Since Wesley and I received the $50, we really thought we knew who to give it to. I was thinking my newly single mom who lived next to us on the right and Wesley thought to give it to the long time single mom on the left. We decided we should pray about it. So, finally after 2 months it came to me! There is a co-worker of mine who is so sweet and very helpful. She talks of her husband and how much they want to have children. Her husband had cancer a few years back and they just found out that because of the chemo, he will never father a child. They want to adopt and are even considering being foster parents. She also asks advice on what to do about getting theirs cars worked on, which they are up-side down in their payments. Sometimes she doesn't know where the money for the next bill will come from. So, I took the money to work one day last week only to find out that she went home that morning because her grandmother was very ill and they called the family in. The next day, she was at work. I couldn't wait to give her the money!! I called her over and took her aside. I asked her if she remembered me telling her about the mother's day giveway, she did. I started to cry as I pulled out the money. She looked at me with the sweetest expression. I told her that Wesley and I decided she needed the money and we were happy to be able to help her. All she could say was "doesn't someone else need it?" I knew then we had made the right decision. She hugged me tight and just started sobbing. I wish there were more Melinda's in this world. She gives her heart to her co-works, patients friends and family and always asks what she can do to help someone else. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to help her!

I know it has been quite some time since we were given this money. I couldn't quite figure out how to use it and now I know why. There was a recent death of two small children yesterday due to an accident. All day long I prayed to God to ease the pain for these families and children. I have to say, I have never experienced the feelings I felt yesterday. I know that God was leading me to do something, but what?I spent some time speaking with a pastor late last night asking for prayers to make it clear what I was supposed to do. One of the things that will be done is sending this donation along with additional money to this family to help this family with their loss. We will also organize a prayer group in our neighborhood to lift this family up. While it is definately hard to understand how something like this happens, and often times there is much anger associated with deaths such as these, there is a comfort in knowing Christ and knowing that this family had a relationship with our Savior. If anyone else feels the need to help, you can do so by contacting Chapin Baptist Church as well. Please tell the ones you love just how much you love them and cherish every minute that God has given them to you.

After several weeks of wondering what to do, I decided I had to put the $50 in my pocket so I would be ready when God spoke, and it happened the other day. I was eating breakfast with a guy at the Waffle House and during the course of our meal I overheard our waitress talking to another waitress about how she had just sent in a check for $392 to WMHK, the local christian radio station. It was one of those weird things where those words just came into my mind even though I was having the conversation with the guy at my table. As I was leaving, I felt an inner pull to investigate with that waitress, so I went to ask her about her sizable donation to WMHK. Unfortunately, she had already left for the morning, so I took my $50 and asked the other waitresses to pass it along to Sonya and tell her that it came to her because she had made such a generous donation to WMHK. But here is the cool part. Today my family was riding in the car together and listening to WMHK when they heard the DJ read a letter that came along with a contribution from a Waffle House waitress named SONYA! I had already told my family how I had invested the $50 with a Waffle House waitress, so it was not by chance that they heard Sonya's letter read on the air. They said the gist of it was that she had been going through a very difficult time in the last year or so with a death in her immediate family and WMHK had been a constant companion for her and had brought a lot of encouragement to her. I hope that the $50 that I left for her is also an encouragement for her, as she realizes that God is active in her life.

My father described the Mother's Day Giveaway in one word "Radical" I am a single mother of a seven year old girl. I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of this church that my daughter and I have decided to make this our new Sunday morning home. Although it is a squeeze for us to make ends meet on a monthly basis it is important to remember that there is always a way to serve and give back to others. I am teaching her that you don't always need to have money to give and that sometimes your time with others and gifts of service are much more valuable. We took the $50 and bought enough groceries to have 2 other single mothers and their children over for dinner. It was a relaxing evening and a great time to fellowship. My two friends are not attending church and I am praying that they will develop a closer relationship with the lord. Acts like this restore their faith that there is good in the world and that the idea of someone selflessly loving someone else might actually still exist. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. God Bless you.

