… always surprises me.
Yesterday we stopped at the original movie location for the movie Field Of Dreams. It’s just as cool—and just as silly—as it appears in the movie. There’s a calming element to a pristine baseball diamond dropped in the middle of a corn field.
It was easy to imagine shadows of old-time ballplayers stepping from the cornstalks.
We met these two couples taking tourist snapshots. Of course they were curious about Monte, the odd bike, and our project…in that order. So we chatted for a few minutes.
As we parted, both men handed Becky some cash “for the kids.” I have no clue about amounts, and it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they heard a compelling story and God touched their hearts with the will to respond.
I was surprised because we weren’t soliciting donations. We simply shared our vision with new friends, and they responded.
In a world so frequently portrayed as cynical and selfish, it’s amazing how selfless most people really are. As my friend Dick Foth says, “People respond to hope.”
That’s why I’m so passionate about telling others what we’re doing. When people hear about hope, they receive an opportunity to respond. Everyone doesn’t hand us money, but people are nearly universally impacted by this story of hope, dreams, and possibilities. They offer prayers, encouragement, thanks, or a pat on the back.
Often they offer their own story.
We’re blessed by these offerings, these acts of spontaneous generosity. I believe they’re blessed, too.
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Thanks to Kevin and Lynn for organizing an impromptu meetup in Dubuque on Sunday. They among the many new friends we’ve met who simply put something together so we could share our story. We had a great time, and met these folks who know our across-the-street neighbors at home. Small world.
Interested in helping us share this story somewhere along our journey? Check here for a simple idea.