Hands and Feet

Have you ever turned on the news and seen something so terrible that you went through the day saying quick prayers for those in the midst of that thing, thinking "I sure hope someone helps them."

Yep. That's me. I'm a watcher. I'm a thinker. I get outraged when I see injustice or tragedy, and I'm the one that always, always, ALWAYS thinks "someone needs to help them". I watch and I pray, but I haven't ever been much of a doer.

Don't get me wrong, I've done little things here and there - we aren't rich.  Heck, most months we are wishing we had a little more elastic to be able to actually make ends meet. So, it's a rare opportunity to be able to donate monetarily. I usually donate canned goods and whatever things we have in our pantry that may make a difference.  Sometimes I even try to buy an extra few things specifically to donate. But, that's usually it.

On Monday, May 20th, I watched as a helicopter flew around Moore, Oklahoma surveying the damage done by a GIGANTIC tornado.  I wept as they reported that an elementary school was leveled and children were lost or buried beneath the rubble.  I went to bed that night doing exactly as I always did - praying for the families, and asking God to touch someone's heart to go help them.  I had no idea that the person HE would touch to be His hands and His feet in Moore, Oklahoma would be me.

Tuesday morning, I grabbed my 8 year old and hugged him, after waking up grieving for the families that were still sifting through rubble looking for their own 8 and 9 year olds. When my 11 and 4 year old woke up, I hugged them as well, and thanked God that I had my three little men with me. Then I got online and saw that Mercury One was on their way to Moore.  I felt an overwhelming need to be there, to help in some way.  I saw that Dana Loesch was trying to organize a few trucks in St. Louis to take supplies to Moore, and I began to devise a plan. I called my husband and asked him if I could get people to donate items, would he mind if I took them to St. Louis? He answered with an enthusiastic "yes," but he misunderstood me.  I only wanted to take the items to St. Louis, but he thought I was going to Moore, Oklahoma.

My dad and I worked together on Tuesday alongside my boys and my mom. We made signs - simple, poorly written signs (because my handwriting is terrible) that said "Oklahoma Disaster Relief" and gave the address where we set up a trailer.  We parked the trailer and stood on the street corners of the two main streets of our little town to let people know we were going to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people of Moore, Oklahoma. 

 

All day long, we stood. Some people drove by and looked the other way. Some came by and asked how long we were accepting donations. Others graciously donated cash, making comments like "I don't know what to get, so please buy something and put in your truck."  Others stopped to ask if I planned to deliver the items, giving me money to pay for gas and lodging.  Still others went to the grocery stores, and came back with cases of water, food, baby care and hygiene products.  Some even cleaned out closets and brought household necessities. I decided to return on Wednesday to continue collecting donations. 

On Friday morning, my three little men and I left to go to Moore, Oklahoma.  St. Louis didn't come through, and I wanted to go to Moore and help anyway, so off we went.  On Saturday morning I drove into Moore looking for a place to take my donations. I really wanted to do far more than simply drop them off. We found, on the outskirts of the devastation, a little brick building that had a flag banner with an eagle on it. We pulled in and asked if they were accepting donations. They were accepting everything, while other places were only taking certain items. I would've been running around all day trying to get distribute my items, so I was very thankful I found this location so quickly.

I'm so glad I stopped there. This particular donation site is a non-profit organization who, during normal business hours, helps Vietnam Veterans find jobs, locate housing and other things.  During this disaster, they were going to reach out to all veterans who needed help and were making sure all the donations got to where they were needed.  The owners of this organization were incredibly sweet and when I offered to help in any way, they said that people from Texas and around the area were just coming by and helping off load donations - taking them to where they were needed - but they appreciated the offer. Of course, having a four year old at my side probably didn't make me look very useful. 

Margarette, the organizer at Vietnam Veterans of America Donation Station in Moore, Ok, said the building itself was a miracle. She and her husband live only a few blocks away and didn't expect to find the building intact. There was a hospital, theater and other little buildings around it. The hospital and theater were destroyed - still standing but completely destroyed.  The other little buildings surrounding theirs had been completely ripped apart.

My boys and I were not really able to be useful, so we drove around a bit and took pictures. It honestly took my breath away. In the parking lot of the theater, cars were piled on top of each other and buried under rubble. On the other side of highway, there were houses that had tree branches on the roofs. As we drove along, each house took progressively more damage until you could tell that there were houses completely leveled.

And though I wanted so badly to do more, I just did what I could. I used what was available to me - a truck and a trailer - and I was able to take donations down to Oklahoma. Looking back at last week, I wish we could've done more. I wish we could've given more. I wish we could've been more useful. But we did what we could, we did our best.

 

I didn't write this to sound boastful, because it isn't about what I did.  I wanted to write this to say that you can choose to step outside your comfort zone. You can stretch your limits,  and think outside of the box.

