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A Van for Lucas was created out of love for Lucas Da Silva, a 4.5 year old boy with a rare chromosome disorder (only case worldwide). Lucas wears a back brace to stabilize his spine which has a curve greater than 60 degrees. Without his brace his lung is starting to be crushed by this curve. While his wheelchair is fitted to accommodate his back brace, car seats aren’t and he can't travel in his back brace. This means that for the hours Lucas spends in the car each week going to and from school and appointments his lung is being crushed and his spine is worsening. For Lucas, being able to travel in his wheelchair would be lifesaving. Lucas's parents, Colleen and Abilio, have been on the hunt for an affordable wheel chair equipped van for Lucas. They had located one, but the individual sold it out from under them. Colleen shared this story at our Moms’ Council table. The idea was planted in my heart that there had to be a way to get this family the van they need. The idea swirled around in my mind from time to time. I kept pushing it away, but it stayed present and palpable in my heart. On Easter Sunday, MVPC’s pastoral team asked for volunteers to commit themselves to helping out someone in the community. Then and there, A Van for Lucas was born. I raised my hand and accepted the challenge. Scared, emotional, and excited, I left church that day knowing that this plan was not mine, but God's. I was being used as an instrument in the journey, a means to an end, if you will. I write this almost 3 weeks after accepting the challenge and I am so honored that He chose me. I have learned, grown and am refreshed daily by the experiences and opportunities He has provided. To follow the progress of the project and to find out about making a donation, log onto www.avanforlucas.blogspot.com.
Recently I heard about an article from the Wall St. Journal, "From Attitude to Gratitude: This Is No Time for Complaints." The article mentioned a minister who has started a movement called Complaint Free World, a non-profit organization dedicated to positively transforming the consciousness of the world, which has distributed almost six million purple bracelets emblazoned with the group's name. When wearers find themselves complaining, they switch bracelets to the other wrists. The goal is to go 21 days without having to switch. What better way to spread God's love than to find ways to communicate in more loving ways? People who complain focus on problems rather than solutions. So the plan is to distribute bracelets to everyone in Moraga. Please pray for courage, inspiration on how best to distribute the bracelets, and to raise estimated cost, $2400 for 16,000 for the town of Moraga. Then look for the purple bracelets from A Complaint Free world. For more information, see http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org
I have decided to provide financial education workshops through the schools to teach children about money, budgeting, saving, time value of money principles and giving back through charity. The public school system does not provide this type of practical education and it is usually left up to parents. At home, these types of discussions are usually informal, so I thought I could provide some structure to help the next generation be financially prudent and charitably inclined.
How Can iServe will be a photographic collage of all the different ways folks can get engaged and serve within our communities. Sometimes there's the misconception that service requires special skills such as public speaking (teaching) or music (choir or band), or travel to far away places (financial). A wise man once shared with me that he tried teaching and it didn't feel right, but he found he could drive the bus. It made me think that everyone has ways to serve, but just needs to find out what fits. This could include preparing meals for sick people, volunteering at Nurtury, unloading the Mexico trucks, hosting Lenten small groups, working at the Resource Center, showing movies in the Forum, supporting Boy Scouts, untangling fishing lines at Timberwolf Family camp, and yes, driving the bus. The collage will be published on DVD and 150 copies will be made available to the congregation so they can take it home, view with friends and family, have thoughtful discussions, and decide what their service vehicle will be. Drop By and Share a Pint! My project is to run a blood drive at MVPC, working with the American Red Cross. It will be held in Fellowship Hall on Saturday, September 26. This project will help save the lives of babies, children, and people of all ages. The blood recipients will be in our local communities. It's a chance to be a hero, doesn't cost any money for people to participate, and will put your time to great use (the total process takes only about an hour, including just a few minutes for giving blood). And it's an incredible opportunity to contribute something unique, create a better world, add meaning to your day, and give someone another birthday. The focus will be on participants from MVPC, but we will also open this up to the local Lamorinda communities. Tony and Andrew took two boys who recently lost their father to an A's baseball game. When we had the idea initially we wondered how to contact the mom without seeming to pity her. So I contacted a mutual friend and she proposed the idea to the mom, who was enthusiastically receptive. She said she’s been hoping for some men to step up to be part of her boys' lives, and the boys were very excited. Tony let them choose the team they wanted to see, and the younger one even sang a song for Tony over the phone. The boys were very comfortable with Tony and Andrew; the older boy had met Tony on a school field trip and he knows our daughter Ellen, so they were not total strangers. On the evening of the game, Tony and Andrew took the boys to the Oakland Coliseum and they had the full baseball game experience: hot dogs, sodas, the works! Tony reports that they were more interested in the food than the game, and they got pictured on the big screen twice! Tony said that it was great to see the boys so excited and so comfortable being with him and Andrew. We’re not sure if there will be an ongoing relationship, but it was fun to provide this outing and connection to these boys. I have created a fund into which people may donate monies for the purpose of supporting children and families of children with Metatropic Dysplasia, an extremely rare degenerative bone condition for