by Marquetta Smith | May 8, 2017 | Prophetic Words
Have you ever heard the phrase “made from scratch”? It’s a cooking phrase that many in the southern part of the U.S. grew up saying. It simply means that all the ingredients of a particular dish are “raw” ingredients instead of just simply adding water or milk to a mix. You can’t just go to the grocery store and pick up a cake mix on aisle 10 if you are cooking from scratch. And it takes more time, energy, and money to use the best ingredients for a particular dish.
But in the end, the results are a masterpiece. Rarely can you duplicate the exact taste and texture of a dish. At best, it’s simply a variation of what you created. Also, southern cooks rarely (if ever) use measuring cups. They measure by taste and make statements like, “I used a little bit of this, and a whole lot of that” to get it to taste the way they envisioned.
I was reflecting on this term last week, and was reminded of how God created us. Each and every one of His creation is designed from essential raw ingredients, and no two individuals are exactly alike. Not one person on this earth is a watered down version of the next. He literally took a little bit of this and a whole lot of that to create you and I. Everything from the texture of your hair, to the color of your skin, to the way you are moved by things around you, to your personality and gifts was specifically designed by God to be shared with the world.
So as you go about your day, pay attention to the people you encounter. Can you see the ingredients He used to make them unique? We are all so much more than the color of our skin and the texture of our hair. Take time to explore a person’s inner components. I’m speaking about their heart, habits, passions, skills, as well as their hurts and pains. We are all uniquely created and designed with key ingredients that together create masterpieces! How about that? You are a masterpiece!
Until next time!
You Light Up the World
by Marquetta Smith | May 4, 2017 | Prophetic Words
I had the pleasure of meeting a remarkable, resilient, and incredibly strong woman the other day. I was walking into one of the stores to get some shopping done, when I looked over and saw an elderly white woman sitting on a bench outside of the store. She was all alone with a sad look on her face. Reluctantly, I dashed into the store, trying to remember the mental grocery list I made in my head. “Eggs, cheese, milk…eggs, cheese, milk,” I repeated over and over again. I tried to stay focused on what I came into the store to buy, but that elderly lady I saw earlier wouldn’t leave my mind.
I finally completed my shopping and walked out of the store, and to my surprise, that lady was still sitting on the bench. It had begun to rain, and I started to worry about this little old lady sitting there.
I quickly walked up to her and asked her was she okay. She nodded and said she was fine. I asked her if she needed a ride home. She told me that she just lived around the corner in the nearby apartments, and that she was just fine to walk. “Thanks for asking,” she said to me. I felt in my heart I couldn’t leave her sitting on this bench all alone in the rain. I then asked her if I could sit with her. She turned to me and said that was the nicest thing anyone said to her all day.
Forgetting all about my groceries, we began to talk. She told me her name was Mrs. Davis, and that she was a widow who lived all alone. She explained to me how life had been extremely hard for her since her husband James died last year.
“He was a good man,” she exclaimed with so much joy in her eyes. Her face would light up so bright as she began to talk about her late husband. They had been married for 20 years. Mrs. Davis went on to tell me that this was her second husband, and that her first husband, who she was married to for 31 years, was very mean to her and so controlling. But her life quickly changed when she met James. She told me how James had treated her like a queen. Then she turned sad all at once when she began to tell me how James did not plan ahead financially. “James could not hold on to a penny,” as she laughed out loud.
In 2008, they lost everything. They had to file for bankruptcy and move into a tiny little apartment. But they were happy she said because they had each other. “That made the world of a difference,” she said. She told me that having each other made things much more bearable.
James died in December of 2012, and she told me how her world changed forever that year. Since her husband’s death, she had been living on a small social security check and had been receiving food stamps. She went on to tell me how it has been a struggle to renew her food stamps every six months.