 

One of the first songs we heard on the radio as we were driving into Moore was the song "I Refuse" by Josh Wilson.  I'm so grateful that for a time, my boys and I were able to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

cross-posted at http://www.sgpaction.com/hands_and_feet_in_moore_oklahoma

Honoring those who serve part 2

This link will tell you all about the salaries and benefits for the Members of Congress.  Even first term congressmen will make $174,000 per year.  Leadership in the House and Senate make more. The Speaker of the House (Mr. John Boehner) makes $223,500 a year. {that's a lot of orange....um, er, I mean green} The President pro Tempore and majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate make $193,400. ASTOUNDING. Then there's those pesky things like franking the mail, tax deductions, mileage rates.

This link tells you what people who work in the White House makes {now to be fair, this was the 2011 report, I can't find one for 2012}.  And the big Kahuna in the White House, well, he makes $400,000 per year.  

Go to those links, check it out.  The one on the White House salaries is ASTOUNDING.  Did you see some of those?! I can't help but look at those and say "wow, redundant much?" Oh, yeah, and we mustn't forget that not only do Congress and Presidents get paid such a pittance {do you hear my sarcasm?!} THEY GET PAID IT FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

Now, for balance ~ let's look at the pay of the military.  

This link is a great one to look at all salaries of the military ~ Officers, Warrant Officers, and Enlisted.  The last rank that my husband had when he was in the Marine Corps was an E5.  He was a Sergeant.  As of January 1, 2013, an E5 who has been in for over 8 years, his or her monthly salary is $2893.68.  That adds up to a whopping gross pay of  $34,724.16.  Then they do have added benefits ~ {but they also pay for them,} the GI Bill, Tricare, Separation pay, Hazardous duty pay, many branches also offer tuition assistance.  Well, they did.

I have many friends in the many branches of the military.  Because of Sequestration, rumors are rampant about what is going to happen.  I have friends who are deployed overseas and have been for many months and were scheduled to come home, but those return dates have either been postponed or cancelled until further notice.  
Commissaries will be closing for at least one day a week. Child care programs on bases will be cut. They have already cut down on recruiting and even retention of already enlisted/officers. Their healthcare costs are rising, it's getting more difficult to get appointments for doctor's for their entire families. And let me tell ya, it wasn't easy peasy lemon squeasy 10 years ago, either. I can't imagine the frustration they are feeling now. Maintenance on things like ships and other NECESSARY equipment are being postponed. And troops deployed to places like Afghanistan are not getting fed hot meals, but instead MRE's are being given in place of hot meals ~ have you ever eaten an MRE?! I have tried one just for fun, and while they aren't entirely gross, they are definitely not something I would want to eat 3 meals a day of. Plus, they aren't easy on the digestive system either. That is despicable.

But, per some friends accounts and this link, I find it terribly sad that people who joined our military (for whatever reason) joined with the promise of having help with furthering their education. But, at the end of this semester, unless something changes, Tuition Assistance programs for all branches of the military will be suspended until further notice. REALLY?!?! It was a promised benefit. But "

  The suspension applies to all components and will remain effect until the fiscal situation matures."    

But, instead of honoring those who are serving, they are getting a big kick in the pants.  But what else can we expect from an administration who wants all agencies to  "make the sequester as painful as possible".  WOW.  What a true servant to WE THE PEOPLE.  Let's make them pay ~ cut the funding for public park tours, cut tours to the White House (ran by volunteers), but, hey, the Obama's can't turn away the celebrities or turn down a million dollar tax payer funded golf outing with Tiger Woods.  Such servants.  

{Oh, and btw ~ military members, yeah, their pay ends when their contract runs out. The retirement pensions for them, pretty much sucks. And if you aren't lucky enough to retire, well, you get nothing, unless you get a VA disability rating then you get a true pittance of a compensation. Hey, thanks for doing what you did, here's a few dollars to help.}

I'm sorry, I'd much rather pay for our service men and women to be able to better themselves with classes that will make them more useful to our military than to pay for the dead beats to mooch off the backs of hard working Americans ~ including the ones who fight to preserve and protect the rights for the dead beats to occupy the White House and run around playing politics in Congress.  And why are we giving our money to the same people who are shooting at our military members overseas when we should be directing it providing the necessary equipment, education and hot meals for our troops.  They deserve that.  I personally think they should be making more money than the people occupying the places of leadership in Washington DC.  Somewhere along the line, DC politics and priorities have gotten skewed.  So, my question to DC politicians on both sides of the aisle is "Where is the honor for those who have served and are serving?"  WHERE IS THE HONOR?!

