I can’t believe it has literally been six days since I have been in regular clothes! Some amazing things have happened over the three months (during the #closetstrike journey). We worked with several people, organizations, and businesses to raise resources to help four Title 1 schools. Next week, we will hand deliver “uniforms of hope” to four schools we’ve adopted in Clayton County. Each uniform will have a special heart placed on the sleeve! This will be to let educators and families know that there is an army of people who support and love them.
Additionally, next week we will mobilize corporate professionals to serve children in the Sheltering Arms Daycare on Welcome All Rd. Northwestern Benefits has raised tons of books for #lovebeyondwalls to promote literacy & education.
We are excited about this!
Terence
This past Tuesday, @ladiesatlanta (chapter of the national organization Ladies America) partnered with us to raise uniforms for the Title 1 schools we are adopting for our #closetstrike campaign! This chapter had a networking event, and invited our team out to be their special guest. #lovebeyondwalls got a chance to share the mission & vision with this great group of people.
Next week, LeCrew, LLC will partner with us to raise the remaining uniforms before the #closetsrtike campaign ends. We are grateful and excited for God connecting us with people who have a heart to serve!
Today is DAY 77 in one outfit! Only 13 DAYS left… My (Terence) shoe is almost completely gone! I am literally determined to see this #closetstrike journey all the way through… Why? Because we’ll get to bless many children without resources in their closets at home… This has been both the most humbling, humiliating, and rewarding journey ever in life… Lord, give me strength to go the distance. #lovebeyondwalls
Terence
Today, is DAY 75 of #closetstrike! That’s 1,800 hours & 6,480,000 seconds in one outfit for children in need. I only have 15 more days left and 25 more uniforms to raise. Join me in taking a stand for education, children, & poverty.
We are approaching a historic month for #lovebeyondwalls! Why? Because in the month of April we will occupy our first office/slash storage space. Below is a picture if you have seen it yet:
Of course it is not a gigantic building, but it will be something we call a headquarters & home.
It will be a “launchpad” for the work we would like to continue doing in our city (ATL), country, and world.
It will be a place where we can get planted and grow as an organization. We ask that you do four specific things to help us get planted into our new office/storage space in the month of April (whole month).
1) Pray – I ask that you pray that God allows us to get planted, and immediately continue to reach people who do not have any hope.
2) Give – I ask that you look at our simple “wish list” and contribute in of the items on it that we need. This is ALL from scratch, so we will need your help. But, if we have to spend the first month on the floor with laptops working, we are cool with that too. LOL. Simply click [HERE] to visit our “wish list” page.
3) Volunteer – We will post the days that we will start working on the building to clean it, and make minor repairs to it. We ask that you volunteer to help get our building together. We will need help getting organized, painting, etc. Why? As we get planted, we can help more people.
4) Share our story – If you know someone who could help us move forward, share our story. You never know who “you know” that we can help, or could help us.
Thank you for reading this blog. Pray for #lovebeyondwalls as we aim to “PLANT LOVE” in the city of Atlanta! Below is the graphic for the new campaign #plantlove
Terence
I’m up thinking (5AM)… I cannot believe I made thirty miles walking! In fact, my eyes are sweating (LOL). I don’t think I was strong enough to make a 15 hour walk, but God saw me through it…
Over the last two days, I have gotten many pats on the back, encouraging words & well wishes for walking thirty miles on behalf of homeless people in Atlanta (and this country)… BUT, I don’t think I deserve the credit…
Why? Because without God, and the good people who were around me, I would have not completed the 30 mile walk–literally! The pictures below (among many others) prove my point:
There were many individuals & social media followers who pushed, encouraged, and stood with me the whole way (even people I don’t know). Additionally, there are many people on the #lovebeyondwalls team that helped make the “LOVE RALLY & WALK” possible. Many people on the team even stayed the night with me in the parking lot at Crossroads Church (I’m extremely grateful for them).
What am I saying? I’m glad you asked. Without God, my wife/family, & a solid support system, #lovebeyondwalls wouldn’t be anything. Of course we would do work, but not without the support from good people that God sends.
So instead of making this blog about me, I would like to make it about the people who made history with me, and the people we advocated for–people who face homelessness by living on the streets, in shelters, or living with loved ones without a residential address. It’s over a million of you! And, If you fit this category, YOU DESERVE A VOICE!
It’s the people that go through life without support that need a voice! It’s the individuals who have a heart to serve and help others that need the platform. NOT ME. I’m just trying to be obedient to God, and follow Jesus’ model… I know if he were walking the earth, he’d be involved in broken communities and loving on the poor.
Although I cannot name everyone who helped, I’d like to say you know who you are! You rock, you are special, and God is using you to help uplift people who are looked down upon!
In closing, I would like to list four words that I thought about the entire walk that helped me finish:
1) Resilience – This word means to continue despite present difficulties, and to press forward continuously.
2) Love – This word is a verb, and must be shown through demonstration. This word also restores and protects.
3) Teamwork – This word means nothing in this world happens alone… There is always a team needed to achieve great goals.
4) Family – This word helped me to remember that I have a solid support system who believes in me–my wife, kids, and loved ones!
Terence
Over the next 4 days, I’ll be Tweeting, Facebook-ing, and Instagram-ing stats on poverty, homelessness, and hunger! These stats and many more have fueled my attempt to walk #30miles straight. The stat that touched me this morning is found below…
Why focus on education as it relates to homelessness? Because the other day, we had a group of brave students (who are not homeless) do a project on our organization.These students presented on what we stand for, how we mobilize people, our coming campaigns, and encouraged some of the judges to participate. This has encouraged #lovebeyondwalls to launch its Educational Campaigns soon.
Pray for us as we gear up to walk for 1 million students who may be homeless.
Terence
Have you ever had the “WHAT IF’S…?”
You know what I mean…
What if this doesn’t work?
What if I don’t make it?
What if I’m crazy?
What if they laugh at me?
What if this is in vain?
What if… what if… what if… (If you have ever attempted to do something beyond yourself, you know what I mean)!
Well, last night it really dawned on me that I only have 10 DAYS left before I attempt to walk 30 miles to raise awareness about homelessness and how difficult it is for homeless people to survive on the streets. I kept thinking, “What if my body shuts down…what if I catch cramps… what if nobody joins in…” I don’t know why, but those “what if’s…” started to change my focus, and cause me to doubt a little.
I literally had to snap myself out of it, and refocus on the main objective which is to give homeless people a voice! I had to tell myself all last night that this is NOT about me… It is about people in this country who have not had a voice about their stories! With that being said, I am going to give my ALL so people can have a voice! Especially my friends who are homeless under the I-20 bridge.
But there is something to be said about the “what if’s…” These negative thoughts have the power to paralyze you and cause you to fear! In fact, if you “what if….” too long, you’ll begin to doubt the mission (your mission), your purpose, and abort it.
Here’s the truth though, we ALL will have these moments! We will ALL have the “what if’s…” But, it is also up to us to respond to them with courage and tenacity. How do you fight your “what it’s….?”
I fight mine with three simple things:
1) A big picture – This is where you keep your eyes on the main thing or main reason for doing it.
2) A little accountability – This is where you make yourself accountable to people who will push you when you feel weak (this also includes accountability to God).
3) A huge memory – This is where you remember the wins, and how far you’ve come. If you forget your wins, you’ll drown when losses are present.
Below is a picture of a box of shoes that were mailed anonymously to #lovebeyondwalls yesterday for our #givemilesaway March campaign! It has fueled #3 on my list above!
“STOP WHAT IF-ING…”
Terence
