Strangers Become Friends

HFH Spa Night - what a blessing!

HFH Spa Night – what a blessing!

Every family we meet has their own story. They are each unique and loved by God. At first they come to us as strangers, but we pray and encourage them as they quickly become friends. Our family care volunteers commit to learn each family’s story, and through that process, build relationship. Ultimately, our volunteers become a part of the story. We watch this happen as new friends spend time together, share meals, and begin to love one another. Often volunteers dive deeply enough to share both tears and joy with families.  HFH volunteers commit their time to build relationships with families and live out these verses from Romans 12:

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

The hearts of our volunteers are large!! Week in and week out, they pour out the love of Christ and live out the gospel. Recently I was having dinner with one of our Family Care volunteers, Josh, and he made the following statement, “We set out to bless a family whose child was sick. What happened is that we have been blessed by them. I’m pretty sure we have gotten more out of this relationship than we have given.” As a staff we want to express our sincere gratitude for all of our family care volunteers. “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

luvGLO Volunteers Rock!

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You know you want to run LUVGLO 2013…its the only place to be Friday night at 9pm! Check the course out here.

Most Memphians have heard of the LUVMUD family of races. Conceptualized and launched in 2010, LUVMUD/LUVGLO are really more events that races – every year, its the place to see or be seen – especially if you are in costume! What you may not know is that LUVMUD races are the primary source of funding for our work at Habitat for Hope. Not only that, these races both attract and utilize over 150 volunteers per event. In 2012, we added Volunteer Director Kati Hoffman to the LUVMUD team. Kati works in advance for months recruiting and orienting individual volunteers as well as teams to help. You can still help with LUVGLO 2013 – just a few days away on the evening of April 29th in Downtown Memphis!   Sign up here. to volunteer, and receive a free shirt, a catered lunch and a chance to hang out with some of the coolest people in Memphis. Even better, you’ll know that you are helping Habitat for Hope achieve its goal of intentionally loving and serving families with sick kids in the Midsouth. Haven’t registered to run yet? Do so here – by thursday, or at the race site on April 29. See you then!

Where you Invest your Love, You Invest your Life

Let’s put on our party hats and celebrate! It’s National Volunteer Week and organizations all over the country will honor ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Across our great nation volunteers make a difference. This year’s theme is “Celebrating People in Action”. At Habitat for Hope, our volunteers serve families day in and day out. I love these lyrics from Mumford and Sons song Awake My Soul.

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
Awake my soul, awake my soul Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker

Habitat for Hope Volunteers get it. They choose to invest their love. They choose to invest their lives. They know that we are all on the brink of eternity and they choose to live in such a way that honors their Maker and willingly pour out their hearts on behalf of others. It is truly a beautiful sight to behold. Here’s a note of thanks from one of our apartment families – the Greggs – that best highlights the actions of HFH volunteers.

Effie Gregg and father, Brad

Effie Gregg and father, Brad

Our family would like to thank Habitat for Hope and all of your volunteers. The apartment was a house of healing. When we arrived there were necessities, toiletries etc., waiting. We were blessed with meal upon meal. What a blessing all of the food was to our family, especially during chemo week. There were meals delivered around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our children received gifts paid for with gift cards. The kids were even blessed with stockings already filled. Mom really liked that one! You were the church to us during our time away from our own church family! We felt very loved. Effie is cancer free! We pray that it does not come back, ever! Finally, after six months we are home home. Thank you for making our journey a little easier financially as well as emotionally and spiritually. Our family is grateful for all of you! Last but definitely not least, thanks for your prayers! Sincerely, Brad, Alysia, Essie, Alexis, Nic, and Effie Gregg

Love and Pasta!

