Kettles

I've been doing kettles for almost a week now (I started last Thursday), and I must say that I love it!!! There's so many aspects of doing kettles, I look forward to doing it all again the next day! I'm currently working Mon-Sat 9am-1pm at Superstore McPhillips, and it is awesome!!!

I think the thing I love the most about doing kettles is hearing peoples' stories. I've had mostly good stories, and one bad one that really bummed me out... This lady refused to donate and told me her story: her husband was sick at Seven Oaks Hospital, and she parked in the Salvation Army Thrift Store parking when she came to be with him. The thrift store staff then towed her car and it cost $85 to get it back. But before I could even say anything, she was gone. It broke my heart because she is now so blind to all the good the Salvation Army is doing! I can still hear her last words she said: "THAT is what the Salvation Army does for people..." I wanted to cry!!! I wanted to run up to her and show her my tears, and tell her MY story of what the SA has done for me and for many people I've met over the years! And I couldn't, she was gone...

But I've also heard many awesome stories of how the SA has helped people! Mostly people have told me about how the SA helped them or their parents/grandparents when they came back from overseas... One gentleman told me of how the SA helped him when he arrived back in Halifax from Yugoslavia. Another lady told me how she will always give to the SA because of how they helped her grandparents. Every story I am told fills me with so much warmth and love!

I think the biggest reason I've heard from people on why they donate is because it is such a good cause! It really is, and it excites me to seee people opening their wallets to help others! One gentleman today put a loonie in the bubble, and he said to me, "This is all I have, I can't afford much more because I can barely afford to feed myself..." There was another guy who came by yesterday who fit the homeless stereotype perfectly: dirty, a bit smelly, clothes full of holes... and he came by and put a quarter in the bubble and left. I was shocked, I almost fell off my stool!!!

I think my favourite thing to see is when parents give their children some coins to put in the bubble. I love hearing seeing the parents taking the time to teach their children about helping those in need!!! It's so cute when the kids ask, "why is she sitting there?" and their parents explaining to them that it's for the poor. Oh my gosh, the other day I nearly cried because this little girl came and put in a loonie that her mother had given her, then her mother explained what it was for, and a few minutes later she came running up to me because she found a nickel on the floor and she wanted to put it in the bubble. She said to me, "They need it more than I do...." LOL I wanted to wrap this little girl up and the biggest hug ever!!!

Sure, this job can get boring sometimes in between the stories... The last half an hour of my shift tends to feel a lot longer than a half hour... But it is sooooo worth it!!! Lord, bless the people who donate, touch the hearts of those who don't, but most of all, multiply and use this money for Your good!!!