I just want to thank those men and women for doing what so many won't do.  For spending the time in the grueling training.  For going for days with little to no sleep.  For getting sprayed with OC spray so you learn to properly apply your gas mask.  For facing the the separation from your loved ones.  For doing it for far less than you deserve.  And I want to say a big thank you to your families who stay home, go to school, go to work every day you are gone.  To your family, I say Thank you.  You, too, endure the separation.  You endure the fear of seeing an unfamiliar car parked across the street and pray that it isn't the chaplain coming to give you word that your life is forever changed because of a severe injury or the death of your loved one.  You put the kids to bed at night, weep when they cry out for daddy (or mommy) to tuck them in.  You get angry with yourself if you miss the one chance he gets to to call you and your phone was on silent and you missed it.  You have to make holidays happy even though you ache inside because your man isn't there to help you pick out a tree or choose the presents for your little ones.  You have to be mommy and daddy.  Thank you for your sacrifices.  I myself have made those sacrifices.  So I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you have done and are doing.  It's not enough, but I give you my eternal gratitude.  THANK YOU.

Honoring those who serve part 1

The title is a concept lost in today's America.  Well, I take that back.  It is a concept lost on many, but the sad part is that it is lost on too many politicians today.

I'm very proud to say that I'm married to a Marine.  Once a Marine, ALWAYS a Marine. Oorah.  Semper Fi.  Honor Courage and Commitment.  Adapt and Overcome.  Band of Brothers.  Don't leave a Marine behind.  Devil Dog.  Semper Fidelis.  Semper Fi.

Another concept that politicians these days need to learn.  Semper Fidelis.  A Latin term that the Marine Corps lives by.  It means ALWAYS FAITHFUL.  Faithful to what you know is right.  Faithful to your brothers.  Faithful to your cause.  That is a motto that we exercise in our family.  Semper fi.

But, in today's political climate, there is no fidelity out there.  No faithfulness.  No honor, courage, or commitment.  How terribly sad.

President's, when sworn in office, say:  "I, ________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

All members of Congress, when sworn into office say:  "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God." 

Members of the enlisted military swear in and say "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." 

Officers of the Military swear in and say "I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance tot he same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." 

While our military men and women have given their life and limbs for our constitution, in our White House and Congress, their sacrifices are devalued.  How are they devalued?  Well, we'll look at the numbers another day.  But seriously, look closely at those oaths of office.  And think about them.  Have you taken one of them?!  I would love to hear from you if you have!  

I have many friends on Facebook who are so supportive of our military!  Today one of my friends said this:
I know this is random but they have been on my thoughts and in my heart lately so to all of you out their that have served and/or are serving our Country...THANK YOU! Today's society/government may not appreciate you the way you should be but I do, and will forever be grateful. May God richly bless your lives and make known His presence to you. Thank you and love you all.  Rebecca B. 

We love you.  We appreciate our military.  And we support you.  We pray for you.  

Tomorrow, we will crunch the numbers.  Stay tuned!

An open Letter to the President

An open letter to the President,

I am a proud Conservative.  I am a proud American.  Let me say to you, Mr. President, in response to your challenge to let my representatives to hear from their constituents.  Here is my response.  

I want to see the Republican party to stand strong on being fiscally conservative.  I want to see them continue to stand strong against you, Mr. President, and your leftist agenda.  My husband is one who will suffer from the sequestration and my family will see financially hard times because of it.  But I say, I’m willing for that to come.  I’m ready.  BRING IT.  And as you try to blame “other party”, we respectfully request that you OWN YOUR PROBLEMS.  You have already raised our taxes through your feather in the cap legislation Obamacare.  You promised that middle class families taxes wouldn’t go up a single cent.  You were right, sir, they didn’t go up a single cent, they went up by several cents and dollars.  OWN IT.  Stop blaming your predecessor and own the economy that you have brought about.  OWN IT.  I, a proud member of WE THE PEOPLE, am here to remind you and every single person in Washington DC that you are servants of the people.  YOU WORK FOR US.  WE DON’T WORK FOR YOU.  

What we expect is that you give up your income.  We want you to stop taking lavish vacations on the back of the hard working American people.  And pay us back for the many and unnecessary trips you’ve billed us for.  Resolve that you will not play any more basketball or golf or dinners out to Chicago with your wife until we have this done.  We are paying for the White House to be used.  STAY AND USE IT.  You claim that tax loopholes need to be closed.  STOP USING THEM YOURSELF.  You berated Mitt Romney for being a wicked evil rich person during the campaign.  You sir are in the same category.  Pot meet kettle.   You relish the fact that you only rub shoulders with the top 1% of this country and then in the very next breath you call 1%ers evil.  HYPOCRITE.  

