Sorry it’s been such a long, long time since I’ve updated you all. A lot has been going on in our little group as well as in each of our lives as individuals.
Since April, we've moved from making sandwiches at Eastside, to making them at my house in Loveland. And now, over the past month we’ve transitioned to making sandwiches at Becki’s house in Clifton. We’ve found that it has been much easier to make sandwiches in Clifton because it’s just 5 minutes away from Over-the-Rhine. Plus, Clifton is a much more central meeting place for all of us that are still involved in going down to Over-the-Rhine. We still receive donations at my house in Loveland, and we would love to continue getting donations there! If you are not a regular donator for us, then please call me (513-509-2728) if you would like to drop food or clothes off at my house in Loveland. If you live closer to Clifton and would like to drop things off at Becki’s, or if you would like to go down to Over-the-Rhine with us, call Becki at (513)-484-1401.
I want to share some stories from our group with you...
Some of us in helpOTR have been getting involved with University Christian Church in Clifton (www.universitychristianchurch.net). They have a "Faith and Justice" ministry team that meets every Tuesday at 7PM to talk about putting our 'faith into action'. This past Tuesday night they had a Sojourners event called "Vote Out Poverty". We were able to hear from pastors all over Cincinnati on the issue of poverty, and then discuss as a group what we were going to do about ending poverty. With the 'Vote Out Poverty' campaign, the Sojourners are working to get the issue of poverty on the ballot for the upcoming election. Their mission is "to unite and mobilize the Church to put poverty on the top of the nation's political agenda". They are a really good organization, doing lots of cool things. For more info and to sign the 'Vote out Poverty' pledge, go to www.sojo.net/blog/voteoutpoverty
Last weekend during the huge wind storm, a tree fell on some of us HelOTRers. To read some about the story, check out Mallory's blog: www.thetreeswillapplaud.blogspot.com It was beautiful to see how the neighbors and our friends in OTR came together to care for us who were injured. The day the tree fell on me (Mallory), the people who were calling me the most to see if I was alright were our OTR friends. They are little Jesus' in disguise. We usually go into 'serving the poor' with he mentality that we will be showing them Jesus... but I've learned that its the other way around.
A little while ago our friend, Star, got a job at Lavomatic, a new Jean-Robert restaurant in Over-the-Rhine. Star was so excited about this new job. She cleans and does dishes and just loves it. When she started working there she told her boss that she wanted them to take money out of her paycheck every month. She wanted to use the money to pay for some of her friends (us) to eat lunch there. Star told me about this whole thing just last week and then took a bunch of us out to eat there last Wednesday. I almost lost it and cried... with tears of joy and gratitude... for the Lord giving her to us as a friend. Star has shown Jesus to me so much through this. The meal cost over $100, and Star can barely afford to keep food on her own table. Like the widow with just two coins, Star is giving what little she has and it means more than anything. Luke 21:1-4 The Widow's Offering As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
I cannot explain to you what our friends in Over-the-Rhine mean to me personally. They have changed my life. They love me and accept me for exactly who I am. They are better friends than I have ever been. They take us out to lunch, they call us just to se how we're doing, they cry with us, they take care of us and protect us.
the Lord is good beyond all measure.
keep an eye out for more updates... thanks for your prayers and support for our little group and for our friends in OTR.
february 26, 2008 happy 2nd birthday to helpOTR!!!
it’s been a great 2 years... and God willing, we hope for more years to come.
HISTORY :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
helpOTR
started as one of God’s crazy, yet simple ideas that He graciously gave
to me. Though I (Brandy) was such an ignorant, apathetic, suburb-lovin
kid at the time, God had much greater plans for me. The idea was to get
a friend or 4 and go downtown and just love people. That’s it. Religion
that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: take care of
those in your midst who have needs.
I shared this idea
with Lauren Coyle, Cathy Baker, and Mike & Joe Caramico, and they
were down! We had extra dessert and hot chocolate from an even at
Eastside Christian, so we packed them up in Mike’s big truck. We asked
the Lord to lead our vehicle. We ended up in the poorest, most
crime-ridden part of Cincinnati: Over-the-Rhine.
We spent
the whole day down there getting to know our brothers and sisters. We
noticed that the people were ten times friendlier than the people we
encountered back in the suburbs. It was meant to be a one-time thing.
But upon reflecting on our drive home, we all thought, “How can we not
come back and do this every week?!?”
So that’s the
history! I moved to Nashville in July of 2007 without having to worry
about the future of helpOTR at all! my best friend in the whole world
(Mallory Weyman) stepped in, and it’s been going strong for 2 years.
HelpOTR has absolutely changed my life. Because of the grace of God, he has given me a whole new heart. I could write about OTR
for days, but you have to see it for yourself. If you are anything like
me or Mallory, it will only take one day to show you that all of the
treasure you have will just burn away:::
1 Corinthians 3 12
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones,
wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because
the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the
fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built
survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will
suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through
the flames.
And now that we know these things, we are held accountable!