Okay, I'll just come out with it, when I was handed the envelope I was thinking...sweet Movie tickets! Then when it came time to open the envelope, I opened mine and saw the $50 bill, I shut the envelope quick and looked around wondering if I got more than others? Ha..then I thought I bet someone got more than me!! How silly of me, when Todd explained how much was given and what the money was for, it warmed my heart that a church would do such a thing. Then of course, I felt guilty for having thought I got the short end of the stick. Hey, honesty...what can I say?
I came to Radius after a co-worker invited me, and I have enjoyed each visit. A few weeks ago when we received the $50 to help someone in need, I was not real sure what to do with the money. So, I took Todd's advice and put the $50 bill on the fridge. Four weeks later that $50 bill was still staring me in the face. Last Thursday while walking with a friend, I realized what I should do with the money. My friend recently lost her spouse to cancer. He was diagnosed in December and passed away in March. As we were walking we talked about issues she has experienced since his death. This included guilt, loneliness, memories of the pain and suffering, all this on top of having to deal with financial hardships as the medical bills roll in. She mentioned to me that she felt like she couldn't go on, after she received a doctor's bill in the mail that the insurance would not cover. I realized that she is carrying a large burden and can not carry it alone. I wrote a note on stationary and enclosed the $50 bill. I explained that my heart was warmed when I received the money, and I felt it all over again to pass it on to her. And of course I invited her to church!

I have a friend from college who now lives in Vermont. She is a single mom raising a little girl.
She was in the position to make one of the most difficult of choices and I am so proud of her for making the one she did.
The Lord has blessed her with this beautiful child and generous parents who love them both dearly.
I sent her as many diapers as the $50 would allow.
I hope this helps her out and lets her know there are people who love the Lord ,love her and lift her up for the wonderful mother she is.
I love you and miss you very much.
Katie Roberts

I gave my $50.00 yo a single dad that finds time to help me and any stranger who has a broken car. I went to high school with him over 15 years ago and lost contact with him after graduation till he call me last year after finding my # in the phone book. He has blessed me so many time when i was having car issues and never asked for payment. Just so happened he ask to brower some money till the next week. That next week he call ed to met me to return the loan. I told he to keep it as a blessing from the church. Thanks for giving this chance to bless someone who given so much with so little.

Hi Radius Members,

My husband and I were visitors on Mother's Day so when we opened the envelope and the money fell out I was stunned. My immediate thought was, "We're just visiting. I should give this back and let a member use it." But then I felt we should keep it and began praying right there about who should receive the money, just like most of the folks there that morning, I'm sure.

We ended up giving the money to a student who is paying his way through school. His hours were cut way back at his place of employment and he's is struggling financially. He was very grateful and said he would use the money towards purchashing his little sister's birthday present.It was apparent with his quick response that he had been wondering how he was going to manage giving her a present. His mother is a single mom trying to pull out of a serious financial situation after losing her job.

About a week or so later we were in a restaurant and our waitress told us that she was taking care of her sister's infant daughter while her sister is incarcerated.My husband commented that she could have used the money too. My husband told me to take the two twenties and a ten that he had in his pocket and see if the cashier could find a fifty dollar bill somewhere. She did and my husband gave the money to the waitress before we left. She was very grateful and said that would buy a few weeks worth of diapers.

It was a great experience and it was a challenge to me to have more faith. When I saw how bold the leadership of Radius is it was inspiring.

Definitely radical! I'm sure Jesus was laughing with joy.

You told us to give a gift to others with the money but you gave a gift to us on so many levels.

Thankful to be a part of the experience.

