More than just cleaning...

I've always said I do more than just cleaning, but every now and again I like to take a moment and SHOW you the possibilities...

This is a photo of the outside of my apartment from about a month ago when I started planting flowers in the beds down the side of the house...

This is a photo when I had that bed planted and was trying to decide what to do with the barren mess closer to the left side of the photo.

This is what it looks like now. There are some close-ups of the blooms below. 

The whole area will be blooming with pink and red roses before the summer is over, 

and they will continue to come back every year!

A few hours of work
Two trips to the home improvement store
30 bricks (Sale price .58 each)
12 bags of rock (Sale price $2 each)
  1 roll of weed block ($9)
  4 new rose bushes ($14 each)
  2 transplanted rose bushes that aren't taking off yet (free)

I did the work and my landlord split the costs with me.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it! I love pulling into my driveway and seeing blooming flowers!

These are the flowers my youngest gave me for Mother's Day, planted around a small ornamental tree that my son is growing from a cutting off of a tree in my mom's yard!

The roses in the front are called Double Knockout Roses. Almost impossible to kill, easy to care for, and absolutely gorgeous!

Here is the newly planted Double Knockout Rose Bush just a week after planting.

The blooms are beautiful!

The red foliage on these plants is new growth. These bushes can grow to three feet 

wide and high if now pruned back periodically.

Have an idea for your yard but no time to execute it? How about a yard and some time, but no ideas?

No problem... you can Hire A Housewife for that too!

I had a wonderful lunch today...

Today I met Doris Symonds, a successful businesswoman from Peoria, for lunch. We ate and discussed our pasts and our futures. We came up with some plans for collaboration on a project. She gave me some great advice for expanding Hire A Housewife as well as moving into the next level that God has planned for me personally... public speaking, finishing my book, and so much more...


We had not been sitting long when she said to me something I have heard over and over in the last several weeks from many different places... "You have it in you already."

I have been reading these books... 

ever since I heard from and met the author...

at the Women of Faith conference last month.

Her book is where this picture came from...

So, I can say that I have been a bit hard-headed in the past. I'm sure there have been times when God has done a major face-palm when He's sent me a message that I've wavered about. I've felt the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach when I've made a decision without praying through it first and God has said, "Oh, so you want to do this the hard way... no problem."  But, in this particular case, I am pretty sure that God really is trying to tell me something. Maybe I already have everything in me that I need to do what He has planned...? 

Any thoughts? I'm probably correct on this one, right? Do I need MORE confirmation? lol

Some of you might need to remind me of this though, 

next time I start to worry that I am in over my head!

On a side note, the food at Sazani's Steak and Pasta House on Galena Rd in Peoria is FABULOUS.

I had the Sazani Salad with Salmon and the Minestrone ($6.95 lunch special) and while we were not in a hurry today, I did notice in their menu that they guarantee that your lunch will be on your table in 15 minutes or they will pay for your entree.

In case you don't want to take my word for it, you can also find a review here. I will definitely be going back!

While we are waiting...

I started writing a book a couple of years ago. God started writing it LONG before that. Recently, the need to write is being stirred again... and blog posts alone aren't the answer for me!  I have a lot more than this finished, but as I read through it this morning, I couldn't wait to share it... God is SO GOOD! We just have to open our eyes and see that He is everywhere.
 

“Everything will work out fine in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, then it isn’t the end.”

How patient are you? Are you good at waiting for God’s promises? When you are waiting on God to answer a prayer, how long do you wait before you begin to get discouraged?  A day? A week? Two years? Seven?

You might be surprised to know that patience isn’t my strongest asset. If you know me, then you probably laughed just now. That’s okay. I like to make people laugh.

There are days when I have confidently told others that God has perfect timing, only to crawl into bed and cry while telling God that I can’t wait any longer for what He has promised me.

There have been times when I have tried to take matters into my own hands. I have tried to HELP GOD. It’s nothing new… plenty of people in the Bible did the same thing. They proved it is never a good idea… but we do it anyway. It never quite works out right.

So what do we do while we are waiting? How do we keep from becoming discouraged? We need to look and see what God IS doing... to give us the strength to wait. God is doing miracles EVERY SINGLE DAY. For you, for me, for people all over… but if you stay focused on what you don’t have, you’ll never see what’s going on around you.

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1: 17-19

Sharing at Trinity Church in Morton on Sunday

For those of you who haven't made the connection yet, I am the woman that Station Manager Dave Brooks is talking about in the latest WCIC "Things are not business as usual" radio spot. I have told God that if he is going to give me a story, that I will share it... and He is making sure I keep that promise! :-)

I attend Rock Church in East Peoria, but I also volunteer at the Community Harvest Food Pantry in Morton. Community Harvest and Trinity Church have asked me to speak for about 5 minutes this Sunday about Community Harvest and my testimony.