NOW :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
some
weeks we had 5 people helping us out, and some weeks we had 50. some
weeks have run smoothly and some have been chaotic. but we have the
peace and joy of God, and try to stay anchored in the cross each week.
it
seems that lately helpOTR has started dwindling. we’ve lost out
momentum and a lot of our support. this past week we had only 6 of us
making sandwiches and going down to Over-the-Rhine. it’s hard to get
everything done on time and fit everything into only two cars. we would
love your help!
THE FUTURE ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
so
what i’m asking for is for help getting everything ready on sunday
mornings. (even just for a half hour after service lets out! every
little bit helps). also as far as time goes, it helps a TON when sandwiches are donated to us so that we don’t have to make as many. every single sandwich helps!
think about this… (this is based on purchasing the “value” brands) one loaf of bread = $1 / one pack of bologna = $1 / one pack of american cheese = $1
so you can make 10 sandwiches for only $3!!! (and have a few slices of cheese left over)
every
week we end up shopping for and paying for about 90% of the food
ourselves and making between 100-150 sandwiches. and every week we get
about 60 sandwiches donated to us. but think of this… what if every
person on this email list made just ONE sandwich every week. we would get 259 sandwiches donated! i can’t even imagine that. every little bit helps. keep an eye out for updated sandwich-sign-ups! one sandwich feeds one person for one day.
“What
I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great,
and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do
small things, with great love, and together we can do something
wonderful.” -Mother Teresa
TWO BIRTHDAYS! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
i
wanted to let you all know that our first sister group was born
february 17, 2008, called helpNASH. they have gone down to Riverfront
Park in Nashville for 2 weeks now. it was started by one of the
original founders of helpOTR, brandy moore, and we are so excited for
their group to grow.
for their story and photos, check out their myspace: www.myspace.com/helpNASH
LOVE :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I
know that I have this tendency to want people to care about exactly
what I care about. Ask my ex-boyfriends. But as Mother Teresa says,
there are many Calcuttas (or OTRs), and you have to find your own. So
even if you don’t make a sandwich, find something or someone outside
yourself to care for. I get so bored when I am my own god. I get so
disappointed when I am at the center of the universe. Dream with us.
What can we do? How can we meet these needs? Pray for us to have the
right attitude and to stay positive. Pray for our little group that I
love so much. Pray for our priceless OTR and Nashville friends.
we
want to make sure that we are doing this all out of love, and that we
are grounded and centered in Christ. we’re just trying to love God,
love people, and bless others with the extra stuff God has given us.
1
Corinthians 13:1-3 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal … 3If I
give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but
have not love, I gain nothing.
“What
had lasting significance were not the miracles themselves but Jesus’
love. Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, and a few years
later, Lazarus died again. Jesus healed the sick, but eventually they
caught some other disease. He fed the ten thousands, and the next day
they were hungry again. But we remember his love. It wasn’t that Jesus
healed a leper but that he touched a leper, because no one touched
lepers.” – Shane Claiborne
please
pray that we may keep our ministry centered around God and His love.
pray that we may stay encouraged and hopeful for the growth of this. all
of your support over these 2 years has meant so much to us. if you have
any questions or would like to get involved please let us know. much
blessings, grace, and peace to you all!
i will leave you with our founding verses::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
luke
3 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You
brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce
fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to
yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of
these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The axe is
already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce
good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 “What should
we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “The man with two
tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food
should do the same.”
also check out Matthew 25:31-46 40”The
King(Jesus) will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one
of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
thank you! thank you! thank you!
brandy moore_helpNASH mallory weyman_helpOTR
please check out all of our other videos! helpotr documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nntc4hEg2NQ&feature=related PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOhQj0j4gjs&feature=related some of the OTR kids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzSSmXtasQw&feature=related
hey everyone! I can't believe it's already September! it's going to be cold before we know it. it's
been awhile since we posted a blog updating you guys on what all is
happening in our group and in the lives of our friends in Over the
Rhine.
first off, I want to thank all of you for supporting us,
and especially thank those of you who spend your time helping us each
week by helping us make & bag sandwiches and for going down to Over
the Rhine with us. And a big thanks to those who donate food and money
to help us with each week. All of you are what helps keep this group
growing.
I want to tell you guys about all the things that
have been going on with our little group. Recently I went with Nathan,
Merriebeth, Nick & Jessica up to Columbus to meet with the founders
of City Vision. Their
mission is to "equip and empower children and families living in
poverty with the resources and opportunities to break the cycle of
poverty and hopelessness". It was a very surreal experience to see this
group of people turn the inner city completely around. It all started
out with a bible study in the inner city, which then lead to
afterschool programs for kids in the community and then they started a
school for k-5. And over the course of 15 years they have transformed
houses and are now opening up a new (larger) building for their school.
They saw major crimes go down over 40% in their area. They see the
cycle of poverty in their community being broken in the lives of so
many as kids as they graduate from high school and get jobs rather than
going to jail. And more people are moving to the community rather than
fleeing from it. It was a very beautiful thing to learn and hear and
see all that was being done, and I hope that we can someday be like
them and be able to tell our stories of how we changed lives and helped
the community of Over the Rhine.