which a seven year old boy in Moraga underwent surgery recently at Dupont Hospital in Delaware. Donations will be used primarily to facilitate the travel costs for families so they can be with their children during the complicated surgery and long rehabilitation. The ways I’ve felt God call me in this project are two-fold. The first was to order a DVD series through Living on the Edge called Experiencing God's Dream for Your Marriage to use in small group format. Jeff and I will lead a group probably starting this fall. We'd love to have other couples lead groups as well and we'd be happy to do some training. The second is to start a lending library on the topic of grief. Many members in our congregation have lost loved ones recently and I want these resources to be readily available. I'd love to lead a grief group as well, if there's interest. If people would like to contribute to the library, either with books or a financial donation, it would be great as there are many great resources out there. After receiving the money I immediately found myself thinking about the young adults I often see working on the streets of Lafayette and in the Moraga Commons. They are developmentally delayed and attend the Futures Explored day program in Lafayette. I wasn’t sure what I could do for them, but knew that God would provide. On Friday, April 24th, as I was making my way up Moraga Road having my own personal pity party I found myself behind a white van headed towards Moraga Commons. I knew it was time for me to connect and see what could be done. I followed the van into the parking lot and watched as 5 young adults and 2 staff people got set to work. I approached the staff and told them I would like to do something for the workers and got their suggestions, then said I’d be back in an hour. I went home to get the money and pick up Katie O'Gorman. Together we went to Safeway to purchase balloons, drinks, cookies and goldfish crackers. When they were called to lunch we had the "party" waiting. We ate lunch with Jennifer, Anna, Colin, Jeananne and Pam as well as the 2 staff. We enjoyed getting to know them and explaining where the money and idea had come from. The staff person in charge, Robert, was very touched and expressed his thanks to our pastor and congregation. It was very fulfilling to serve an often overlooked group. This program has been coming to Moraga Commons for 13 years to keep the Commons clean and Robert commented that no one in all that time had given them much attention. Katie and I were blessed to be a blessing and both plan on going back to visit them another day as they continue to go to the Commons to do the work that is very meaningful to them. Thank you for this opportunity! Following that wonderful Easter service, I began to brainstorm ways that I could serve the community. However, on Thursday, Apri1 17th, I heard a call for help that I simply could not ignore. As I exited the parking garage of a San Francisco office building, a homeless woman with a child asked if I could spare some change. Sadly, I had watched others pass her by even though she obviously needed help. Her plea for change spoke to me in a visceral way. Searching my pockets, I found the $50 dollar bill I received the previous Sunday – I was wearing the suit I had worn to Sunday Service – and so without hesitation, I gave her the $50. She refused my offer saying that it was too much. I insisted and she said no again. Finally, after my third attempt, she demurred and promised to place the money in the collection plate at Glide Memorial Church where it could really help a lot of people. The fact that a woman with a child in need of some spare change would offer to give this "windfall" to the church that others might eat speaks volumes about her humanity. It also provided the most amazing way I could have imagined for maximizing the return on investment of the iServe seed money. I noticed a "wishlist" on the Bay Area Rescue Mission website which included things like toothpaste/toothbrushes. I went on eBay and did my best to get the most of the best product for the money. My dad was also able to get additional donations of dental care products from his dentist. I will deliver this stuff the next time I go there. I'm praying specifically for God to give me guidance with how to spend the $50, but I plan to direct it towards Royal Family Kid's Camp (RFKC), where I'll serve in August as a counselor. This is an amazing organization. The kids who attend the camp are a part of the system (i.e., Social Services, Child Protective Services), and this is their one opportunity during the year to have fun for a week. Every time I pray for the two girls with whom I'll be joined at the hip for the week, my heart does Spirit-filled flip flops ~ WHOO HOO! So, God has placed on my heart to multiply His $50 with RFKC, as the cost of camp for one child is $1,000, but He hasn't shared the specifics thus far! I used the iServe money to buy food for the Monument Crisis Center in Concord. They provide food, education, assistance, and referrals to families and individuals in crisis situations, and promote community awareness of needs and available resources to at-risk and low income people in Contra Costa County. I was given a tour of the facilities by Juan Pablo as he told me about the daily activities they offer. This is not just a place, but rather a community of volunteers and staff who work long hours to support those in need. As a Christian, this was a great way to help my brothers and sisters. It deepened my joy as I followed Jesus in focusing on the real essentials of life, like loving relationships and volunteering. Karyn Bergen created A Van for Lucas out of love for Lucas Da Silva, a 4.5 year old boy with a rare chromosome disorder who needs a wheelchair-equipped van. Recently, MVPC member Carrie Hansen read Karyn’s blog to her 7-year old son, Owen. Then and there Owen decided that he wanted to contribute to the project. At church on Sunday, May 10th, Owen handed Karyn $150 plus change, money he’d saved by collecting cans and bottles for over a year. Just by being the person God intended him to be, Lucas reached Owen’s heart. Owen reached out to donate his money; Carter and Kyle Bergen, ages 4 and 3, were there to witness it and Carter has mentioned this story to several other people. Karyn writes:
For more information or to find out about making a donation, log onto www.avanforlucas.blogspot.com. And special thanks to Owen Hansen for his ability to see an opportunity to help and courage to respond. |