“God can't give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing.” ― C.S. Lewis
Today, here in Murfreesboro, we woke up to beautiful fall weather. Everything feels fresh...clean...new. Today is a day that it is easy for us to walk outside and be grateful for God's creation. Days like today are so refreshing and necessary for those of us who work at Greenhouse because it helps to renew our gratitude and redirect our attention to the heart of what we do...love. Despite what people may think, everyday life at Greenhouse is not always pleasant. There are times when staff, volunteers, and clients alike just don't seem to be feeling it...i.e. they are grumpy. But push past our flesh and earthly feelings and we get the heart, which beats fast with a love and dedication to serving that can only come from God.
The main goal of Greenhouse Ministries is to help people improve their life situation-to give them hope and help them realize their dreams are worth fighting and striving for. We are so much more than just a food pantry, although that is the starting point for this life changing journey we want our clients to set out on. We know there is no point addressing the emotional issues in one's life and completely leaving out the physical, so the physical is where we start.
Clients can come into Greenhouse every 30 days for an emergency food box. We can also provide basic household goods, clothing, baby and feminine products depending on what the clients' needs are. We have a thrift shop attached to us as well where anyone can purchase (at very low prices) clothes, books, furniture, and really anything! For the physical needs we provide, we rely mainly on donations. The less money we can spend on these things, the more we can spend on other areas like our education programs.
When a client comes in to have a physical need met, we also address the spiritual. We show everyone who walks in the door love-mainly, by listening. We ask people about their lives and situations and show them love, despite the choices they may have made to get them where they are now. We use this counseling time to let them know about our education classes. We want to give hand-ups, not hand-outs, so we have a Learning Center where anyone can take classes for free. Our most popular classes are budgeting, GED/HiSET tutoring, parenting, and our computer classes, although we offer several more. Our education classes are important because they address skills and give clients education that is lacking, but they also give people a niche…a place to go, and people to talk to.
At the root of everything we do, and what we believe is the only way to bring about change, is love and relationship building. We form relationships and partnerships with our clients so they begin to want to change their lives. They realize the cycle of poverty they have been living and operating in their whole life is not their only reality. There is a lot in life to strive for, and with hard work and difficult decisions, every one of our clients has the chance to be better.
Some of you may have already been very familiar with what Greenhouse does and what we stand for, and if that is true, thank you for reading through! We need to be reminded every so often of who is really in charge here, and what part we play in this glorious masterpiece He is creating right here in Murfreesboro Tennessee. Service is who we are, and love is what we give; we are overwhelmed by the support we get from the community and how each and every one of you has helped us get to where we are today.
Lives are being changed daily, and we are humbled to get to have a front row seat as God works His miracles. So from all of us here at Greenhouse...who are feeling especially peaceful and grateful on this beautiful day...Thank You!
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