Our small group decided that we would try to pool ours together and be able to impact someone we knew could use it in a significant way. God laid on my heart a lady that two of us work with. She is a single mother raising four children on her own, trying to work and take care of them. This task can obviously be overwhelming trying to make ends meet.
She used to have some sort of vouchers from the government that would pay for childcare for her kids while she went to work, but for one reason or another she was unable to continue using them. Not sure what she was going to do this summer, she started to price daycare for her children and quickly realized how hard that would be to pay for. If she couldn't find childcare she would not be able to work over the summer. I mentioned her to the group and we decided to try and bless their family with what God had blessed us with. In the meantime, she was able to find a friend to keep her two youngest children for the summer for a much more reasonable price. Her two oldest children will be staying with their grandparents for the summer. This in itself was a blessing from God and a load off of her mind. Still, there was quite a need to be met.
We invited her and her children over to our house as well as the whole small group for a Memorial Day cookout. We had lots of good food and fellowship, got to hang out with the kids and meet them. She is really doing a great job raising them on her own. At the end of the cookout while we were sitting at the table I told her that "God had really blessed us and we wanted to try and bless someone else with what we had been given. I shared with the group a little bit about your childcare situation and we want to help." I handed her an envelope and told her that this would take care of the first 5 weeks of her childcare for the summer.
It was such a great experience and an emotional time. Their family was so shocked that we would do that for them and so grateful. We sent all the extra food home with them and invited them to come to church with us so hopefully she will take us up on it.
Blessing others really is the most rewarding thing we get to do as God's children!

I was very determined to hear from God on this matter. I kept looking for someone in need to no avail. I finally quit looking and waited on God, and waited and waited some more. Then I heard, God wanted me and my family to take the children from Samaritans Well to the zoo on Memorial day. He was very specific. We did and had a blast. What a blessing. Thanks Radius for the inspiration! Thank you God for the answered prayer.
Wayne Jewell

After receiving the $50 in the envelope on Mother's Day, I asked God who would be in need of this gift. We have not lived in this area long, so I wondered if it should be a charitable group or an individual. After intense prayer , the picture of a lady's face came to me that I had met several times at a restaurant. She had been our server but it had be several months since I last saw her. A wonderful lady who is always sweet and bubbly but yet I didn't know her well. I debated over this for days wondering if this was the person God actually wanted me to speak to or was it just my mind looking for an answer. Last week my car needed to be repaired and was going to take longer than anticipated, so I walked to the restaurant next door to have lunch. To my surprise, the sweet lady who I had met at a different place, was also my server there. She was working at two different restaurants. We chatted a while and then I left without telling her about my experience. This week I drove specifically to the place where I had first met her. She was working and just as cheerful as ever. While speaking to her boss, he told me that she had been working there since he opened seven years ago. This was the moment of truth. I asked her if I could speak to her and told her that God wanted me to give her a gift provided by my church. I told her I did not know what her needs were but God did. She could not believe what was happening! We hugged in the middle of the restaurant and we both were teary eyed. I realized that God had not only provided her with a gift but also me. He once again revealed His wonderful ways by having me meet her in an unexpected place to to confirm what He wanted done. When you call upon God for guidance, be ready to accept it!

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with our $50.00. A few weeks back my son came home from school and stated that one of his classmates had lost her home in an apartment fire. I followed up with his teacher to see if there was anything we could do to help this family. She ended up letting me know that there was a fire, but this child was actually living with her grandmother. However, she believed this was a family that could use some help. I approached the grandmother one day in the car line and introduced myself and explained how I had heard about her family. I offered assistance, which she politely declined. She just kept thanking me for caring and introducing myself. Well, I could not stop thinking about this grandmother and continued to feel burdened to do something for her. I purchased a $50 Walmart card and a nice card for her. I wrote the story of the "Mother's Day Giveaway" in the card and stated that this was a gift from God through Radius Church for her. When I approached her car to give her the gift, she was reading her Bible! I called her by name and told her that I had a gift from God for her. She looked at me in disbelief and began to cry and got out of her car and hugged me. A few days later she gave me a note with this message, "This is a thank you to God's people. Thank you for blessing my granddaughter and me. I pray in Jesus name that you all are richly blessed! God knows your heart and God knows I'm thankful." I am so excited to be a part of a church that values serving and blessing others! Thanks Radius!

