Unexpected Stains In Life

By Deborah Elum, Producer & Author My day was off to a good start. I was on my way to a women’s meeting at our church with my favorite chicken sandwich, hash brown, and a hot cup of coffee. As I picked up the cup to head inside the building, the lid came off the cup. The cup of coffee spilled all over the seat, the floor mat, and worse, my white pants. I had not planned on that happening. It was so unexpected. It was indeed a reminder that no matter how we prepare in life, the UNEXPECTED will happen. We cannot avoid it, but we can choose how we respond to it. For example, when the unexpected happened, I could have chosen to be upset at the server who forgot to put the lid on securely or be upset that my pants had coffee stains all over them. Yes, of course, I had a reason to be upset. But, despite the mess the unexpected had caused, I was not going to let the UNEXPECTED ruin my day. When I entered the building, a couple of the ladies had arrived. They totally understood when I explained to them why my pants had coffee stains all over them. They talked about when they wore white pants, they also ended up with some stains. We laughed as our conversation shifted to the information about who would be at the meeting. When the meeting started, I forgot all about the coffee stains. The unexpected will keep you upset if you let it. It wants you to focus on what happened. How you respond to the UNEXPECTED does make a difference. The unexpected for you may have been a job layoff, an unfavorable medical diagnosis, or the betrayal of a good friend. The unexpected is a situation that tries to distract your focus from enjoying life. The unexpected’s only purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy people from having a happy and abundant life. No matter what unexpected situations we experience, Jesus came so He could help us enjoy life. No matter what comes, He is faithful to see us through them all. As we focus on God’s promises in His Word, we must not allow the unexpected to have victory over us. Each day, as we apply God’s Word and walk in forgiveness, we will forget about each “Unexpected Stain in Life.”

Children will love this charming rhyme and humorous read-aloud picture book! When Miss McDoogle gets ready for bed, she wiggles her toes and nods her head. Kids will giggle along with this perfect read-aloud story of the quirky Miss McDoogle and her cat, Jingles. Available at Amazon.com. You never know what Mommy will do next especially when she is behind the wheel! Slow Down Mommy is a picture book filled with hilarious fun as readers go on a wild ride with crazy twists and turns. Available at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. -John 10:10

Listen to Deborah’s Podcast at: https:// redcircle.com/shows/ changing-your-life-withthe-word

COMPASSION AND HONESTY IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

A request caught the eye of Tim Menn on the Next-Door App. Two seniors, Mr. & Mrs. Klein, are on a fixed budget, and their porch was literally falling apart. They had no money for materials or labor. “Being a son of two senior parents, it played on my heart strings, and God was telling me to help them. So, I reached out to Marsha Klein and offered my labor at no cost. She then told me that at the end of the month, they only have 50.00 to spare.” An appointment was scheduled to go by and take a look at what needed to be done, to get their patio in a safe condition. There were two additional willing charitable donors, on Next Door (who wish to remain nameless) that helped financially with $100 each. Triple G Roofing donated free lumber as well, and a loyal Triple G Roofing customer donated $150 worth of lumber. “The first weekend we were there, I enlisted the help of my daughter, Lauren O’Connor and her boyfriend Carlos. The next weekend, I was so very thankful for Eduardo Lemus from Next Door who helped me all day for free. His help was so appreciated and I couldn’t have finished without him.” The end result was that Triple G Roofing, with the help of other compassionate individuals, mitigated a potential hazardous collapse of their covered patio to which they had no means to repair and/or replace and were subject to being fined by the Property Management Company of the MHP. Tim Menn says “It is time for all of us to do more to help our seniors and those that are less fortunate to make this world a better place. It starts with us to make a difference.” Triple G Roofing, a small, local, family owned/operated company ran by Tim Menn and Glenn Menn Sr., was founded in 1973 in Highlands, TX. and is now located in Huffman, TX. It has been a father and son team for the last 20 plus years. “ We are honest, ethical, and truly care about our customer’s and to make sure that their experience with us supersedes any expectations, we warranty our work and stand by the products that we use. Our quality and workmanship and professionalism exceeds current standards by far. Customer service and quality has really gone out the window, but it is what we hang our hat on. When a job is being done, we always do a walk around with the Homeowner, to make sure that they are completely satisfied. “ Julie Menn has been working hard over the last three years rebranding the name, logo, website, and social media presence. “We have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Google and now Next Door. We have found Next Door to be the most challenging app of all, because unfortunately so many neighbors have been taken advantage of, from not showing up for appointments or jobs, taking money and not doing the job, (the worst) not finishing the job, or doing such a horrible job, it then has to be re-done by a company such as ours, Triple G Roofing.”

IF WE IGNORE THE LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST, WE RISK REPEATING IT.

See what happens when we stand in solidarity against persecution, prejudice and indifference.

The Holocaust Garden of Hope is BREAKING GROUND on the entrance and first two exhibits at the end of August! Exhibit sponsorships are still available, go to HRA18.org to reserve your favorite so we can tell the contractors to keep building. For the first time ever, the March of Remembrance Kingwood was hosted by Creekwood Middle School, and will be hosted by Kingwood Middle School in 2023. Such great community involvement! Half of the sponsorship for the 2022 march was by corporations, and half by the family of Addison Thorn in his memory. Planning for 2023 has already begun, how would you like to participate? More HRA18 Houston-area college scholarships are available for next year, spread the word. 12,000 stones have been painted and are being catalogued by the amazing Upstander Stone Project volunteers, see the growing collection at bit.ly/USPStonesAlbum.

Teachers from Timberwood Middle School in Humble, TX, share their experience painting stones with their classes March of Remembrance Kingwood 2022 from Creekwood Middle School to the Holocaust Garden of Hope

Your turn:

What talent have you been given to share? Volunteers are at The Nathaniel Center mostly Wednesdays and Thursdays, doing everything from clerical to photography to database organization. Send an email to Volunteer@hra18.org with your interests. Do you have a flair for administration? Know someone who does? Can you fill or sponsor a grant-writing position? How about hosting a Parlor Meeting in your home to raise funds for the the remaining six Garden exhibits?

Contact us:

(888) 546-8111 | PO Box 6556, Kingwood, TX 77325-6556 Admin@HRA18.org | www.HRA18.org