Written by Jennifer Dover

Do you ever have those days that far exceed anything you could ever imagine, no matter how hard you try? That happened to me this past Friday as a group of precious women met together for the purpose of making pasta.  I did nothing to organize this amazing event, it just happened to take place in my home at the Habitat for Hope property. Many people do this kind of thing together but this was pasta making with a unique purpose. All of the pasta we made will be going to provide a meal to  Habitat For Hope families. We all know how quickly fast food and hospital food gets old, so we hope this will be a little ray of light to some weary taste buds. But, our hearts desire is that it will convey to the recipients that they are loved, that someone cares about them and they are not alone in this battle with their sick child. The really cool thing about Friday was half of the people who came were people I had never met before. It didn’t take long to get to know one another as we all had the opportunity to share our life stories throughout the day. Although we were all very different, we had come together for one purpose and amazing things happened. All the ladies there at some point have experienced hurt, affliction, disappointment and loneliness, just like the families we serve. One particular lady named Emily was currently going through something pretty devastating but the joy of the Lord radiated from her, I noticed it the first moment I laid eyes on her. If you think about Emily this week, say a prayer for her and ask the Lord to encourage her and continue to bring people into her life so she can shine the Light of Jesus on them. The recipients of these delicious meals will  likely never meet many of the ladies who worked hard and joyfully to prepare them a meal. They will never know their stories, all the trials the Lord has or is currently bringing them through, or the beauty of their friendship. But our hope is that they will feel loved, cared for and encouraged – that through something as simple as homemade pasta, Christ would accomplish infinitely more that we could ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

 

Homecomings

written by Jennifer Dover

Dover and Ewing kids

Dover and Ewing kids

 

The past several months have been filled with times of transition for our family… including a season of life I choose to call homecomings. Each homecoming different but a homecoming none the less. First our family made the move to the Habitat For Hope house. After a long journey and way to much to tell you in this blog post, we arrived at the place the Lord had been preparing us for and it felt good to be home. As with all transitions, there were adjustments to be made. We had to get used to having neighbors right under our feet again and learning to keep our noise level down. That may not sound too hard but when you have 3 energetic loud little boys (and one learning from big brothers), it’s not as easy as it sounds. The really sweet thing about living in the house and in community with another family has been watching our kids bond with theirs and almost immediately became fast friends. We could see the Lord using their kids to help ours make the transition and vise versa. It was a beautiful thing to behold. This family moved out recently, and to the praise and glory of God, got to take their precious baby with them and return home together…as a family. I’ll have to admit I was sad to see them go; yet, overjoyed for them at the same time. Their baby is doing well and is making great progress; they have a steadfast, unwavering faith in God and they are home after 6 months of being away. I can imagine it was an emotional but joyful homecoming. I saved the best homecoming for last, the day my mom went home to be with Jesus. It may seem odd to some people for me to speak of death in this way – but isn’t this what we all long for, to be free from the pain of this imperfect world, and to enter that place where there is no death, tears, or even a hint of sorrow? She is finally free from the pain and suffering that kept her from so much in this life. I am extremely sad because in my flesh I miss her and all that she added to our life, but in my spirit, I rejoice because she has received the goal of her faith, the salvation of her soul. I too long for and await that homecoming day but for now I take joy in the earthly homecomings that are but shadows on the wall of the one to come.

Our gracious volunteers – Josh and Jordan

josh and jordanHow can I possibly paint an accurate picture of how Habitat for Hope volunteers build a community of support around families whose children are seriously ill? It’s almost as elusive as trying to paint an actual picture, especially for a non-artist like myself.  Each week I watch in awe as our volunteers dedicate themselves to building relationships with families by getting to know them and looking for opportunities to serve. Their ministry is an act of love.  Each volunteer adds their color to our canvas.  Here is a story of one volunteer family which beautifully illustrates the ministry of all of our volunteers.  This is simply one story among so many that fill our canvas with beautiful, vibrant colors.

Jordan and her husband Josh are newlyweds who relocated to Memphis last fall to participate in the Downline Emerging Leaders program and we are very thankful they have partnered with us in ministry during this season in their lives.

“We met the Wilson family last September. Our first time meeting them was when we took a few snacks to their house after they had spent almost all day at the hospital. I will admit that we were a little nervous as this was our first time visiting with a HFH family!  However, we could not have been more pleased to meet such an amazing, loving family. All three children welcomed us with open arms as though they had known us for years. Children typically have the amazing ability to immediately make you feel like a best friend! We instantly fell in love with them and are awed with how the Lord has used their family to bless us in numerous ways over the past few months. 

One of our favorite times with the Wilsons happened two weeks ago. One Saturday morning we picked the kids up, picked up a pizza, and brought them to our house. For the next 3 hours, the five of us, Josh and I included, jumped on the trampoline, went down the zipline, played on the seesaw, and ran around in the yard. I was amazed and continue to be amazed at the precious joy in these children. Although we began our relationship with them as mere strangers, we have slowly entered their life as they have entered ours. We are eager to see where the Lord leads our friendship with the Wilsons over the next few months. My prayer is that they might see Jesus in us as much as we see Him in them.”

