Hello Father Ray,
I want to share what I did with my gift. I had been praying asking God to show me how he wanted me to help my sister and brother in law. My sister suffers from dementia and they are struggling to pay for a caregiver, and my brother in law works full time and has been drowning trying to handle everything. Some of the family are pitching in but it still remains a huge responsibility and has been overwhelming and difficult to say the least. My brother in law has been trying to find resources for care, through his church, a valley resource center, and his adult children. I have helped by attending medical appointments in Fresno, some care giving and spending time with my sister. I wanted to do something that would help inspire and give them hope.
When I received the gift from the church (money) I knew exactly what I was supposed to use it for. I found an amazing cleaner and organized a big clean of their home. The cost was expensive and I added to the gift to pay for the cleaning. The cleaning was a deep cleaning and everything was wiped clean, floor, cabinets, fans, light fixtures, baseboards, doors, sliding door, showers were spotless and shower doors looked new. The cleaning of their home fell to the back burner, to keep up with working, cooking, laundry, doctor appointments, and her personnel maintenance. My sister allowed the cleaning which was a blessing in of itself. My brother in law said the home smelled and looked fabuloso, (a cleaning product primarily used by the Mexican population, which the cleaning lady used). He said when he came home from work it was amazing and a personal cleansing of his soul and heart which gave him more energy to do more at home and motivated him to do more overall. The cleaning of their home went beyond a clean home, it lifted his spirits and gave him hope. They both felt the love and the help.
