The staff at HOPE has been blown away the past couple of weeks with your generosity, heart, and engagement for life. I write and talk quite a bit about Christians being called to action. I encourage people all the time to get off the sidelines and get their hands dirty. We are always pushing and, praise God, many of you are starting to push with us. Many of you are tired of calling the sideline your home and are stepping in to this wonderful work we have been called to do. Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for seeing a need and allowing your desires to motivate you to meet that need.
We have seen this engagement in many different forms, but I wanted to touch on a few of those in this post. Thank you for donating and getting one of our “Life Matters” shirts. This seems simple, but your generosity will help HOPE continue to impact this community and your wearing this shirt will tell the world that life truly does matter and is important. The Life Matters initiative isn’t some gimmick or hashtag advocacy. We are truly seeking partners around the country to join us in standing for life. We are seeking partners to lift medical clinics up in prayer. We are seeking partners to cry out to the Author of life, for without Him involved, we are truly incapable of making an impact anywhere. The week of October 11th is going to be special for a number of reasons, but it is amazing to know that people from Texas, South Carolina, California, Michigan, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Florida have already signed up and will be joining us in prayer. We anticipate seeing more states getting involved, but we are in awe of what God has done already through Life Matters. Thank you!
We have seen your engagement occur through volunteering. We recently hosted a volunteer training where we saw 12 men and women make a decision to join HOPE in this life work. These folks are seeking to put their faith into action and love a population that many forget about. These wonderful 12 are excited about seeing God move in the conversations they are preparing to have with men and women in crisis. These wonderful 12 are stepping out of their comfort zones and stepping into real lasting relationships with our patients. Many of the patients that walk in HOPE’s doors are in need of a great deal more than simple medical assistance. Many of them need someone to walk alongside of them through these difficult times. Our volunteers are trained and equipped to be that person for our patients as mentoring is celebrated and encouraged. We do not have everything figured out, but we know that a great impact is made when Christians make the decision to love strangers as Christ loved us. This is what our volunteers are prepared to do, and we cannot wait to see the heart changes that are sure to come through these mentoring relationships.
Your engagement in “Life Matters” and in volunteering is amazing, but it doesn’t stop there. We have also seen your love poured out for our patients through your gifts for the baby showers we have coming up. These showers are some of the greatest events we get to be a part of. We watch as our patients are given a full picture of God’s love for His people. We watch as gift after gift is opened. We watch, with tears in our eyes, as baby’s first car seat is unpacked or his first onesie is unwrapped. We could not throw these showers without help from you. We could not give these patients what they deserve without help from you. We could not show Jesus without help from you. Thank you for caring and for giving so that these patients know what being loved truly means.
There is not a day that goes by that I am not in awe of what God is doing in and through HOPE. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t reflect on the amazing work of His hand. There is also not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you. We are blessed to call HOPE our job home, but we are also blessed to call you a HOPE ambassador. The time, prayer, money, items, food, and work that you voluntarily give to HOPE is truly a gift that we do not take for granted. Your desire to get engaged and involved in this life work is truly a blessing to us all. Thank you for standing when others will not. Thank you for loving those that others refuse to love. Thank you for answering the call. Thank you for simply being you and loving as He loves. Your impact in this work cannot be overstated. Know that and let that truth motivate you to continue the fight as we all celebrate life.
posted by Andrew Wood, Executive Director of Hope Resource Center
