Come to Our Party!

We have a wonderful regular client who used to be a cook in the Navy, and he misses cooking for people. He also likes to socialize and is a source of knowledge about resources in our community for the low or no income. Every once in a while he cooks up a casserole, makes some sandwiches or French toast and brings them in to share. Today, the offering is a yummy macaroni casserole and we are very busy. Twenty minutes in to the day and the pan is empty, people are eating and conversations about recipes and food are happening inside and out.

If you didn’t know better, you would think this was a family reunion or gathering of friends. Our clients love to interact and take care of each other. Let me count the ways:

•          Well, Geo brings in his culinary creations to share, of course.
•          Men give up their seats to women. (I will confess I often have to gently “remind’ them.)
•      More and more of our clients are learning to speak Spanish in an attempt to communicate with their neighbors.
•      Gentle teasing about sports teams happens often during football season. (Wear your 49’ers hat at your own risk!)
•     Disney movies with great sound tracks playing on the TV prompt sing-alongs and even some dancing. Shrek is a favorite—great sound track! “I’m a believer; I couldn’t leave her if I tried…”
•    The sidewalk chalk for children almost always gets a few adults on their knees creating masterpieces.
•      People give each other rides, help with carrying things and babies out to the cars and offer resource ideas to each other.

In the meantime, listening in on a food conversation, I heard one person tell another how much they love tacos, which led to a discourse on food truck food. One memorable Friday a couple of years ago, an ice cream truck pulled up and offered free ice cream to our clients on a hot summer day. If any of you have food trucks……

I can’t help but feel that Jesus would love this gathering place and the family feel of it. After all, Jesus was a party animal!

I cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by! A long sunny summer that has tried the patience of many of us.  At Hope House, people are hot, sweaty, and cranky—you name it.  We have been offering cold water to everyone and sidewalk chalk to keep the children occupied, but I think we are all looking forward to FALL! GO HAWKS!!!

We are in the process of collecting school supplies for our families. This is such a hard time of year for parents. I remember my husband and I had trouble stretching our budget when our children were young, and he always had a good job. But with school clothing, new shoes and underwear, school fees, lunchboxes and backpacks—well, it never ends. Every year, Hope House distributes 100+ school supply packets and over 50 backpacks.  If anyone can help, please feel free to drop off supplies during our open hours! Please help those families whose budgets are suffering from these added expenses.

We are also excited at Hope House because we are now only a few months away from tearing this old house down and building a new Hope House! Open areas will make for easier shopping, a new children’s play area in the waiting room and public restrooms for our clients—just a few of the exciting pieces to the new Hope House puzzle! This will be a sometimes confusing process for us, so prayers are needed that we keep our patience and compassion flowing.

Change can be scary, but this change will be awesome! Thank you, Jesus!

  

The Wizard of Oz and Homemade Home Fries--What More Could You Want?

Tuesday morning at Hope House:

The Wizard of Oz is playing on the little television in our waiting room. Surprisingly, the toddlers and young children are mesmerized by this age old classic. Even without bright lights and fast scenes! FYI—the adults are even more enthralled—singing along to the great songs……

.
The smell in the air is of some delicious home fries that one of our regulars made for everyone and brought in to share. They are sooooo good! My tummy is happy……

The disabled adult program that volunteers each week is busily packing food bags in our shed, enjoying the warm breeze and dry air, instead of rain…..

             Our immigrant moms are chatting happily in Spanish while they shop and their children play…

 Because Tuesdays are usually the quietest day of the week, the staff in the kitchen area are rapidly moving through sorting and hanging clothing and housewares…..

This morning I sent a young mom on to DVSAS for help with a no-contact order and a parenting plan; offered another young woman the information for Law Advocates for help with a legal issue and assisted a man with how to find another church he needs to visit tomorrow morning for financial assistance…..

 And I am more aware than ever of how much this old building and this simple yet powerful program means to so many in our community.  In this building the Body of Christ serves the Body of Christ with love and compassion, offering a hand in friendship and understanding ….

God the Father, His son Jesus and the Holy Spirit all live in this crumbling old house and fill it with Hope!

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood!

Friday can be stressful at Hope House. I don’t know if it is because everyone is trying to make sure they have enough supplies to last the weekend or just because it is an afternoon time slot, but if we are going to have arguments over who was in line first or who is being rude—it will be on Friday!

So today is a pleasant surprise to me at the end of a busy week. Even though we had a huge line when we opened the doors at noon, everyone has been in such a good mood! As I sit here in my office, I hear children playing, moms chatting and staff interacting with our clients as if they are family (which they are). The atmosphere is so great today—to go along with the sunshine outside.

A big part of this wonderful day is one of our volunteers (well, all of them are wonderful, but Matt stands out as a beacon of light). As I walked by him to my office, just after opening the front door, he came out of the back room singing “it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…”  A Couple of clients joined in with him and we all had our day brightened up!

Another element of the happy day is Chris, a longtime client and Friday regular. She is always at the door, with a smile on her face and spends her time chatting with other waiting clients—it becomes a real party atmosphere on the front lawn Friday afternoons. I need to remember to get some new sidewalk chalk for the kids to use while waiting.

Come see our family at Hope House—better yet, donate some diapers or food, then stay to chat with our family.

I’ve got to go—someone wants to play musical chairs!

Almost 20 years ago, a dedicated parishioner approached Father Jay and asked a simple question— “isn’t there something more we could be doing for the poor?” That parishioner was Joan Pape, and her question set in motion the discernment and planning that became Hope House. 

Joan was heavily involved in the first years of Hope House doing everything from painting the front door red to gentle and kind intake interviews. She put new curtains on the window of the intake room and installed a lamp for a cozier atmosphere. 😊 We still have clients who ask about her, even though her health made it necessary to withdraw from an active participation a few years ago.

Sadly, Joan left us last week for her permanent home in heaven. I am sure she is cooking some good Italian food for Jesus and the Apostles! She will be greatly missed, but part of her legacy in this world is Hope House and all the good it has done over the last 17 years. I am personally saddened by her loss and by the fact that she will not get to see the new Hope House—I am sure she would have some decorating advice for us about it!

Please remember Joan and Brian in your prayers,

Cheri Woolsey

The season of Lent is fast approaching us, the most holy of seasons for Christians everywhere. Different churches have different traditions for observing this time, and as a Catholics we definitely spend time in reflection, fasting, prayer and fellowship with our parish community through small groups. This is a wonderful time of year, when we are reminded of the great sacrifice our God made for us.

This year, there will be a Hope House fundraising event that coincides wonderfully with Lent.  We will be hosting a wonderful one-woman drama about St. Therese of Lesieux, the Little Flower—a saint for the ages. This will be a wonderful way to get ready in your soul for the quiet of Lent.

Thérèse: The Story of a Soul, the moving, live production performed by actress Audrey Ahern and directed by Patti Defilippis of Saint Luke Productions, will be presented at Assumption Church Gym in Bellingham on Friday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m.

In this one-woman performance, Thérèse speaks directly to you, the audience, with humor, grace and humility. Her honest, direct spirituality speaks powerfully to our busy culture, with the encouraging message that anyone can become a saint. The program is filled with all the elements of professional theater, runs 75 minutes, and is suitable for all ages. 

Admission is $20 each, or $50 for families of 3 or more. For tickets and additional information, contact Assumption Parish Office at 360-733-1380 or parishoffice@assumption.org or visit www.assumption.org.

Watch the trailer & learn more at www.ThereseDrama.com