Testimony from Saturday

From a friend......


How awesome it was to be a part of A Fresh Hope on Saturday! Wow! This ministry has truly been an inspiration to me. As you know, I loaded down my suv with backpacks thinking some of the students could use some at the school I work at...turns out God had plans for these backpacks somewhere else. I had intentions on delivering the elem. size backpacks to the trailer park my sister used to live in because there are mostly younger children there, but as my sister and I drove throught the park there were few children to be found and we were only able to give out 3. So we decided to hit other trailer parks in the area...that is when revival broke out!! Sorry! I just could not help myself. :) People were telling us that they had heard of the ministry but had no way of getting to the church...so I thought if they can't come to us we will go to them. There are amazing stories to tell but two still sticks out in my mind that I can't forget. As we entered the second trailer park, I saw a man working on his car and asked if he had children that could use a backpack and he said that he was living there with his sister and her husband but they have children that could definitely use backpacks. His sister and her husband came outside and she started telling me how she had heard Waverly on the radio and that she had went to Westridge that morning to get her younger children backpacks. She told me that she has a daughter in high school and that she needed a backpack so I gave her one. At that time the dad started to cry because he felt that he was letting his children down especially their teenage daughter because he knew that she would not be able to experience high school like most other teenagers would. He said his daughter would not be able to experience the prom or pictures because financially they could not afford those things. I have never done this before but I gave them my cell # and told them to please call me if their daughter ever needed anything and I would make sure that she went to the prom and that she would have pictures. I don't think there was a dry eye among us. This story is my inspiration and confirmation that I want to start an "off spring" ministry from A Fresh Hope targeting our teenagers in the community...the second story begans as I pulled in the driveway of one of the last trailers to visit and there was a little boy playing in the yard and I asked if his mom was home and he said yes but she is sick. He ran to get his sister who was sitting with his brother on the porch. I got out of my car and asked if she and her brothers could use a backpack for school and she said yes but they did not have any money. I told her that was ok because we brought the backpacks to her for free. She could not believe they were free! As I went to get the backpacks out of my car the smallest boy stood and saw that I only had green backpacks left for elem. He looked at me and said I'm not going to school this year but I am next year and I LOVE green it's my favorite color! I told him that I had a green backpack just for him. As he took the backpack he asked if it had something in it and I told him yes and explained to him what kind of school supplies were in it. He gave me the biggest smile and said "I'm so happy I've never got a backpack before and I'm so happy!" He grabbed me around my legs and gave me a big hug so I bent down and gave him a hug back and he said ma'am thank you I've never been so happy. And as God would have it, I had only one middle school backpack left and I gave it to his sister. She kept saying God bless you ma'am over and over. As she was walking away, I yelled God bless you and she turned and yelled back "He just did!" I sat in my car, overwhelmed, and watched them run inside. The little boy kept turning around and waving with a big smile on his face. I just kept thinking...wow! This is what A Fresh Hope is all about. I know these are lengthy stories but they are "God stories" that I will never forget and I'm so glad he allowed me to be a small part of it.

All or none! For Him!

SB