Every once in a while someone asks me why I do what I do.  I have a husband, 3 children (who are 6, 5, and 4), and I home educate my kids.  So why don’t I let someone with a little more time on their hands fill the needs that Hope Chest is filling?  There are several answers to this question, but the first is that God asked me to, so I do it!  I didn’t hear an audible voice.  I didn’t see a flash of lightning in the sky.  But I knew that this is a need and I knew that the people that need our help are loved by God.  And, I have been there myself.

Five years ago my husband and I and our two boys had very very little.  The only things in our home that we had bought ourselves was a couch and a computer.  Everything else had either been given to us as a gift or a hand-me-down.   None of this bothered me because we had a roof over our head and people in our life that loved us and helped us when we couldn’t afford any other way.  We were beyond blessed!

Not once did I feel poor.  Until we couldn’t buy gifts for our boys for Christmas.  I knew that their grandparents and aunts and uncles could and would provide Christmas gifts, but there was something about not being able to buy them something myself that made me feel very small inside.  And I am not talking anything elaborate.  We could not even go and buy them a gift for $1.  We were at the point of having to choose between diapers and formula.

Around the middle of December a large box filled with wrapped gifts arrived on our front porch.  The card only said, “Do not open until Christmas morning.”    What a tremendous blessing!  But I still had this silent wish to be able to buy my children gifts myself.  Then I recieved a certified letter in the mail.  A single sheet of paper.  On it typed the words, “God is good, All the time.” Wrapped in that sheet of paper was $200 cash.  With that cash I was able to buy each of my boys a $5 gift and all the food, diapers and formula that we needed at the time.

To this day we have no idea who sent us those Christmas blessings!  But what I do know is that God sent us what we needed when we needed it.  We didn’t need the Christmas presents for our kids, but we needed to see that God sees the desires of our hearts.  God cares about our secret wishes and desires.  On Christmas morning I got to see my children unwrap a bunch of gifts, and I got to be a part of the group of people that provided those for them.

Both blessings will be a part of my story and testimony for the rest of my life.  Both blessings are proof to me that God was taking care of my heart when I could do nothing to help myself.  I will forever be grateful to whoever sent us those blessings!

The reason I tell you this story is because you can be a part of a story like this.  Hope Chest OKC is teaming up with The Tapestry Project to create the Tapestry Family Toy Store.  This store will provide a way for families to come and buy Christmas gifts for their children at discounted rates.  In order to do this we need new, unwrapped toys to put in our store.

Will you consider being a part of the story?

The following dates have been set as delivery dates.  If you would like to help deliver furniture and household items to families in our city, please email Cissa at cissa@hopechestokc.org.  Thanks!

Saturday, November 14th

Saturday, December 5th

Saturday December 19th

All deliveries will start at 11 and be done by 3.  Contact Cissa for more information!   Thank you for your help!

I received this email from the sister of the single dad that we are helping.  I have received many questions regarding what is still needed so I thought I would just forward this list on to you.  We are also still needing the major items that I have listed in a previous post.  Here is her email:

I’m not sure what areas that you can help in, but in going through
the things that people have given him these are some items that I
think he could probably use. Here goes…..
Drinking glasses, probably clear glass
Place mats
Measuring cups and spoons
can opener
pot holders
hot pads for table
brushes for cleaning
wall clock
alarm clock
mixer
pancake grill
waffle grill
toaster
plastic clear wrap
foil
wax paper
sandwich bags & freezer size bags
spices
swiffer and swiffer pads
paper towels
tp
sos pads
windex
multi purpose cleaner
stool cleaner & stool brush
1st aid kit or supplies
no-tear shampoo
bubble bath
body wash
liquid hand wash.
fold up chair to us for out door sporting events
Daughter needs replacement for under panties & socks
she is a size 10 shirt and 14 slacks and skirt
Single sheets – she likes pink
single spread – again she likes pink
Son could also use some under shorts and socks & he is a 5T
He could use a single spread – He likes superman 2nd choice is
spiderman.
he could also use some single sheets – probably blue.

I hope this helps you with a list. You probably can’t supply it all
but these are some items that I’m sure he could use to help him
get started over again.

She thinks we can’t supply it all, but I know as God’s people we can be the hands and feet that we are supposed to be and together we can meet this need!  Please email me at cissa@hopechestokc.org if you can help!  Thank you!!!