When I received the $50 I wanted to make sure it made an impact. So I waited and watched. Then last Friday night we were out to eat and our waitress made a great impression on me. It wasn't anything spectacular. She was very polite, extremely helpful to her co-workers and joyful as she was working hard. I just had a sense she was the one. As we were wrapping up our dinner and she was checking our table one last time I asked her to wait. I told her about our Mother's day service and what our church was trying to accomplish. I then gave her the money and her eyes filled with tears. She said, "You have no idea what you've done!" It was then that she told us of her 5 grandchildren and that one, Jordan, who wasn't doing very well. She gave us no details but asked us to pray for Jordan. She was so very grateful and gave us huge hugs right there in the restaurant. So to Connie I say, "We have prayed and will continue to pray for Jordan". I can't help but wonder how far our small gesture of kindness will go. What about the people within Connie's radius as she tells her story? Her co-workers, family, friends. It was truly a blessing to be a part of. Thank you Radius Church for thinking big and touching so many!

My wife and I knew relatively quickly how we were going to use the $50 to help someone in need. A woman my wife used to work with is a single mother of three young children. On Monday my wife took the money and went back to her old office only to find out that the single mother was no longer employed there. With no way to contact her, we were back to the drawing board. Later that night while playing with our son, Nathan, we heard an announcement on 89.7 WMHK that someone was matching donations on a dollar-for-dollar basis. We both enjoy listening to this station and were in agreement that this donation would further help their ministry. We matched the money ourselves and were able to turn the $50 gift from Radius into a $200 donation.

I was late for the Mothers Day service and snuck in thru the back door and didn't get a bulletin, so when everyone was opening up their envelope I was very upset because I knew someone who's life I could touch. When the service was over I saw Mr. Keesey and asked him if there were any more envelopes left. He was kind enough to search for one and when he couldn't find one brought Mrs. Keesey back with him, she was very nice and gave me hers, that alone was a selfless act that touched my heart. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Keesey for all your help and generosity. I purchased a gift card at the "Pig" for groceries for a single mom I work with who loves her children and struggles each month to pay her bills. I wrote her a nice letter of encouragement and told her the story behind the money. She couldn't believe our church would do that for someone that didn't attend services there. She now wants to come and visit Radius one weekend. I love to help people and this to me was the best Mother's Day gift I could have received.

John and I were married Apr.6 '06. We had just started remodeling our kitchen when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer May18 '06. 3 days later we found out I was pregnant with Christa. John was determined he would beat the cancer and walk our daughter down the isle one day even though we were told we would probally never get to see her.He worked as much as he could thru out his treatments and would come home and work in the yard. We didnt have the money for a sprinkler system, so we had 3 sprinklers out front that we would move back and forth to water the grass and keep it green. Christa was born Jan.19 '07 and yes John was there to watch her come into this world! Eventually John became too weak to hold her and could no longer move the sprinklers back and forth, so my brother Allen who is a landscaper, installed a sprinkler system for us FREE OF CHARGE so John could still enjoy the yard he had worked so hard on. Just after Christa was born, we had new neighbors to move in next door. Darlene stated time after time she didnt know why they moved here because Ohio was the only place they considered home but God led them hear for SOME reason. We celebrated Christa's first B-Day and John was able to celebrate it with us! Feb.1st Dr. Jones admitted John to the hospital because he couldnt walk from one room to the next without gasping for air. He was then moved to a hospice house where I held him for the last time on March 5'08. After Johns death, my neighbors came over and worked for a solid week finishing the kitchen we were never able to finish. When I tried to pay them, they wouldnt accept it and said," you and your family are the reason God sent us here." During our struggles, Mom and Dad traveled back and forth from Beaufort to help me with the kids so I could take care of John the way I needed to. No one would ever accept pymt. for their hard work so I took the $50.00 and added some and invited Mom, Dad, Allen, Greg, and Darlene for a steak supper and told them that was God's way of thanking them for taking care of me and my family. Thank you God for my wonderful family and friends and my new family at Radious! Thank you Todd for ministering to us while John was batteling the cancer and continuing to lookout for our family today! God bless you all!