She tried her best to describe how dealing with the Department of Human Services was just like dealing with her first husband: mean and very abusive. She told me how they would always lose her paperwork, and how the case managers would give her the runaround about what information they needed in order for her to renew her benefits. Many times the caseworkers wouldn’t call her back after leaving plenty of messages. When she had a chance to have a face to face to talk with her workers, they would be so mean and nasty to her. She said they made her feel less than human.
At that point in the conversation, my heart sunk, and I began to feel sick by all of what Mrs. Davis shared with me. She told me how she just doesn’t understand why it has been so hard to apply for benefits.
I discovered that day that Mrs. Davis was 75 years old and lived on an income of $771 a month. She struggled from month to month to pay her bills. We sat on that bench that day and talked for more than 2 hours. After we talked, I asked her why was she sitting on the bench all alone outside of the store. She said they didn’t renew her benefits that day because they could not find her in the system…again. The Department of Human Services changed computer systems last week, and many individuals’ information had been lost, leaving them with the painful steps of reapplying for benefits and submitting all of their paperwork again.
Mrs. Davis said that this had been the 5th time the department had done this to her, and that she was simply tired. She began to tell me how it felt being in need of needing government assistance, and how she felt ashamed, humiliated, and basically embarrassed. All of her life, she had cleaned houses and took care of other peoples’ children, and she is the one needing a little help now. She said to me, “I gave up, that’s why I’m sitting on this bench. I gave up.” She told me that she was sitting on this bench today to forget all about what she endured. “I just wish James was here.”
I only had $55.00 on me, and I asked Mrs. Davis if we could go into the store and get the items that she needed. Her eyes became brighter as she smiled at me and said, “I knew God was going to send me an angel today.”
I drove Mrs. Davis home that day as I silently asked God how could I be of help to Mrs. Davis without intruding on her privacy. Then it came to me. I asked her if I could help her with the process of applying for benefits. She was so excited to receive my help. I knew in my heart that God allowed out paths to cross for a reason: to advocate on behalf of Mrs. Davis.
Sadly, this story is so familiar to many Americans, all ages, all races, and all backgrounds. This story is beginning to turn into a loud, overwhelming cry for help that runs throughout our “great nation”. The cries of the people have reached a boiling point, and their cries cannot be overlooked, ignored, or even stamped out. The cries will only get louder and louder until the broken system is either fixed or dismantled, allowing for the new structure to emerge, a structure that will not put a bandaid on the problem, but truly give sound solutions to fix it.
The people are hurting, and we cannot continue as if nothing is wrong. One person cannot fix our broken system. It will take a collaborative effort of compassionate, strong, and determined groups of individuals and entities who are willing to bring about the change that is so desperately needed. The cries of the people are getting louder, and we cannot ignore them any longer. The system has failed them. Now it is time for individuals like you to take a stand and answer the call to help.
My challenge to you today is not to ignore the cries of the people, but to help us help all of the Mrs. Davises out there, and the countless Americans like her. Help me help them by donating to Safe Harbor International Ministries by visiting at www.safeharborim.com. Help me fight for all the Mrs. Davises.
Please share this story with as many people as you can. Help me help the people.
Note: names and actual events have been changed to protect individuals’ privacy.
Story by Marquetta Smith, advocate for the people
by Marquetta Smith | Apr 29, 2017 | Prophetic Words
My heart sank once again as I finally made it to the front of the line. I’d been waiting in line for three hours, only to get to the window and this woman tell me that they lost my paperwork again. This was the fifth time the department had lost something that I submitted, and here we go again.
To add to my frustration, the caseworker tells me that her computer just crashed. “Again, Lord, again?” I’m screaming out loud this time in disbelief. She goes on to tell me with a nasty attitude and a sarcastic undertone that everyone who was waiting for their food stamps to be renewed or processed would have to wait until their system was back up and running.
Then suddenly, another lady comes out of a side door of the office and stands in the middle of the already crowded, smelly, stuffy, and suffocating waiting area, and screams at the top of her lungs — as if we could not hear her — and tells us to go home, that the system may be back up within seven days. Yes, seven days is what we were told. The coldness of the lady could not be expressed with words.
