As children of God, we are all called to do His good work. It is truly a blessing to complete an assignment God has given me, especially when it turns into several more.
Led by the Lord
Almost two years ago an invitation was given to me to attend a breakfast fundraiser for the Alpha House of Tampa, which is a place for pregnant and parenting women in crisis. I was moved and overwhelmed with compassion during this breakfast. I felt led to give a financial donation, but left that day with a tug on my heart. Weeks and months went by and the Lord kept the Alpha House on my heart and finally I realized…God was assigning me a job to do.
After visiting the Alpha House for a “Lunch and Learn” and a touring of the maternity home, I was speechless. Stories were told of women who had been through the most terrifying situations a woman can imagine. Many of the young women who endured violence and abuse by “loved ones” were only teenagers; some had even been homeless, with no where else to turn. Then I heard wonderful success stories of women who had completed Alpha’s program. I saw where these women live and how grateful they are to have a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and a clean, safe environment to call home. I witnessed how warm and caring the staff at Alpha are towards these women and how they provide not only a place to live, but also a family to love them and share their lives with.
My Assignment
The first task the Lord assigned me was to organize a diaper drive at my work with the help of a friend. One might think that it would be awkward to ask people that you work with to give, but the Lord guided my steps and we received an amazing response. We collected over $800 and an abundance of baby items that filled my SUV to the brim. We were delighted and very excited to bring the fruits of our labor to the Alpha House. As the donation room door opened, my heart leapt. We were greeted with towers upon towers of unorganized donations all over the room. I thought to myself, ”Someone needs to put this place in order so the women can actually get to the donations that are here for them!” Then I heard a small voice inside me say, ”You.” Honestly at first, I didn’t think it was possible and I wondered, ”Who would pay to renovate this space? Who has the time to do this?” Again, I heard a still small voice say, ”You.” At this point in my walk with the Lord, I was beginning to understand when He was leading me and actually talking to me. My heart was softened and receptive to the voice of the Lord. I don’t mean I heard an audible voice; it was a voice deep in my soul, it was the Lord guiding me. I left that day with a lot of ideas to work on for this project.
Showing God’s Love
In the meantime my friend and I decided it would be great to interact with the women and teach them something fun. The holidays were coming up, so the obvious choice was to teach a baking class! We took them through step by step how to bake chocolate chip cookies and brownies from scratch, and the women really seemed to enjoy themselves. At that moment I knew God wanted me involved with this organization to show these women God’s Love through acts of kindness. The Pastor’s voice, at my sister’s church, rang in my head, ”Show God’s Love in practical ways.” I smiled and knew we were doing just that.
A few weeks later we showed up again with pizza, sweets, hot chocolate, and Christmas movies. We wanted to just hang out with the women and their children and get to know them better. I decided to bring my camera that day and it dawned on me that they probably don’t have cameras to take pictures of their babies in front of the Christmas tree. Many of us take for granted simple things like having Christmas pictures of our children, but these things meant so much to these grateful women. I was blessed to witness how such small gestures of kindness can greatly affect someone’s spirit.
The Mountain
I knew God had much more in store for me at the Alpha House. So, I heeded the voice of the Lord in my heart, the unction that I had received several weeks prior while in the donation room. My assignment became the job that no one had the time or the money to execute. I remember walking into the small space for the first time and not even being able see the floor to make out the actual size of the room. Others might have turned away from this wonderful opportunity, but my spirit cheered for the chance to magnify God in that place. Before this adventure began I asked the Lord to guide me in this assignment and to bring physical and financial help across my path. I could not complete this task on my own, but I knew that with God, all things are possible. I put my trust in Him to make it happen.
The donation room at the Alpha House is a very important place for the women. This room is one of the first stops a new Alpha resident makes to gather items that she needs for herself and her child. Often times women enter the Alpha House with only the clothes on their back and must start over completely. This room is filled with women’s and children’s clothing, baby items, and other necessities that have been donated by people in the community. The residents have access to these items throughout their stay at the Alpha House.
The Lord continued to move and lined up a team of wonderful volunteers that were excited to be a part of the vision God placed in my heart. Our first plan of action was to clear out the entire room down to the bare walls. To do this we needed a space to put all of the items from the room, and the Lord provided yet again. Some of our volunteers paid for a storage unit for the two months that we needed to complete the project. We worked weekend after weekend, and hour after hour sorting through the mountains of donations, organizing all of the clothes, shoes, toys, and baby items. This was the most daunting project I had ever been involved in. Each week when we came back to continue sorting through the donations, we would find yet another truck load of donations from the previous week. It seemed never ending, but I knew the best thing to do was have a great attitude and do it as unto the Lord. I was doing this work for the Alpha House, but ultimately I was being obedient to the Lord’s guidance.
Our next step was to organize a garage sale to sell the excess items that the Alpha House could not use, nor had the space to keep. The money raised would be used to purchase the supplies needed to renovate the donation room. The only day we were all available to help was not considered the best day for a garage sale. Some said, “Oh you probably won’t raise that much money,” and other discouraging words were said. However, 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV) says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” We must learn to ignore the negative voices, especially when the Lord has said that He will supply everything we need for any good work that we put our hands to.