Where, sir, is your pay cut?  Why did you give your perverted Vice President a raise while simultaneously cutting the wages of those in the military and other federal employees?  Stop blaming the republicans.  We want to know why YOU did this.  You cannot blame others for your failures.  WE AREN’T BLIND OR STUPID.  We hold YOU accountable.  You wanted the job, now TAKE IT.  Do what you begged for.  

You ask why the janitors and other “underlings” should get less pay.  I say, they shouldn’t.  I say, you fire your dog trainer, and do what most of Americans do ~ TAKE THE DOG OUT YOURSELF AND PICK UP HIS POOP WITH YOUR OWN HANDS.  You are no better than the rest of us.  I say donate your salary and more of your millions to pay for those janitors and others who will see less money in their check.  You may find that, unlike Nancy Pelosi beliefs, by giving up something that you can will offer dignity to others.  The governments job is not to take care of those who need a little bit of help.  It is the responsibility of individuals.  NOT THE GOVERNMENT.  And when I can raise a family on a pittance and still extend help to others, then you can do so much more.  

I invite you to come see how we live.  Leave your entourage.  Come see how hard my husband works to provide for us.  See what it actually looks like to live within a budget.  To have to tell your kids, no, darling, we can’t go to out to eat tonight because we can’t afford it.  You can come see how it is to live without chefs and maids but how hard I work as a housewife to put good meals on the table for my family and how hard I work to keep my house clean myself.  How hard I work to teach my children to work so that they will have a good work ethic and won’t burden others when they get older.  Life isn’t what you think it is.  We don’t all want Big Brother paying for our cell phones, cable tv, food and other luxuries.  We just want to keep what we work for and to become what we want, not want you want to burden us to become.

So, for your predictions of sequester ~ BRING IT.  My family will survive.  And we will work to ensure that you don’t fundamentally change our country.  We like being WE THE PEOPLE.  We love the Constitution.  If you need a copy of it, Heritage Foundation will be more than happy to provide one for you and each person in the administration.

Sincerely,

Tara McCoy
Conservative American

For the kids???

Here in New York State ~ The State Senate passed this bill last night and is being debated as I type in the Assembly.  They are trying to disguise it as for the kids and for the safety.  But it's really not, it's about many things ~ To be the first state in the nation to pass any legislation after Sandy Hook (which, I truly believe was a false flag event), to CONTROL us, and as a way to bring in more MONEY into the state coffers.  Another tax, if you will on those of us who want to exercise our constitutional right.

S2230-2013

Read the bill.  Be educated about what is happening.  We have our rights.  When we let them errode our rights, we will not longer have ANY protection against tyrants.

Our form of government

If a sidewalk interviewer walked up with his microphone and posed this question to you, how would you answer?
"What form of government do we have in the United States of America?"
At this point of history, I would probably jokingly say something along the lines of ~ what it used to  be it isn't anymore, but a dictatorship we are going towards.
But, after giggling, I would answer truthfully.............A republic.  If you would've said a democracy, you would be wrong.  Here's a quick video explaining it.  I'm not too sure how it is actually taught in school's today, but I doubt they get the full unadulterated truth about it.  So, we need to know so we can educate our children on it too.  After all, as parents, that is our job, not just their teachers.  Learning first begins and continues at home.  Don't let your kids teachers be the only one teaching them things, you might not like what ideas they take in.

Here's the video ~ take time to watch and let the kids watch it too!

Praying for Authority

As a Bible believing Christian, I am called to not only hold my elected officials accountable, I am to pray for them.  That is so hard when you don't like the people you are supposed to be praying for. When they just don't care about you, it's hard to pray for them.

BUT, I know that I have to.  And so, I'm going to give you a sneak peak into how I pray for my elected officials.  (disclaimer ~ I'm not a theologian, or expert, but this is just how I do it).

Every morning in school (99% of the time) my guys and I do our Bible class and then we pray.  Two of my guys each take a different 'brand' of government to pray for ~ We break it down by federal and state.  We pray for Governor Cuomo, state legislators, local officials.  Then we pray for President Obama, VP Biden, Speaker Boehner, Senate Majority/Minority Leaders, and secretary of State.  We ask God to give them safety {and their families}, wisdom, discernment, sound judgment, and we pray that they will come to be humbled before HIM.  And we even pray for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and the Defense minister of Israel ~ that God will supernaturally protect Israel, give her leaders wisdom and discernment! And I pray every day that President Obama will have his Nebuchadnezzar moment.

When I ask God to give Obama his Nebuchadnezzar moment, I'm referring to when God humbled Nebuchadnezzar and made him completely insane ~ where he spent 7 years in the field like an animal and when he was no longer full of himself God gave him his sanity and clarity back.  And he glorified the God of heaven and told his entire kingdom.  That is what I long for for our president.  That God will use whatever means necessary to bring our leaders to HIM.  And bring our country back from rejecting HIM.  Daniel 4

How do you pray for our country's leaders?