I’m so thankful that Josh and Jordan and all of the volunteers of Habitat for Hope are willing to “be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  My prayer is the picture we are painting is simply this…a picture of Jesus!!  He is our Hope!!

ECS Students support HFH at Christmastime

Huge thanks to Evangelical Christian School student Allison Boyd for her commitment to HFH! Allison has served in many capacities over the past several years. This year, as a senior, she is leading her fellow students through SLI (Student Leadership Initiative) as they volunteer. In December, ECS students wrapped gifts for customers at Barnes and Noble to raise funds for HFH. Read the story in the Commercial Appeal here. Thank you, Allison and SLI students for giving to Habitat for Hope!

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Brent Nason – 6 years

Today marks 6 years since our dear 11 year old friend Brent went to live with Jesus. Brent’s mom Tonya wrote this today to honor Christ and to remember Brent. For me, experiencing the days leading up to Brent’s passing was experiencing the tangible risen Christ, who is present and with us. May you be blessed an encouraged today…

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I can’t believe that it was six years ago today that Brent got his heavenly healing.. it seems like just yesterday our sweet boy was still here. In the days leading up to today, I’ve thought many times of Brent’s passing and all the things that the Lord allowed us to see. I’ve shared our story, or bits and pieces of it, many times since he left. I thought I’d share some of the most amazing memories with you guys today. I want to share them because they TREMENDOUSLY increased MY faith, and I hope they will yours as well. With that said, this will probably be long cause there’s a LOT of BEAUTIFUL stuff to share. :)

As you can imagine, those were the darkest days of our lives.. we KNEW we were bringing Brent back to St. Jude to let him go HOME. (back from Vermont where we took him as a last attempt to fight) During those days.. I’d say it was probably the last couple of weeks he was here.. something AMAZING happened. God began to prepare Brent to go HOME. One of the first that I can remember was an innocent conversation we heard Brent having with God. (Now, when I say “conversation” I DON’T mean it was just a prayer.. I mean you could literally watch him as he would talk then wait for a response, then he would talk again). Here’s what I’d posted on his website..

“Please God, I just want to see HIM ……. just for a second, I just want to see HIM!”

That went on for a few minutes and Brent closed his prayer. I was a little awe-struck, but as the day went on I forgot the conversation I overheard. THEN, last night as he started to drift off to sleep he started to pray again. This time it was different. Brent was saying, “I’m SO SORRY, GOD!” I just wanted to see You …… I’m SORRY I tried to look!”

WHOA!!!!!! It’s like Brent was standing in the room with God, having his conversation and being the curious little boy he is he tried to sneak a peek! I’m assuming that God told him that he couldn’t see HIM …….. YET! Before his talk with God ended, Brent started to ask …………. “God, it won’t be long will it?? Will it be long?” (I’m assuming he’s trying to persuade God to let him go/see HIM then) Brent then paused and said, “That’s what I thought, it won’t be long.”

There were MANY times that he’d close his eyes and within a moment or two he’d begin talking to the Lord. (He wasn’t talking in his sleep, he was spending time with Jesus) There were times we’d hear him pray out loud, but many of these were just innocent talks with his Creator. Just after these conversations began Brent’s mindset changed. He no longer talked about silly things we’d talked about before.. his mind was on his Jesus! He told pretty much EVERYONE who came in his room during those last days about his Jesus. He asked us to pray almost constantly. He requested that we sing praise songs almost constantly. Link said that one night he awoke in the middle of the night to hear Brent singing Amazing Grace.

I was reading over some of our caringbridge entries during his last days here and found one that just blessed my socks off. I want to share it with you guys, and apologize that this is so lengthy. Here goes.. this entry is dated Saturday, December 23, 2006 9:34 PM CST

“Our PRECIOUS little man is still quite the chatterbox. He’s talking almost non-stop and seems to STAY in some sort of prayer connection with God. He’s still saying things like I LOVE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH! You’re the BEST, GOD! I also overheard him praying to God this morning thanking HIM for me! (Don’t think he didn’t have me crying BUCKETS!!) He’s told his Daddy & me a thousand times already how much he LOVES US and what GREAT parents he thinks we are. I’m telling you, just when I think he can’t possibly get ANY sweeter ….. HE DOES.