Adam and I began praying over where God wanted the $50 to go. We immediately began discussing names of people in need, and there just seems like so many people who could benefit from this money. We finally agreed on a young lady who is a coworker of mine, and who financially supports not only herself, but her husband and son. Her husband has had to have mutliple surgeries and is unable to work. She has been trying to make a living for all three of them as well as pay off endless medical bills! We deciced to get a Walmart gift card for $50 and give it to her to buy groceries, clothes, etc. and we signed the card from her "Radius Family". She was so touched when she received this gift; I received the sweetest thank you note. This family has also attended Radius Church in the past and due to her husband's condition, he has not been able to accompany her to church. Hopefully as he begins to heal and recover, they will return to Radius in the near future!!!

As I was praying through my day about who to give this $50.00 to, many people raced through my mind. I thought about giving it to different family members, to friends who are missionaries, etc, but I didn't feel peace and assurance that this is how God wanted me to spend the money. I kept praying for the Lord to show me who to give it to. As I was driving home later that day I got a text telling me to call a my friend Bethie. Bethie is a teach friend of mine. She has been the type of friend that would take the shirt off her back to give to others. Many times God has used her in my life to serve and love on me. When I called, I could tell she was upset about some personal stuff going on in her life. Not only that but she began to tell me that she had just got paid, finished paying all of her bills and only had $30.00 for the next two weeks. As she was telling me this I could fill chills all over. I knew that God wanted me to tell her about the $50.00. As I told her she began to cry. She said that she had just been praying and asking God "why she had to do this alone." I told her, "God is showing your through this you are not doing this alone." She agreed, and was so thankful.

I had many ideas on how to spend the money. My mind kept coming back to a family that my sister Donna Spivey has been keeping me informed about. The Freeman's and the issues there baby was having. I know you have read her post already. Since she has had her son Christian and been out of whork after having him and making her blog and all his updates in life and how he is growing. She found out about this little girl named Kayleigh Freeman that was born one pound and all that her and her family have been through. Donna Grew very attached to this story and family. She talked to us about it all the time and they are on the verge of bankruptcy and foreclosure. Out of all the thoughs that came through my mind that one kept sticking out. Monday the little girl died and then i knew that was what we needed to spend the money on. So we spent our $50.00 on the Freeman family. Here is the link to read about their story. Chuck and Renee Spears
http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/

As soon as Todd told us the purpose for the $50 my mind started racing. Who should I give it to? Who really needs it? Later that day I knew exactly who I was going to give it to. His name is Todd Shaw. I have known him all my life and he is best friends with my dad. Todd has given up so much in the past years to pursue Gods calling. Todd has devoted every ounce of himself- mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially to help others and get Gods word out. Here is a little information about Todd and his wife Lisa I got off their website.

"Combining their passion for Christ with their love of teens, Todd & Lisa have been ministering to students and their families for over 20 years. They have just celebrated their 20th anniversary and enjoy their kids, Jason (12) and Krista (8). Their ministry carries them all over the country as they reach out to people in many ways and in all types of settings. From prisons, to race tracks, and to the church pew, the love of God has NO boundaries!"

Todd rarely has any extra money and when he does it is never spent on himself. I simply gave the $50 bill with a note saying, "take your family out to eat or to the movies. Y'all deserve it!" I encourage everyone to visit his website.
www.ontrackministry.com

My son and I attended Radius for the second time on Mother's Day. I was one of the lucky recipients of the $50 envelope. When I opened the envelope and Todd explained what he wanted us to do with it, I was stunned that Radius would give so much money away with such trust that the people who received it would do the right thing. What a leap of faith! As a single mom myself, I thought of a hundred ways I could spend the money on my family, but that didn't seem like the path to choose. I agonized over that little $50 bill! Should I give it to a relative who is unemployed and having trouble paying her rent? No, I felt that she had made too many poor decisions to get into the situation in which she found herself. Should I donate it to the Alzheimer's Association since my father recently passed away after two years with this agonizing disease? No, $50 seemed like such a small amount, but it could be seen as large by someone who really needed it. I thought about driving around through the more rural parts of Lexington and giving it to whoever answered the door at the worst looking house on the street. But no, how did I know this person was not going to take it and spend it on crack?! That $50 was burning a hole in my pocket! When I went to work on Monday, I told my very good friend and co-worker about the $50. She is the single mom of two boys. She was diagnosed with cancer two years ago shortly after she and her husband separated, underwent treatment, and lost all of her hair. But afterward, she was told she was in the clear. We gave her a huge party to celebrate. A year later, she was told her cancer had returned. She ended up having a double mastectomy at 43 years old and is still recovering. Her positive attitude in facing down this disease, not once, but twice, has been inspirational to me. I knew she had been struggling with bills, so I asked her if she needed any help with anything. She told me she was alright for now. She even told me she would put money with the $50 when I decided who really deserved to have it. But she followed this up by saying that her check wouldn't go in the bank till 6:00 that night, so she couldn't give me any just then. That was when I decided she had to have the money. For her to have gone through what she has and still offer to help another made her the most deserving person I know. And if you know the exact day and time your check hits the bank, you need the money! When I told her I wanted her to have the money, she asked me if I was sure, that she felt there was so many people who needed it. That's true, there is so much need out there and so many people who are struggling. But she has touched my life with her bravery and strength of spirit. Thank you, Radius, for letting me touch hers in return.