In learning things from them
and from books I've been reading, we've started thinking about the way
we do things with helpOTR. And so we've starting changing some things
about the way we serve. (it's definitely a learning process, for sure) We
noticed that there was a lot of greed and chaos starting to happen with
the sandwiches, so we've starting "brown baggin it"... making meal bags
which include, a sandwich & chips or a dessert or fruit. We've
gotten nothing but positive feedback on this change. Not a single
person has complained that you can't see what kind of sandwich is
inside the bag, and it has almost completely cut out the greediness
factor... people aren't as quick to take multiple sandwiches if they
don't know what kind they're getting. We've also started praying a
lot more. We pray together before we leave for OTR, when we get to OTR
(before we serve any food), and when we leave OTR. Not everyone that
that we serve or that helps us serve is a Christian, but those of us
that are, feel that we'd like pray more for this group and for our OTR
friends, and so we invite everyone that wants to pray with us to join,
and not to feel weird if they don't. We're also trying to spend
more time in Over the Rhine, not just on sundays. We're starting a
bible study in Washington Park (in OTR) after all the kids get out of
school. Anyone is welcome to come to this. We have people from all ages
and some of us live in the suburbs, some live downtown, some live in
OTR, some live in Clifton. I think it's going to be really good. For
now we're meeting Thursdays at 4pm in Washington Park. Let us know if
you'd like to come and want to know more or need directions. We're
also trying to come up with fundraising ideas. We are thinking of
putting on a benefit show. We're wanting to have it somewhere close to
OTR... maybe in Clifton at Rohs St. Cafe or something. Also, instead of
paying to get in, you would just bring a donation of whatever you'd
like (jackets, shoes, non-perishable food, any clothes, blankets, etc.)
We'll have lots of "all ages" friendly bands and possibly a bake sale
too! so keep an eye out for that coming up.
I also wanted to tell you guys about a lady named Star, who we all love so much and we're so excited for her right now. (Star's on the left)
She's been homeless for a long while now, and she's always jumped from
one shelter to the next. But now she finally has her own apartment near
Eden Park and she is so happy and excited. Since she has been homeless
for so long, she has hardly any belongings (basically just her
clothes). For now she's been sleeping on the floor and has no lighting
or anything. We told her to make a list for us, so we could help her
furnish her new place. She basically needs everything you can think of
for a new apartment.
here's the list she gave me: a mattress (preferably queen size) any sheets, bed sets, blankets, comforters curtains pots & pans bathroom accessories (towels, rug, soap, etc) cleaning supplies tissues lightbulbs lamps dresser any size couch table cups, glasses, dishes personal hygiene items (deodorant, body wash, shampoo, toothpaste, etc) mop & broom
Let
us know if you have any of these things and we'll figure out the best
drop off day and all that. I can most likely pick up any bigger
furniture from your house, as long as I can use my boyfriends pickup
truck. Also let us know if you'd like to help with moving any of the
furniture. It would be greatly appreciated!
Just remember that one sandwich or one pair of shoes or whatever you can give does make a difference It's "small things with BIG love" "What
I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great,
and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do
small things, with great love, and together we can do something
wonderful." -Mother Teresa
Thanks for reading. And if you pray, please pray for us and our OTR friends. We love all of you. _mallory
here's a
big thank you to all of you who have
been donating to us every week. you all are amazing. recently we would
not have survived without your help. we have no money. and we've been
completely relying on the donations for our supplies. so from the
bottom of our hearts, we thank you.
we'll have the sign-up sheets out in the lobby at Eastside (at the info
center) again this weekend, so check them out if you'd like to get more
involved.
also,
school is starting next week, and we need clothes for all the kids (and
adults too!) so if you or your kids have extra clothes that you don't
wear anymore or have grown out of, we would love to take them! just put
them in bags and write "OTR" on each bag & put all donations
near
the Eastside kitchen in the hallway.
thanks again for all the support! let us know if you ever have any
questions or want to know how to get more involved.
Inspired by Shane Claiborne's book: "the Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical"... we took our ideas & ran with it.. & so every Sunday for about a year, a group of us (young, old, christian, or not, etc.) have been going down to Over the Rhine (near Washington Park) to hang out with the people there and feed them. We don’t see it as some sort of mission trip or service project. It’s all in love, not guilt or obligation or charity. We have learned more from these beautiful people than ever. We see it as more of a balancing act.. we're just returning what's not ours. We believe that the world was not created with too many people and not enough stuff to fill everyone's basic needs. Over time we are the one's who have created poverty.. and we feel that we can change it. And everyone wants to make a difference. A direct, even tangible impact on someones life. You want to be that boys first kiss. You want the boss to see your name on that successful project. You want to be the one who carries the best present to dad on Christmas. You just want to. there is something in all people that wants to do good, whether they believe in God or not. Well here is your chance to make that direct connection. None of this sending your monthly $439857 to sally struthers who keeps 10% and gives it to a dude who take a little and gives it to a dude who gives it to a dude who buys some off-brand stale vanilla wafers and gives a bite of one to an eithiopian kid 3 years after you gave your money.... You can make one sandwich for one person in your city. You can feed one person for one day. You can even hand it to the person yourself if you would like. & if you can't make a sandwich or come hangout in Over the Rhine with us, then help spread the word...