Since most of you will not be there to hear it, I thought I would share with you what I am going to tell them...

My name is Kindall. I am a single mom of four. I could talk to you for hours about how amazing God is… but I only have 5 minutes… so here’s what I want to tell you today!

My children and I used to live in Galesburg, but I began to feel that God's place for us was the Peoria area. I knew that I was supposed to move us here... but instead of waiting for God’s direction; I took the first avenue I saw open. Seven months and one unhealthy relationship later, my four children and I were homeless... living in an RV at a local campground. We were stuck there for nearly six months. My son was 10, and my daughters were 6, 8 and 14.

Shortly after that I started coming to the Community Harvest Food Pantry regularly. I had been once or twice before, but it never meant so much to me as it did after we became homeless. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. I remember tearing up the first time someone loaded food into my van and telling them that they had no idea what a blessing they were. I also prayed several times with volunteers. When I didn’t, I still wrote my request down so that someone would pray for me during the week.

Trying to find work was difficult. I have my degree in Elementary education, but I had let my license lapse and couldn’t go back to teaching unless I went back to school. Besides that, what school was going to hire a homeless teacher?  Instead I decided that a good start would be to get a part time job doing some housekeeping, and put an ad on Craigslist. In an effort to make my ad different than all of the others, I titled it “Hire A Housewife” and listed off all of the things I could do that your average cleaning lady would not. Cooking, organizing, pet care, event planning… whatever was needed.

The first person to hire me truly took my ad literally. He and his boys didn’t just need the house cleaned. They needed food cooked, decorating taken care of, errands run… everything. I started working at their house five days a week. Over time I built a relationship with this family…

Thanks to some help from some friends and some people who believed in me, we were able to get into an apartment in September of last year.  Shortly after that, I started volunteering at Community Harvest. As much as it touched me to be served through the program, being on the other side of the registration table has touched me more.

I try very hard to make sure that people who come in do not feel like a number. I work on remembering their names. If I see a new haircut or something else that has changed, I comment on it too… because I know what a difference it makes to know that someone sees you as a person.  I have watched miracles take place over and over at Community Harvest. Food nobody expected, a vehicle that was badly needed, most importantly people who come in in pain… physical, emotional, spiritual… and leave with hope and healing.  I love everyone that comes through the doors at Community Harvest… but different circumstances that people have, will always affect volunteers differently.

My heart goes out to the ones who come in and, eyes looking at the ground, tell me they’ve never been here and then start explaining what happened… more than once I have had someone tear up at the registration table and say the words, “I’m sorry… it’s just embarrassing to have to be here.” That’s when I have the opportunity to say, “I understand, but you need to know that this is what we are here for… and if you look at the people who are working here… there are very few of us who haven’t stood in your shoes. Things will get better. In the mean time, we are here for you.” I get to give that peace and encouragement now because Community Harvest gave that to me.

Between my Saturdays at Community Harvest,  I worked a couple of other part time jobs here and there, but when I was working as a “housewife” I was doing something I loved.

When I decided to take on a few more clients, I started a Facebook page… and then a web page, and a blog. As interest picked up, I had a logo designed, filed with the county as a business, and even took a couple of classes through the Small Business Association. 

In the last four months, my business “Hire A Housewife” has gone from working with just two families to needing to hire three women part-time to help me with the workload. .. and while it is work, we are building relationships and bringing JOY into people’s homes every day… and who could ask for a better job than that?

I am here today because I wanted to share with you what God has done for me over the last year and a half and I wanted to tell you how Community Harvest was part of that. Community Harvest is not just about giving hungry people food, just like Hire A Housewife isn’t just about cleaning. In both cases we are building lasting relationships with people who Jesus loves... Whether they already know Him or God is putting us in their paths so that we can show them who He really is… the reach is so much bigger than we can even imagine… and it is all for His glory.

Waiting on God...

Earlier this year I went to a women's conference. Speaker Maureen Gray had a message about giving up control... and I thought, "I know who this message would be good for..."

Let me tell you... ANY TIME you think that about a sermon... you need to be listening more closely. Once I started listening, I heard the speaker talk as though she had been given that message for me.

She talked about how people in the Bible received promises from God and then, in an effort to "help" Him along... they took matters into their own hands. It never ended well...

Take Sarah and Abraham for example...

God promised Abraham that he would be a father. But he was old. He knew Sarah was old too. Sarah took matters into her own hands and gave him a servant to have a child with. Sarah eventually gave birth to Abraham's child as well. We all know how the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael have fought over which one is the rightful heir to Abraham ever since...


What about Judas?

Judas didn't hate Jesus. He didn't sell Jesus out because he wanted to get rid of Jesus... Judas KNEW that Jesus was the Messiah and he wanted everyone else to believe too! He thought Jesus would avoid the arrest to prove to everyone who He was... bring His kingdom to Earth. You can imagine why his life ended the way it did... believing that he had betrayed Jesus instead of proving who He is.

