Tis the season, in the US at least, when we gather together as friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. This is a special day where we focus on being grateful for all that God has provided. A time to pause and reflect on how blessed we are as individuals, families and a nation.
The season got me thinking about how grateful I am (and all of the HopeChest family is) for all the people involved in our ministry—without them, we could not be transforming communities and moving children and families down a path to self-sustainability. There are many unsung heroes and people of tremendous faith who have had an enormous impact on the children and communities we get to serve.
Our Board of Directors and our small staff is a wonderful group of committed believers who have a calling to serve the most vulnerable. They are gifted, passionate men and women who do an amazing amount with limited resources. I am so grateful for their dedication to our mission!
Our in-country partners and staff are a gift from the Lord. God has given them a vision for their communities and their nations. He has gifted them with a fire in their bellies for changing the status quo and overcoming the cycle of poverty. I’m so grateful for God plating the seed of belief that He has a plan for them and has given them resources that they can use. And when combined with dedicated partners to help them see their vision come to life, life will change. Hope will be restored. Poverty will be overcome. They will become self-sustaining. And they will flourish as God intended.
I’m so thankful for our sponsors and donors, who have been responsive to God’s call on their life to share their time, talents and treasures in making a difference in the life of vulnerable children. I’m thankful for the churches and connect communities who’ve dedicated themselves to building true community, because they believe at their core that it’s only through intimate Community-to-Community partnership that true transformation happens and the cycle of dependency can be dramatically altered.
Mostly, however, I’m thankful to God. Thankful that He gave a man a vision to help orphaned children in Russia and that through obedience, that vision has grown into what Children’s HopeChest is today. God has overseen every step and provided for our every need. In good time and not so good times He has proven faithful. He has this ministry in his hands, and we are so grateful to be part of the journey.