I began to look around at the hundreds of faces who were in need of services — immediately. They could not wait for seven days to receive food assistance, nor medical help. Looks of desperation and despair oozed out of some of the people through their cries, rants, and yes, even through their cursing as they began to tell how this system has failed them again and again.
Many of the people around me started to explain the horror and sheer nightmare it had been for them having to apply for assistance with the government. Some were very old, and were living off of a small pension, young and old mothers who had many children, white, black, Hispanic, men and women. Everyone you could imagine was in that line that day, needing assistance.
The point here I am trying to make is that it was not just one set of individuals who were needing help. It was a mixture of all people from all walks of life. You know how society has stereotyped people who need assistance into one set of individuals? No matter what the media has displayed, I saw all walks of life applying for government assistance. It was more people than you could ever imagine. I know that the news is reporting that jobs have increased, and they have, but there are still a large amount of people still needing help in 2017.
Now I know what you are thinking. “Why don’t they just get a job, like every other hardworking American?” Well, guess what? They had jobs. 
Good paying jobs and careers at one time or another. Guess what? They were still looking and applying for jobs. Some of the faces I saw that day were individuals who had been working for companies for 20 years. And one day, their company closed with no warning. Is this person lazy for being in the food assistance line? No.
Some of these individuals were lawyers, managers, high up executives, and for some reason or another, they lost everything. They lost their savings and their retirement plans. What do you tell people who did everything they could to plan for a “rainy day,” and end up losing it all, and now they have to depend on government assistance? No judging here. They are in that place of needing assistance now. There were so many young children with their mothers that day that were in need of help. You could literally see the despair in their eyes as they were turned away again. I began to weep bitterly as I saw their faces.
What do you tell people who have planned all of their lives for hard times, only to end up losing everything? Even their best well laid out plans did not prepare them for this. This was me. I’ve been told many times to get a good education, and you can write your own ticket in life. I even got a master’s degree, and had worked hard on trying to save money and not live an extravagant life. Even my most well laid out plan did not prepare me for what I have been through. I now have a deeper respect for all individuals who are having a hard time and I have learned not to judge them.
But getting back to the reason I was writing this article in the first place, I realized standing in line that day that the very system we set up to help people is causing more harm than we could ever expect. This system is set up to fail the people. It was never designed to help the masses of people who are, and may at one time or another, need help.
Where did we go wrong as a society? What happened to America, the great nation? Why, in 2017, are people from all walks of life standing in food assistance lines only to be told come back another day for help? Is the government able or even equipped to handle such need? Can they literally handle the masses of the individuals needing assistance? No.
Or is there another solution to this problem? Yes. I truly believe that God is equipping our churches to be able to handle the people’s needs. I also believe that God never intended for the government to take on this role or responsibility.
I truly believe that I had an “aha moment,” as I stood in the line that day with the people as tears rolled down my face. I believe that God is going to use the church in this light, and that He is raising up many unknown individuals to help families and communities in need.
So today, I say yes to God using me to be a change agent to help families and communities in need. Today I ask individuals who are reading this article to reexamine their life and calling, and begin to ask God today: what is He calling you to do?
The Cries of the People: Part Two
Article was written by Marquetta Smith, a concerned American Citizen
by Marquetta Smith | Apr 19, 2017 | Prophetic Words
April 19, 2017
Dear Loved One,
On behalf of the church, I want to apologize to all of the individuals who have been deeply wounded and hurt by the church. To those who have been put down, rejected, cast to the side, made to feel inferior, unloved, uncared for and abandoned because of their sexual orientation, I’m sorry. I am sorry we made you feel like you didn’t belong, I’m sorry.
I’m sorry for the way we made you feel. I’m sorry for shaming you in front of the whole world. Today I want to say that I’m sorry. Know that you are truly loved by God.
