I believe that one of the ways God mends our hearts after
loss and one way he can make us whole even in the midst of infertility is by
serving others. When we step outside of
ourselves, maybe at first for only the briefest of moments, something beautiful
happens. Healing begins. I had been praying about a way the ladies of
GracefulWait could come together for a service project when a member of my
church sent me this blog way back in January 2012.
I was touched and immediately knew Project Hope was
something I wanted to contribute too. I knew it would take lots of work and prayer
to pull it off so I filed it away, and kept praying about it. Fast Forward to March 2013! I was finally able to start organizing and
talking to others about Project Hope and how we could make it happen in
Columbia. The support that followed from
GracefulWait ladies, The Crossing Women’s Bible study and church at large, and
some complete strangers was overwhelming.
Donations started coming in March.
Cash.
Picture Frames.
Scrapbook Materials.
Boxes.
Yarn.
Precious Time given
by so many women.
Women who knitted & crocheted.
Women who sewed.
Women who helped me plan and prepare.
Women who decorated boxes & lovingly helped me fill each
one.
Women who felt connected to this cause for many reasons…
…a personal loss, a
daughter with a loss, a friend.
Women who prayed.
Not only for this project but for the women who would be the
recipients of the work of our hands.
That they would feel God’s love through us.
The work of His hands.
That they would know they are not alone.
That their babies will not be forgotten.
Enough cash and materials were donated to complete 30 boxes. In May & June I had the privilege of
delivering the boxes to Boone and Women & Children’s Hospitals here in Columbia.
Each box
contained:
Letter
from a fellow mommy of a baby in Heaven
Hand knitted
or crocheted hat & booties
Hand
crocheted heart pin for the mother to
wear in memory of her baby
Handmade
& stamped bronze HOPE pendant by Clayful Impressions
Framed Jeremiah 29:11 Scripture Card
Baby Hair
Keepsake Bag
Packet of Remembrance
Seeds
Handstitched
“hope” pillow
Embroidered
lovie blanket
Here is a slide show of pictures of some finished boxes and
their contents.
Thanks again for your prayers, time & donations.
I’m purposefully not giving any names because I know I will
forget someone; there are just so many
people to thank. I hope you know how
humbled and grateful I am for your generosity…and how much these boxes will
mean to a family who loses a baby.
While this first run with Project Hope is not exactly the
same as Laura’s original ideas…{I had to take a stab at it using the resources
I knew I had available}…I believe this is only the beginning. Laura is working on some plans in San Antonio to move her vision for Project Hope forward and to reach more hurting families. God willing, she hopes to create a more formalized
process in putting these boxes together perhaps Nationwide!
So stay tuned!
Project Hope returns to Columbia this fall!
much love, Kelly.
