275 families shopped
Over 1000 children served
140 volunteers serving
Largest toy collection in the last four years
Many parents told their stories/were prayed for/gospel shared
Here is an example of the many volunteer stories from that day!
Be Blessed!
From
Judy Lovelady, member of Pinedale Baptist Church
“I shared with my church on Sunday that when I was asked to work
in the Café, I thought I would just be serving cookies and drinks. Didn’t
take me long to realize that God put me in that work area for a reason. In the beginning
I felt that maybe I was out of my comfort zone but God showed me differently. After
talking to many wonderful and heartfelt moms/grandmothers and even care
givers, it was at the end of the day that I noticed a mother sitting by
herself. I begin to talk with her and ask her if she had found some items for
her children. She told me yes, but there was a distinct sound in her voice that
nudged me to stay and talk more. I ask her about her children and their ages. She
had 4 and she had concerns for her baby and the 2 youngest girls. The baby a
boy had recently been sent to UAB where they discovered that he had a heart defect
and they immediately did open heart surgery. They then discovered in testing
the other 3 that 2 those girls had the same heart problems that required
surgery as well. WOW… did this blow me
away!!!
I begin to tell her I could understand just a small portion of
her heart feelings because 31 years ago I also had a baby boy diagnosed with a
heart defect that required open heart surgery at UAB. She looked at me and said
“God sent you to me for I haven’t been
able to talk to anyone that could even begin to understand what my heart feels. I
told her that I could understand the concerns and fears she had. I told
her that many times I had to remind
myself that where there is life, there is HOPE and I had to allow God to
take care of this situation. I have never lost those concerns nor fears
even 31 years later but I still had
faith and hope and I believed that God was always in control taking care of His/my
child. Each year that went by, my faith grew stronger and stronger. Even
though none of us are promised tomorrow God still blesses us even when we are
at our lowest ebb.
I prayed with her and following our prayer she looked at me and
said, “You DO understand and for that I
am thankful for you being here with me today”.
I told her that 31 years ago I had wished for a mother to come my
way so that I could have talked with her and she could have opened my eyes to
HOPE.
The mother was even more amazed when I told her that my baby boy had
worked all day Friday at the Toy Sale and until lunch that Saturday. I hated she didn’t get to meet him. She told me this as she left. “God is so good, He has not only been a
blessing to me today He has given you a gift for 31 years”. I could
see Hope in her eyes because of what God had done in our son’s life. She wanted
my churches info and name. I wrote it down and told her if she ever needed me,
to contact the church and I would be there, but in the meantime... I would be praying for
her and her children. God knows this mother and her children’s need and
my prayer for her is that something I said to her will remain in her heart but
if nothing else, the words that God
spoke through me WILL give her Hope this Christmas.
