Tuesday night was National Night Out. Have you heard of it?
But first:
This last year of blogging was a year of prayer on the first Thursday of every month. I wrote a devotion designed to pray over your City.
This year is a year of action. Which means I am going to have to get busier. I have seen and heard of some local organizations I have been curious about; now is the time to step way outside of my comfort zone and investigate and invest time and investigate.
The first Thursday of the month is still designed to keep your City in prayer, but rather than a devotional when you stop and by, I will write about a ministry, a City staple, or an outreach that serves the community.
AND please share with us how you already are or are getting involved in your local City!
Back to National Night Out!
After twenty years of marriage, my husband and I finally started a weekly date night, so every Friday, we go out for coffee. It has expanded our ability to chat about everyday occurrences from the week, talk about our girls, and plan for upcoming house projects and family trips. The moments over coffee have been a boon to our relationship.
So, when we heard that our local city was hosting a National Night Out, we had to attend. Was it on a Friday? No. Did they serve coffee? No. The point was to do something together. Almost backing out due to being an introvert, I pressed through and attended –and I am glad I did.
The event was hosted at our local Fire and Police house. Yes, our town is so small, the two departments reside in the same building. But do not let the size mislead you.
What I learned at our City’s National Night Out
Did you know about 80% of the calls the Fire Department goes on are medical? They are usually the first to show up at the location. We found out our town has a device called Lucas. It was SO cool. This medical device provides chest compression, also known as CPR, in place of a person! This mechanical/medical miracle is part of the first responder team.
I was in awe of how the Firemen talked about the tools they had for times of rescue and resuscitation. Their care and concern for our community and the surrounding Cities were evident.
Not every city or town has Lucas. Why? Take a look at Lucas for yourself. It is super cool!
Your local Fire Department might be in need of something other than Lucas. Do you know what it is? Who can you ask? #whatdoesyourlocalfdneed
The answer to the blog title: Y O U
Praying for your City changes you.
My hope is that the prayer topics have changed the way you see your City. Love and concern for others in a natural path in the process of prayer. In order to pray, we have to lean in and hear the need, gain some inkling of an understanding of that need, and be in agreement that God is providing the answer.
We grow as we pray.
How do we grow from prayer? It opens our hearts and vision. We see that we may be an answer to prayer. We no longer primarily see our own lives in focus within our community but have expanded our view to see the community around our lives.
Prayer in Motion
Sometimes the prayer we pray creates the tailwind needed to tackle the issue ourselves.
God, thank you for the Fire Department; we are able to rest knowing they are a call away. We thank you for their families and all the training the men and women in our Fire Departments do. And thank you for those who fundraise and are there to provide support to them during and after fires. Amen
Until next week, keep Walking on Mustard Seeds,
Michele Marie Weisman
Good for you stepping out of your comfort zone.
Thank you!
A non-profit designed to assist Maine first-responder families in crisis (which got sidetracked right after inception for 2+ years because of the stupid virus) relaunched last Thursday evening in York, Maine. It was founded by the widow and son of a state trooper killed in the line of duty, the fire chief, the police chief, the chair of the board of selectmen, an attorney, and the business manager of the regional chamber of commerce. My interest in the group is a book I’m writing about police families surviving line-of-duty deaths (also put on hold in March 2020), inspired by the story of the widow and her son. I plan to compare support services and agencies when that trooper was killed (none in 1964) with the services and agencies available today, and to identify gaps that should be filled. It’s a local story with global interest. Anyway, they’ve asked me to join the board as secretary, and I am honored to do so. It will be a valuable asset to make me accountable in getting back to work on the story, and I’ll learn a lot about non-profits and fund-raising.
Yep! There’s a lot of work to do – outside of our comfort zones. Lead by example, as they say …
Sally, what an important story to get out into the world. All of this work is important. I will be in line to purchase the book. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing on this important topic.