50 went on to do. It is incredible to think about. Thank you for being a part of this, for trusting me, for being so generous. I was simply the messenger today. Merry Christmas and rich blessings to you for 2007.

Katharine