Helping Without Hurting

There is a book I highly recommend when working with people in poverty - When Helping Hurts. I have to admit I have not read this book in its entirety, but I have read some of each chapter. Most of the time people offer help in a way they truly think is helpful to others. They focus on the physical needs & try to meet them not thinking about or focusing on all the underlying problems that need to be met. What happens when a certain kind of help is needed but another kind of help is provided?

A quick example from Ben: When a football player is injured on the field, he needs something to dull the pain, something strong, something to "stop the bleeding". When that same football player begins physical therapy he doesn't need that kind of help. He needs someone to teach him and help - even when it hurts - to use his injured body again. Just imagine if a powerful pain killer were injected just before he started physical therapy. He wouldn't be able to function. This would not be the kind of help he needed.

When working with people in poverty it is not always obvious what kind of help is needed. We have to spend a lot of time with people in order to empower them to help themselves. This is very hard to do and it is something I am continually praying over with the people we meet.

One lady that Ben & I have been working with is a lady named Jean. We have had a friendship with Jean for about a year now. A little about Jean and I will keep this short, there is SO much to her story. She is a 46 yr old single mom to a 17 yr old son. Never been married. Lots of health issues and even more fear issues. Jean tries to make ends meet without the governments help. She has worked at the same job for 28 yrs, but still makes makes less than $10 an hour. Jean is in poverty and she asks for our help almost every day.

We decided to help Jean by walking with her in friendship first and in meeting her material needs second. Recently Jean has not been able to work much because she's been sick. She just had surgery last week and will be in recovery for at least a week and a half. Since she works on an hourly basis she absolutely will not have enough money to survive during the month of December. We could just pay her bills for her - something we've done in the past - but as part of the process of empowering her we want to take something she is good at and help her make enough money to get through December and pay off some of her debts.

Jean's job involves her putting gift baskets together. We thought we would help her make her own baskets for the Christmas season. This will give her the opportunity to use a skill set that she already has while teaching her the basics of making money by selling a product. Now here is where you come in.....

We are purchasing all items for the baskets and Jean will get all proceeds. Now don't think we will give her all the cash - she is under financial management via Ben and I :) Our goal is to make $1000 by selling these baskets.

To keep things cleaner we thought it best to ask for a donation to Jean rather than actually selling a product. In return for your donation Jean will be providing a "Thank You" basket. We will be helping Jean photograph some examples of the baskets this week but until then I'll just include what will be in the baskets:

Coffee Basket - $35

• Bag of Coffee
• Biscotti
• Dansk Dipping Sticks
• French Vanilla & Hazelnut Creamer
• Starbucks Frappucino
  
• Cappucino Single Serving mix
  
• Coffee Mug
• Metal Decorative Basket
  

Sweet & Salty Basket - $40

• Mixed Nuts or Cashews
  
• DeMet's Turtles
• Ferrero Rocher
  
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares
  
• Peanut Brittle
  
• Chocolate Drizzled Caramel Popcorn
  
• Lindt Assorted Truffles
• Woven Grass Decorative Basket
  

Also, one of the young men that Ben is working with loves to bake. We hope that we can get him to use our kitchen and bake some items for these baskets as well. Like Jean, this will be to help him make some money over the holidays.

If you would like to purchase one of these baskets you can use one of the buttons above to pay by credit card or you can simply email me @ k082678@gmail.com and pay by check when we deliver them.

NOTE: The easiest way to pay through PayPal is to click the "Continue" link under the phrase "Don't have a PayPal account?" Don't let them fool you - you don't need a PayPal account to pay through PayPal.

If you pay by PayPal please include any delivery instructions in the Message text box on PayPal. If you want to pay by check just include delivery instructions in your email to me.

We will be putting the baskets together this Sat. Dec. 4th. - but taking orders up until the week before Christmas.

"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" - Galatians 6:10