Love, the Church
by Marquetta Smith | Mar 2, 2017 | Family Violence, Featured Post, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking
With her sister’s blanket in one hand and a flashlight in the other, Anna made her way to her family’s little shed behind their house. Kneeling down on the hard, rough shed floor, Anna began to pray. “Okay, big guy up in the sky, here I am again; it’s me asking for help. I brought my sister’s blanket so you can remember her, because this is her favorite blanket. Please keep my sister safe as you return her home. Mama and Pop are worried sick about her. I don’t know if you can do this, but God, can you just make the person who has my sister so uncomfortable with my sister being around them, and don’t let them get any rest until they give me my sister back. Thanks for listening, and oh yeah, I need some new thread, ’cause I’m working on a new quilt for my sister, because her old one is all torn up. Thanks, big guy.”
Several weeks ago, Anna’s 12 year old sister Kelly went missing in a little town in the Ozark Mountains. The town was shaken again by the horror of another child gone missing. The sad part about her sister’s disappearance was that everyone in the town knew who was involved in the taking of her sister. No one dares to talk about the town’s 30 year old secret that held many captive to their worst fears, their children being taken. But Anna heard a preacher on TV say one night that “God hears the silent prayers, the whispers, and cries of the broken heart, and all of those who are lost.”
Knowing absolutely nothing about prayer, nor how to begin to ask God to help her sister, 7 year old Anna did just what the preacher on TV said. She prayed for her sister’s safe return night after night, stumbling and stuttering trying to find the words to pray for her sister.
Nine months passed and still no sign of Anna’s sister. But Anna continued to pray for her sister’s return night after night. One night while praying Anna asked God a question. “Are you there, God, are you listening? Well, the preacher on TV says you’re real, so I believe you’re real. Can you just give me some kind of sign to let me know you’re listening to me? Thanks, God. Anna.”
After finishing her nightly prayer, while Anna was walking back to the house, she heard a noise. She noticed a little blue jay perched on the porch railing. She thought to herself why a blue jay would be out this late at night. Then she remembered that she had asked God for a sign in prayer tonight. Anna smiled as she quietly walked past the bird, into the house. “Thanks, God,” Anna said out loud. She knew then that her prayers had been heard by God and that her sister would return home.
Three weeks later, a miracle happened. A strange car pulled up to Anna’s house. The passenger’s side car door swung open, and out came Anna’s sister. The strange man in the car pulled off and drove away, never to be seen again. The family rejoiced as they hugged and kissed Kelly. It was truly a miracle.
Anna ran into her room, and grabbed her sister’s old blanket, and wrapped it around Kelly. Anna whispered in her sister’s ear and said, “I prayed for you, and took your old blanket with me when I prayed. You can have it back, and when you pray to the big guy in the sky, He will remember you, because He knows this is your favorite blanket. You should try talking to the big guy. He’s alright and really cool to talk to. I also made you a new one, because I know you get cold at night, and yours has a lot of holes in it. Here, this one will keep you warm.”
Months later, when Kelly was asked why the man who took her brought her back, she simply said that “He started feeling real uncomfortable with me being around, and that he could not sleep.” To many people, Kelly’s answer made no sense at all, but to little Anna, it made perfect sense. She knew that God was at work, and He had answered her heartfelt, simple little prayers. God didn’t forget about Anna and her prayer request as she lay before God with her sister’s blanket.
For more information about Kelly’s Blanket, visit our site at https://www.etsy.com/shop/FromMamasGarden
Facts: Globally, the International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million people trapped in forced sexual exploitation globally. Each year, thousands of children are kidnapped, put in sex trafficking rings, and exploited. Getting closer to home, Atlanta has been named one of the top sex trafficking destinations in the United States. 5,000 girls are at-risk of being sex trafficked in Georgia. Approximately 374 girls are commercially sexually exploited monthly in Georgia. Polaris Project. (2010). “Human Trafficking Statistics.” http://www.polarisproject.org/resources/resources-by-topic/human-trafficking
Safe Harbor office: 404-692-3245
National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