The weather forecast called for rain the day of the garage sale. Well, praise God, the rain held off and we raised hundreds of dollars for our renovation supplies. Another blessing from God happened that day; the Lord enabled us to give to a woman who was helping a friend in need. Her friend’s home burned down and absolutely nothing was salvaged. We filled the bed of her truck up with clothes, shoes, housewares, bedding, and even a mattress for next to nothing in cost. It is truly amazing to witness how the Lord will put you in the right place at the right time to not only fulfill your needs, but also fulfill the needs of others.
Abundant Blessings
Throughout this assignment, God began blessing my husband and me financially. The Lord led us to sow into the project and together with the garage sale money, we were able to purchase all of the shelving and organizational items needed for the entire project. One of our volunteers was able to get all of the paint for the project donated for free, praise the Lord! We also had hundreds of dollars worth of items donated for everything else we needed to complete the space.
A volunteer found a great company that made three special scriptures into decals to place on the walls just below the ceiling. After walking into the space, your eyes are immediately drawn up toward God’s Word. The Lord led us to choose these scriptures, as it was important to show the women at the Alpha House, not only where the blessing of this renovation came from, but also who is the One watching over them.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
The vision of an organized space designed to inspire and motivate the women of the Alpha House came to life. When new women walk through those doors for the first time, they will read these scriptures when they just may be at their lowest place. The Lord’s presence is most certainly in the Alpha House and He wants to show them a life without suffering. This is truly a place for women to make changes in their lives and the lives of their children that will last a lifetime.
The final touches of greenery, inspirational art, and other accessories were just about complete and my heart rejoiced bringing a smile to my face. I have heard many people say that renovations never go as planned and they always take much longer than anticipated, but I don’t believe that is the case with God on your side. It all worked out in the time frame expected and the room turned out more beautiful than we all had hoped. It was my desire to do this project well, to magnify the Lord. After the response we received from the Alpha House staff and women, it was known that we had done an excellent job. I thought of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 and I knew the Lord was looking down upon us saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant[s].”
The whole renovation project has blessed me tremendously. The Lord confirmed in my heart that He is my supplier. I learned that if I was willing and obedient He would bless me and give me more than I needed. We can never repay Jesus for what He did for us on the cross, but we can live to serve God and continually do what pleases Him. Psalm 35:27 (NKJV) says, “Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.’”
New Lives Breakfast
Last May, I had the honor of attending the New Lives Breakfast fundraiser for the Alpha House as their volunteer speaker and table captain. Along with a friend of mine we invited as many people as we could to fill our tables with potential donors. The butterflies were turning in my stomach and the nerves were setting in as it came time to walk up to the platform and stand in front of the microphone. I had never given a speech before in front of anyone, let alone hundreds of people! The realization that I was, again, doing the Lord’s work hit me and an overwhelming sense of peace came over me. He was using me to help this organization. The Lord moved through me during my speech and helped me get through every word with grace and sincerity. The Lord is so good; I learned a week later that our tables alone raised almost $10,000 that morning for the Alpha House. Romans 8:28 says “We know that God will work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
Blessed to be a Blessing
The Lord also led me to volunteer my time to babysit for the women at the Alpha House one evening a week for six months. It gave them the opportunity to take a class offered at the Alpha House that helps them get through the painful events of their past. That experience gave me a better understanding of what these women have been through. It is hard for many of us to comprehend the terrible things these women have experienced in their lives at such a young age. They come in week after week with a positive attitude and a determination to make a change. They want to fight for a chance at a better life and their driving force is the precious children they are carrying or already raising. Alpha illustrates to these women that they can achieve their heart’s desire and they show them how to set goals to do so. Alpha also teaches the women parenting and life skills which help them grow into successful self-sufficient families.
The more time I spend at Alpha, the more I have seen spirits lifted, hopes renewed, and love in their hearts restored. Every time I leave Alpha I am making a new list of things I want to do to help. It is endless, but the amazing thing is, the women I have come into contact with are gracious and continually surprised by the kindness of complete strangers. Their smiles warm my heart and are all the thanks I need to keep going back. I am truly blessed to be a blessing.
I’ve learned that one of the amazing things about our awesome God is that He will not only bless the work you are doing for Him, but He will simultaneously bless you in the process. My husband and I were sowing our money, time, and energy into the Alpha House and God has been blessing us ever since. The Lord has helped us pay off several debts that seemed impossible to tackle, kept our jobs safe in this time of recession, and has opened the door to an amazing future serving Him. We continually have faith in God that He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19, NKJV), and He does…again and again. GLORY!
If you’re interested in attending this year’s free New Lives Breakfast fundraising event on May 5th, volunteering, or finding out more information about the Alpha House of Tampa, please visit their website:
www.alphahouseoftampa.org or contact Cathi Hardesty at 813.875.2024.