There are so many other examples in the Bible where people received the promises of God and tried to "help" that promise come to life. Have you ever done this? I know I have... and it never turned out right. 

I used to live in Galesburg, but I didn't want to stay there forever. I knew that God's place for me was the Peoria area. I knew that I was supposed to pick up my family and move here... but instead of waiting for direction, I took the first avenue I saw open. Seven months after that, my four children and I were homeless... living in an RV at a local campground. We were stuck there for nearly six months. Why? Because I didn't do what I was supposed to do the way I was supposed to do it...

I saw this yesterday...

Ouch. Okay, maybe not "stupid"... but impatient...

The speaker at the conference said something that was a "light bulb moment" for me... She said, "You have to stop putting your faith in the PROMISE and put your faith in the PROMISE MAKER."


What a statement... it is something I've been trying to live by ever since. Knowing God's direction is a priority for me now. I constantly pray that if God doesn't want me to take a path, He closes the door... and that if He opens wide the doors to the paths that HE does want me to take.


I have been praying for a new place to live for quite awhile. Our current apartment is in disrepair and unsafe on so many levels. I knew God had a better place for us than this. I kept my eyes and ears open for all possibilities... and I would read about places that were available, but I never went beyond that. Then last week I felt a nudge to go look at a house. So I did.

It is perfect for us. As I walked through it and was surprised time and time again by something else I saw, God said, "See? I know what you need..." The price is amazing. The location is wonderful. There is so much room!  

I have a feeling that the realtor is even annoyed that he took the time to show me the house since there is no way I would qualify for a loan on it at this point. He probably thinks I'm crazy. When he asked about price range and number of bedrooms I am looking for, I told him, "No, you don't understand. THIS is my house. I don't want to look at any others." I even told him that I have been praying about this house. I didn't really get a response to that other than a blank look.

On one hand I have told myself that I should be quiet about this. I should try to find ways to figure out how to buy the house without making a big deal about it... you know... just in case I'm wrong and it doesn't work out to be mine.

On the other hand, I really feel like I need to share it with people. I want others to have no doubt WHO is responsible when it works out. 

In the mean time... do I hit every bank and call every relative in the mid-west to see if they can help? I already emailed a man who deals with investments in real estate and offered to pay a ridiculous APR on the house (knowing I'll be considered credit-worthy within a year) if anyone is willing to invest... but I knew after I sent it that it was not likely the way God was planning on taking care of this for us.

God is asking me to wait. God is telling me not to worry that someone else will swoop in and buy it out from under me. God is saying, "Did I promise this to you? Do I EVER break my promises?"

This is the thing I am waiting on right now.

What is that GOD is asking you to wait for? What promises has HE made you that you can't see right now? Feel free to ask for prayers about it in the comments below.

I'm letting you know that I am standing here in faith with you. Whatever it is. Don't try to help HIM. Don't put your faith in the promise. Put your faith in the PROMISE MAKER and stand back and watch...

SOMETHING AMAZING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

The Joy of Giving with a Servant's Heart

 

One of the best gifts I ever remember receiving from a friend is a clean bathroom. Really.

I was taking care of our newborn, our two-year-old, and our six-year-old and my husband, who had left a few months before, was remaining steadfast in his resolve for a divorce. I was falling to pieces in more ways than anyone even knew.

My friend came to my house and spent over an hour cleaning my bathroom. It was a huge bathroom... and she covered every square inch. She scrubbed the toilet, the tub, the tile and even the carpet where the cat had gotten sick (probably weeks before) and I had halfheartedly cleaned it up.

The love I felt from her when she gave with a servant's heart was so uplifting. I still remember that as the best gift I've ever received and will tell people so when a related topic comes up from time to time.

Giving a gift to someone who has had a new baby or is recovering from surgery is an automatic thing for some people... "Let's send flowers." It doesn't mean they care any less, and the gift receiver loves it as well... but caving to the automatic response can take the joy away from the gift giver.

I want to challenge you to put the JOY back into your giving.

Know that when you are giving a gift, it is something that is truly given with the receiver in mind. If you can't afford a gift that needs to be bought, consider what you can do for that person.

Offer to rock the new baby while the new mom takes a nap.
Offer to take the older sibling(s) to the park for the afternoon.
Make dinner for a family who is experiencing an illness.
Clean their kitchen.
Fold the laundry.
Or, don't even go in their house... just mow the yard.


Obviously, as a small business owner, I would encourage everyone to give a gift certificate for cleaning, cooking and errands from Hire A Housewife    ;-)  But really, everyone has the ability to do something meaningful for their friends... bless someone by having the heart of a servant.


You could even clean their deep freeze.

What is the best gift you've ever received? Leave a comment and let us know!

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galations 5:13