Post: Spanish Interpreter with our team

Today  10/29, I had the opportunity to volunteer again  taking my daughters Ashley and Lorrie alongside, and  Angel, a brother from our church (San Diego Christian Worship Center) and met up with  The Soup Ladies and Real Missions Team and John Bibler (who was there by the time I got to the site) John is a wondelful special guy who helps us ( @The Medical Clinics in  Tijuana and Honduras ) giving free glasses to those who need them. Angel stayed with the “Soup Ladies”and helped them with the preparations of lunch and dinner and served the military.

  This time I participated more with the evacuation center at Valley Center managed by the Red Cross.  I met wondelful people from all over San Diego that are Red Cross volunteers. I was there to assist the Chief Coordinator for Mental Health Services Mr. Tim  (They all go by first names so it was hard to learn last names) I was told that about 80% of the evacuees there in that evac. center  are hispanics whose homes were burned down. I was asked to come and assist with Spanish Interpretation and translation. Once there the site’s Manager Don (about a 75++ year old energetic and joyful fellow) call me to let me know he had a special assignment for me. John and my daughters were sent to work with the children and hand out balloon figures. The girls were to help John with the spanish speaking kids.

Don hooked me up with a christian gentleman Mr Jim Tucker a 64 yr. old man from that area and Decon at Valley Center Christian Community Church.  He was an evacuee himself and  had a stong conviction that everyone in the center needed at least 2 pieces of new  underwear and a pair of clean new socks. Jim needed to go to Walmart and requested that a female lady would acompany him to purchase the female underclothes. So Don assigned me to help Jim.

We went to Walmart loaded our cart with 7 packages with 6 pieces of each size (s,m,l,xl) of undies for females and males and many bags of blacks socks ( per Don’s specifications, because dirt would be less noticable in black socks).  When we were looking for more undergarments for men a Walmart attendant came to us asking us if we were really going to buy that whole cart full un underwear… YES!! I replied, this gentleman is buying this with his own money for the evacuees and then all of a sudden I heard myself say: ‘CAN I SPEAK TO YOUR STORE’S MANAGER” … after I had said that I asked myself.. ”where did that come from?”‘… The clerk asked me what I wanted to speak to the manager about (I did not even know) but then I heard myself say: “This man is buying this whole cart of your products for evacuees and I would like to speak to the manager to see if she could authorize a discount”. The clerk called the manager and she had gone to lunch, then the manager’s assistant and the assistant said that he could not give us a discount on new merchandise that was in packages but that they had a bin full of clothes they were collecting for the evacuees, and asked us if we were willing to take what was there. We said YES!! and went to the back of the store to pick up the stuff from the bin. When we emptied that full bin.. GUESS WHAT WAS THERE???  That bin was full of men’s undergarments and men’s socks, baby socks and 5 packages of diapers!!!!!!!!! We had to go back and return half of our shopping cart. THE LORD BLESSED THIS MAN! Who was willing to obey the Lord and trust Him with his finances. This brother lives on social security checks of 775.00 per month. The bill for what he purchased was 241.00  If he had bought the men’s undergarments and the mens socks, the babies socks and diapers that  bill would probably had been more than 500.00 dolars. The Lord blessed him in providing to him half of his shopping list. It was clear he knew WHO was his provider!!!

We went back to the center and made little baggies of 2 pieces of undergarments and one pair of socks for all 125 evacuees in that Center. I attach the pictures were my daughters are helping do the baggies. Some got distributed today and some will be given out tomorrow.

I was able to witness the miracle of mulltiplication. God provided for this man’s faith. I was trully blessed to be on this “UNDERGARMENT SPECIAL MISSION” for today.

The pictures I send here are: 1. The camp site for the firefighters. When Angel and I arrived this morning there was about 200 give or take Fire Engines in that lot.  You can see the tents where the firemen slept. Picture #2 WALMART San Marcos Employees that help with the undergarment donation Pic#3 My daughters with 2 marines @ The Soup Ladies Kitchen. Picture #4 Ashley and Lorrie (My daughters)  making undie/baggies. Pic#5 Captain Saul from Fire Station #73 and Myself.

I have been trully blessed.

Thank you for your prayers.

On SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT,

Brenda.