HOMESPUN-L Archives

From: Shirley <>
Subject: [HS] Touched By Giving
Date: Sun, 06 May 2001 14:28:49 -0800
References: <d.14208909.28262727@aol.com>

[posted with permission - shirley]

Touched By Giving

I don't remember exactly when it was I started attending Campus Life, I think it
was seventh grade. I'd been going to church, singing in the choir and attending
Sunday school every Sunday since I could remember. There was something about
Campus Life I liked. I remember the girls (which is important when you are 13)
that went to the meetings were cute. So I am sure they played a part in my
active attendance as well. I remember thinking how much fun it was to go
somewhere and be with people who believed in God like me. I guess I sort of
felt like I belonged right from the start.

I did all sorts of activities at Campus Life. The activities I enjoyed the most
were the trips we took as a group. I went on ski trips at Christmas and to
Summer camp in Colorado in July. I learned to ski on a Campus Life trip at
Christmas one year and during the summer I learned to rappel down the Mountains
in Colorado at summer camp. I remember my biggest worry was what the evening
program would be about. How I miss those days.

There are all sorts of leaders in the Campus Life organization. I didn't know
it then, but I would soon meet someone who would touch my life and become a
lifetime friend. Her name was Debbie Tubbs. She was tiny, had red hair, and
looked oh, so fragile. I later learned that her kidneys had failed and every
week she went to the hospital for dialysis. Thank God she has since received a
transplant and is doing very well. She was a leader in my Junior High and High
School group. She had a certain quality about her. She was somewhat quiet but
she has an inspirational confidence that comes from sharing her faith with
others. I aspire to obtain her inspirational confidence some day.

I so admired the way she could talk to kids about their faith. I soon found
myself talking with her more and more about my faith and I learned so much about
God during those adolescent years. She must have sensed something about me.
After High School I ended up spending time at the Campus Life office, and I
became involved in the program as a Junior High leader with Debbie. I met a lot
of kids working at Campus Life, and to this day the time I spent ministering to
the Junior High kids is a high point of my life.

I guess about six years ago I felt the need to be more philanthropic. I felt I
had to be more giving and I wanted to give something back to those who had given
so much to me. I decided to get in touch with Debbie to see if by chance there
was a way I could help her financially. As my fondest memories were about the
ski trip and summer camp, I decided to sponsor a teenager for the Christmas ski
trip. After hearing about how much fun the teenager had skiing, I decided to
sponsor another teenager for summer camp. This turned out to be something
special in my life, and thus the saga began.

Debbie will tell me about a couple of kids that come to the weekly meetings. We
talk about them and decide which of them to send on the trip. Since I live in
Dallas and Debbie lives in Kansas, I never get to see or meet the kids, but that
never matters -- or so I thought.

Turns out last year I was going to be home in Kansas the weekend they were
leaving for camp. Since I always try to see Debbie and talk to her about her
ministry when I am in Kansas, I made arrangements to meet with her as they were
leaving for camp. This would allow me to meet the kids and see them off. I
asked Debbie not to tell them who I was, just to introduce me as a friend of
hers.

I met up with Debbie and we talked about the trip and the kids. I was excited
to finally meet the kids we had been talking about for the last couple of
months. I can tell you that what happened next can only happen if God is
working in your life. The kids I sent to camp last year (yes, kids' -- I had
to get other people involved in the giving too) were going to camp again this
year. I was going to meet the kids we were sending this year and the kids I
sent last year. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited. I waited as
patiently as I could. The cars would pull into the parking lot, the kids would
get out and I would wonder if this was one of the kids I was waiting to meet. I
watched Debbie and I tried to be patient. It was so hard, I was so excited.

Finally everyone started showing up. The kids were so excited about going to
Colorado. There was a "buzz" about the parking lot. Debbie introduced to me to
John, a kid we sent to camp last year who had made a commitment to Christ while
he was at camp. He was much taller than I thought he would be.

Then Debbie walked up and introduced me to Eva, the girl we were sending this
year. I knew so much about her. How she works so hard at school and then goes
to work to support her family. Her mom has cancer and she must take care of
her. I wanted to reach out and let her know how much I wanted to help her, but
of course, I was just a stranger standing there. It was so tough. I am not
sure how I kept from crying, but I did.

Next came Beth, the girl we sent last year to camp. Beth had accepted Christ
last year at summer camp and now wants to become a Missionary. God was teaching
me how wonderful it is to make a difference in other people's lives. He was
teaching me about how you can touch a thousand people by touching one person's
life. I'd seen this in Zig Ziglar on Sunday mornings at church, but never
imagined how God could use me to do this, too. I was overwhelmed with emotion
but I somehow kept it together.

I watched the buses pull out of the parking lot, thinking how great God is and
how lucky I am to share His love with others. I remember the incredible feeling
I felt from being able to give to others and make a difference in their lives.

I started to turn and head to the car when, out of nowhere, a lady walked up to
me. She introduced herself and asked me who I was. I told her that I am a
businessman from Dallas and a friend of Debbie's, that I was in town and came to
see the kids and Debbie off to camp. I told her that I sponsored a couple of
the kids so that they could go to camp and wanted to come and meet them.

She asked me if I was the person who sponsored her daughter, Beth, last year.
When I told her yes, tears welled up in her eyes (and mine too) and she told me
how grateful she was. She told me to wait, not to leave, that she would be
right back, and she took off running across the parking lot. She came back a
moment later, dragging this poor guy about my age. He looked as lost as I did.
She introduced me to him and told me that he was John's dad. We all started to
cry. I was so full of emotion. God was really touching my heart and showing
how much of an impact I had made in their lives and their kids. They were so
thankful for what I had done for their kids.

We must have looked pretty strange. Three adults standing in the middle of a
parking lot crying. It is a moment I shall remember the rest of life. It is a
moment in my life that I will treasure always.

We talked for a little bit about the changes and how their kids had grown so
much over the last year. We talked about how excited their kids had been about
going back to camp again this year. I told them about how Debbie keeps me
posted about their kids during the year. I asked them to keep me informed about
their kids and I left to go home.

To this day, I think often about that one night in August, when I learned that
giving is not about me, but about God. I learned that God will use you to touch
others and that you will be touched by giving.

Tim Levin
May 2001

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• [HS] Touched By Giving by Shirley <>