Bless
We intentionally
bless others through words, gifts or actions.
God desires that all
nations--all people--would be blessed through Jesus. And now, as his Body (soma),
we believe we live out this mission as we bless others. We intentionally seek
God's direction for who he would have us tangibly bless each week.
Erin: Our daughter was born, and we moved into our dream house. After we moved in, I knew I had to be prepared that all these rooms in our great big house would not be left empty. That was hard because I had this picture of my own new little family in my house. Then we met Abby. I didn't know exactly how it would work, but I knew we had to help Abby.
Abby: When I started coming to Soma gatherings, I would arrive late and leave early so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. After about three months I learned I was pregnant. The baby's father and I had already broken-up and I wasn't ready to go through the next nine months alone. I called Caesar; although I had never met him, I had always enjoyed his teaching. After many tears and a good cup of peppermint tea at Black Water, I had hope and a church family at my side. No questions asked, Soma welcomed me with open arms.
During the last few months of my pregnancy, I began to give ten percent of my earnings as an offering, giving my financial worries to God. About 3 weeks after my son Emerick was born, his dad, Josh, moved out. We weren't married, and I was left with a two-bedroom apartment that I couldn't afford. I had saved enough money to take one month off for maternity leave. Erin and Nathan approached me to see if I wanted to live with them. They and other friends from my missional community had been with me through the pregnancy and everything. They said they had saved two more months' maternity leave for me. I thought I was going to do it on my own, even though I didn't know how. They invited me for lunch, but I came over with a negative attitude. I told them, "My dog sheds. I'm an emotional basket case. I'm a clean freak. You don't want me." At the end of all that, they told me that they knew those things already, that it was okay. They said, "We would love it if you would let us bless you." I grew up in a family that if anyone did anything for you, we paid them back; we had a hard time receiving. I didn't want to take a home or money from anyone.
Nathan: I am someone who likes to get things done. We didn't just raise a few dollars and that was it. We owned the process – we got the money, got her moved, we got her groceries, started talking about a budget, about how we could really help her. I kept thinking she's not just Abby; she's my sister.
Abby: God was putting someone in front of me to help me. All my fears about not having enough money were being answered. I realized that this wasn't about me anymore; I have a son to take care of. It eased the stress knowing that I wouldn't have to be alone, and I'd even be with another new mom to talk to.
Nathan: Many of you might think it would be easy to be blessed. When it happens like this, you are completely dependent on someone and a community. We all find ways to work around something so we don't have to be blessed. It's hard to say, "I'm 100% dependent on you," when you know someone might let you down.
Abby: They didn't just invite me, my son, and my hairy dog. They have fully welcomed Josh into their home, too. Before I got pregnant, Josh swore that he would never set foot into a church building. But now he comes to a gathering every week. He talks with Nathan about whether there's a God or not. My friends at first just wanted to wring his neck. The fact that they have accepted him into this "family" is that much more amazing. He knows that he has been blessed too.
Erin: It's not just Abby, Josh and Emerick that have been blessed. I have 3 more people in my family's life that love us. Having Abby in our home means she sees the ugly side of us. She's seen me swear at my husband. I don't do that anymore! You get married and you realize how selfish you are, and then you have a roommate and realize again that you're so selfish. Also, I'm bad at confrontation and she's walked through that with me.
Nathan: I would agree with Erin. Having Abby and Emerick in our house has meant good change for me too. I am kind of intense. I can't be that way with a single mother and a son in the house. I started to figure out pretty quickly that I'm kind of tough to live with sometimes. I said, "God, you are going to have to change me. I cannot – I don't know any other way." It was a lot of adjustment, but there are tons of intangible blessings that we have received too.
Abby, Nathan & Erin - Proctor District, Tacoma
A while back, I was reading and praying before going to work. I was reading in John 15 and thinking about how I was so thankful for the many ways that I am blessed. Then I asked, "Jesus, what about Victoria?" She was a flight attendant we knew who was having some struggles. So on this morning, I felt like I should call her and tell her to get a replacement for her remaining flights so she could come home. I felt I should meet her at the airport and bring her to Don's and my home so she could be in a peaceful place. And then I thought, "That's not my job anymore, and besides, I am too busy!" God didn't seem to argue with me as I kept praying. Afterward, I asked some other friends to pray with me because I needed help being sure. They said I should do it. So Don went with me, and we brought Victoria home to stay with us for about 3 days. Even though we were busy with holiday activities, we were able to spend a lot of time with her, and I think it was a very settling influence for her. We knew it had been a way to unexpectedly bless her.
Bunny - Proctor District, Tacoma
