We have an old wooden box perched in the middle of everything each week.  This box is for the offering.
 
It seems a bit odd having an “offering” box at a homeless ministry, doesn’t it? Unless, that is, you have a healthy understanding of how God has created us.  We believe God has created us all to be, and to live out, generous lives.  Just because someone is homeless doesn’t change their wiring.  So each week we tell people about “The Box”.
 
We tell them Prodigal’s Home is supported by many loving and generous people, so they don’t have to pay for breakfast. As a result, every single penny they put into that box goes to support the shelter in Zhodino, Belarus.  We tell them we have people praying for us in Belarus… people like Oleg and Luda who now help the homeless in Minsk.
 
Doug Brendel, our teaching pastor, leads a ministry serving the people of Belarus.  He just returned from a ten-day trip and was able to share some of the stories.
 
Today he told how this shelter was in desperate need of some upgrades to the kitchen and laundry.  And how it would cost $15,000 to complete the work (it would have cost about $250,000 here in the U.S.).
 
He surprised everyone by telling them that over the course of the year Prodigal’s Home provided for 1 out of every 11 dollars that went with him to help the children in Zhodino. He told the story of how he was able to surprise the leadership at the shelter with the deposit slip showing the $15,000 placed into their account.
 
Thanks for making all this possible.  Thanks for allowing us to have “The Box” for our people and allowing them to know that God has created them to live generous lives!