Mela Kamin – 4:10 Ministries

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So if you read my LONG proposal story I posted yesterday, you know how truly blessed I am to be married to Greg. With all the hoops he had to jump through and all the improv going on during our engagement night, he certainly proved himself to be resourceful, considerate and patient – terribly patient.
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When he asked me to marry him 13 years ago, I knew he was handsome, smart, charming, funny and loving, with a heart to help people and share his faith in his Savior. In fact, one of our first in-depth conversations in college, was about faith. And, we didn’t go to Bible college – oh NO – we were at a state school in Wisconsin. This was definitley NOT the norm.
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I’m not much surprised anymore when he does something unusually generous or selfless – it’s just his way. He’s always looking for a way to improve someone’s day, whether it’s a client he’s shooting for, the cashier at the grocery store, or one of our friends.
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When I’m trying to leave in a hurry from somewhere, or I’m caught in my own little world, he’s often having a conversation – really meeting someone, not just finding out their name. He is very intentional about leaving someone better than when he found them – if only to add just a smile or a good feeling.
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A few days ago, his instincts kicked in and knocked my socks off.
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I saw this tweet from Mishelle @secretagentmama:
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RT @fleurdeleigh: See what @kellymooreclark is giving away!
Be part of this “act of kindness” –> http://cot.ag/bSjF2i (RT @adoramaused)
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I’m often looking for ways to get in on blessing someone, like when my friend Chris Ann from LoveFeast Table & I “lovebombed” the ladies & kids at a local shelter. So I clicked on the link in the tweet, which was about a benefit to help a Mom.
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I clicked some more to dig deeper and was taken to this story about Robyn, a well-known photographer in Florida. Although I had never heard of her or her predicament before, I was sucked in by the story. I felt for her, her family and though we didn’t know each other, I wanted to help her.
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I thought about what it would be like if we had to leave our home and livelihood – what would we do and how would we get back up on our feet? How could Greg be a photographer without his equipment?
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I read the story to him, since he’s a full-time commercial photographer and freelance wedding photographer. I thought maybe he knew of some vendors or partners that could help her out.
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He one-upped my thought … and decided to help her himself.
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Without missing a beat, he said, “I have a lens for her.” He went into our storage room and pulled out a mint condition Nikon lens. I said, “Really? You would give that away?” He said, “Yea – I was going to eBay it, but I’d rather her have it.”
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I emailed Robyn to offer her the lens, if she in fact, shoots Nikon and could use it. She does and could.
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This was her response:
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I read this, blinked, rubbed my eyes, called my husband over to make sure I was reading what I was reading and I guess I’m still a little in shock. I just don’t know what to say other than THANK YOU so much! This came on the same day our insurance claim was finally denied once and for all, so the timing could not be more perfect.
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If this is something you truly want to do, I am grateful from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I will do everything in my power to pay this forward one day!
-Robyn

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I’m sending off the lens today and ask you to lift Robyn and her family up in prayer.
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I don’t generally brag about all the seen & unseen things we do to help others – it’s not about us … but this one was too good not to share – plus, I’m hoping someone else might be able to help Robyn. If you’d like to contribute financially, you can PayPal whatever you can to robyn@buttonsandbowsphotography.com. If you have other photography connections, please share her story.
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I’d love to hear how you have been blessed or have been a blessing to someone else. Let’s inspire others to go out of our comfort zones, use what we have and look for ways to leave people better than when we found them.
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Have you ever been the receiver of a random act of kindness? What are ways you or your family help others?