CLOTHE THE BAHAMAS

by Micah DeHaven and Macy Ryan

September 13, 2019

After the devastating impact hurricane Dorian had on the Bahamas, many people were left without homes, clothes, and even loved ones. To help those in need, the Cedar Key United Methodist Church youth group is sorting clothes that were bought and donated by members of the community. This started when our youth leader, Dottie Haldeman, felt that she needed to do something to help the many people of the Bahamas. As she said, “It could have just as easily been us.”

Luke 6:20-21 says, “Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are ye who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” God calls on us to carry out his words through our actions and we learned that sometimes all you have to do is ask for help. Ms. Dottie asked our local Chiefland Wal-Mart for help by drastically reducing the price of the clothes for us to purchase. She posted this on her story in Facebook of how they helped her buy hundreds of new children and adults clothing. Within a few days her story went viral and accumulated over 7,000 “likes” and was shared over 3,000 times. She was so overwhelmed with the response. She then proposed that if everyone that liked the post donated a dollar, think of how much we could help the Bahamians. Within a few days, many people around the community have done just that. Now, our youth is dedicated to making sure we use these donations in the best way possible and as disciples of God.

If you’d like to help too, please contact Dottie Haldeman at (352) 543 – 5525 or as so many others have already done, message her on Facebook!

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