I meant to share with you the other day about one of our prayer times. Somehow the room was filled with just a few of us females. There was Mylissa, Virginia, Kerry, Meredith, and me all standing around Brent’s bed. He started to get upset from fear of choking. (He’d just almost got choked drinking water, but is doing GREAT NOW!) Brent asked if we could pray for him. (Mylissa said that’s EXACTLY what she was just about to ask) As we moved closer and each placed our hands on Brent, Mylissa started to pray. Brent soon was taking over her prayer with his own. We all hushed and listened in awe of his prayer. As he finished, I told him that I wanted to pray too. As I’m sure you can imagine, it’s hard to cry out on his behalf without getting “teary-eyed.” Brent could hear the emotion in my voice and he then started to pray OVER ME. He said something to the effect of …… “God, please bless my Mama. Give her peace, Lord, and calm her heart…….” I’m simply AMAZED at his ability to pray the way he does. He’s so sensitive to Holy Spirit – it just BLOWS ME AWAY!!!”

One of the last conversations that I remember hearing before he left was one that I will NEVER forget. At this point he’d had many talks with his Jesus.. he said, “LORD, your word doesn’t even BEGIN to tell how BEAUTIFUL You are!”

It’s just mind-blowing to think that the Creator of ALL the world will come and prepare His young child to come HOME. ♥

Well, I’ve kept you long enough.. I hope Brent’s story has encouraged you the way it has encouraged us.. and if you’ve ever doubted, I hope it helped you BELIEVE. :)

special blessings for a precious family

Over a year ago, we met the lovely Chantel Barber - a dear friend of volunteer coordinator Diane Smith. Chantel has a very special talent; that of portrait artistry. After learning about HFH and of the many grieving families we serve, she asked if we might allow her to capture the spirit of a special child on canvas. At that time, one of our families had recently lost their sweet girl. The Raby’s had developed such a strong relationship with Bo Oswalt that he was asked to give Thaya’s funeral. We connected Chantel with the Rabys, and Chantel created the most beautiful portrait of Thaya. thaya.jpg

Mom Kelsi was just overjoyed to receive the beautiful painting – and I will tell you, this truly captures Thaya’s precious spirit. Thank you, Chantel for your gift to the Rabys and to Habitat for Hope!

HFH Fall Festival – our lovely volunteers

This weekend, Habitat for Hope volunteers and families joined together for the 7th Fall Festival at the HFH property! We had a beautiful day – even though this event was scheduled a month “late” this year, the weather was simply perfect. We welcomed over 200 close friends. More pictures and updates coming soon, but for now we wanted to highlight a couple of very special volunteers that made this event a huge success.

Last year, volunteer coordinator Diane Smith began to foster a relationship with Bolton High School‘s Inter Baccalaureate (IB) program. Her daughter Hannah is a part of this educational initiative, which also involves a significant level of service. This year, Bolton IB sponsored and volunteered at the Fall Festival – and we couldn’t have pulled it off without them! They raised some money to offset the cost of the event and donated food, but even more importantly, served and helped with every aspect of the party. A few words from Alessia, one of our helpers:

“This was an amazing volunteering activity. All the kids were so sweet and loving. While taking the kids on a horse ride it was great to talk to them and put a smile on their faces. Those kids are so inspiritational. Even though they are going through a lot they still smile and enjoy the little things. I got to meet a girl named Bella who at one point lived at the Habitat for Hope home. She told me about her horses and how she started riding when she was three. She had cancer when she was little and it is so amazing that even when she was little she was still strong enough to over come that battle. She is such a strong person. I’m so glad I got to meet her. While volunteering there I felt like I was actually making a difference. Even though it was a little difference to me it was a big difference to the kids and that made me happy. All the kids and families there amaze me. They inspire me.”

Alessia and her friends inspire us, as well!

Additionally, partner company Freeman Pediatric Dentistry brought a group out to spend the day with us, and donated funds toward our meal.

We are grateful for you, Freeman Dentistry and Bolton IB for loving Habitat for Hope and the families we serve.