Thank you!
Dear Hope Church,
Thank you all for your generous donations to the gift bags and dessert for Speas Elementary School! They were delivered with lunch from the church on Tuesday to the staff and teachers.
“Wow!” is the best word that comes to mind. Your small acts were multiplied into a beautiful display of encouragement.
We were overwhelmed by how grateful the teachers and staff were for the meal and the gift bags. As they came through the room, we heard over and over again, “Thank you for your kindness.” “Blessings on your church.” “It has been such a hard year– thank you.” “This is so kind! Thank you!”
The students wrote thank you notes to the church and said it best: “Thank you for giving the teachers a good day!”
It’s amazing to see how when we ask God to show us the way and we follow where he leads that HE shows up too. God showed us His provision in that within minutes of our request to help us fill our sign up, it was full! And then God opened even another door when a first time visitor approached Emily after the service and was moved to make a very generous donation that then allowed us to do even more for the teachers and staff at Speas. What an amazing God who shows up and shows his generosity through His people.
And all the while remembering where we came from! Our church has had a special relationship with Speas Elementary School since we gathered there for worship many years ago before we had a building. The same red chairs were in the classroom where lunch was hosted this week as are in our early church photos. While there on Tuesday, we used the backpack program cart that the church purchased for the school and we saw a church member signing in to read with her book buddy.
May the loving embrace of Christ be near to us all and evident to those in our paths this
week just as it was at Speas on Tuesday.
Gratefully,
Emily Short and Elissa Dowlen