Shaun and I were not able to attend church on Sunday due to me feeling down in the dumps but when I talked to my sister the following night she told me about the $50 inside the envelope. Well, there was no question about it, I knew exactly what I was suppose to do. Even though we were not there to receive the $50 to give away, Shaun and I dug down into our wallets and pulled out $50 and donated it to the Freeman family and baby Kayleigh in Charlotte, NC. We have been following the Freeman's and baby Kayleigh on our son's blog for the last 6 months or so. Even though we have never meet in person, we feel that we are distant friends. It is weird, but you really do have a true, close, honest connection with your blogger friends.

Well, Kayleigh was born a one pound miracle on June 23, 2008. The doctors did not give her parents much hope in ever being able to bring her home, but Kayleigh sure did fight a long, hard fight. During her last surgery (about three weeks ago), Kayleigh did not get enough blood and/or oxygen to her brain causing her Cerebral Cortex to become dead. Her parents were waiting out her last few weeks in hopes that they would get to bring their little girl home with them and she would be able to live the remainder of her life with them at home.

However, that dream did not get to come true. God has other plans for baby Kayleigh. Kayleigh passed away on Monday, May 11th. Kayleigh now rests peacefully, in no more discomfort, and in no more pain. She is now in the presence of our Lord, her broken body made new again.

Shaun and I donated our $50 in honor of Kayleigh to the Levine Children's Hospital NICU at Carolina's Medical Center - 1000 Blythe Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28203.

Shaun, Christian, and I also ask that when you tuck your own children in bed or kiss your loved ones goodnight, please say a prayer for the Freeman family. Please pray that they will have the strength to get through this difficult time. Pray that they will be there for each other and hold one another tight.

Sunday when I opened the envelope, I felt moved to give the money to my son's (just recently ex) girlfriend. She is going through some tough times and I know she could really use the money, but what's more, I know she needs to see God. I saw her this evening and told her about Sunday and gave her the money. She was very grateful and even said that she may come to Radius this coming Sunday. Thank you Radius, for giving me a unique opportunity to share God's love.

Steven and I prayed and thought about the best way to use the money in the envelope to honor God. We decided to help someone that we work with in need. I had the opportunity to pray with this person at work a few weeks ago after they shared with me what was going on in their life. We had been praying ever since about what was the best way to help. When we received the money at church, it was like God was just answering our prayers. When we gave the envelope to the person, tears just filled their eyes and they were so appreciative. We are hoping they might come to a Radius event or to church one Sunday. They promised they would pray over the best way to spend the money. We were also able to share how God has touched our lives with some other people since we received the envelope at church on Sunday. We have been telling the story about the envelope and people are just awed by what our church is doing for others. It is such a great feeling knowing that we are touching others lives and loving on other people. It feels good to please God. :)

My husband and I drove from Michigan to spend Mothers' Day with our daughter, who attends your church. We received one of the envelopes, and want to bless YOU back. We so appreciate that you provide a wonderful church home for our daughter. So, what we are going to do, is send you back the $50 (with an additional amount) to use for your outreach ministries in Columbia.