Sharing our story

3.4.14

     Tuesday was our 3 year wedding anniversary, and it amazes me that we've only been married three years and that we've been married three years. We've been through a lot: two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, long-distance marriage for the entire time, pregnancy, and loss. I still wouldn't have picked anyone else to be in the trenches with me.

     That evening, I had been asked to come to a different Hope Fellowship campus to share Kaitlyn's story and to present the idea of doing a Hope Box gathering at the end of their study. I was a little nervous about presenting the idea to this group because I didn't know anyone there, so I managed to get there a few minutes early and talk to the leaders.
      I told the two leaders about the ministry, and they brought up a couple of good points that I'm going to share just so if there is anyone out there wanting to host a Hope Box gathering they can buffer their story with these thoughts.
      One of the questions was that even though we were putting one box together per 8-10 people so that the cost was lower, there was still a possibility that the cost of donation would be too much for some people. They asked if everyone had to participate (of course not).
       Another question that was asked was, "What if someone here has recently had a loss and this hits too close to home?" and my heart immediately broke. I asked the leader if she knew of someone that had suffered a loss, and she backtracked and said no, but she couldn't say she knew everyone's story in the class. I told her that if someone has had a loss, or if they knew someone that had suffered a loss, that we could get them a box (and this ended up happening a few times).
       Once we got on the same page, I was good to go and we waited for everyone to filter in. When the groups settled down, one of the leaders fired up the microphone and began making their weekly announcements. I sat nervously at the edge of the stage and waited for her to hand over the mic to me.
       I started with our story. One of the hardest things when sharing is to figure out where to "start" our story- and I tend to start when Alex deployed and then go through the pregnancy up to where we lost Kaitlyn.
       Then I share about Hope Mommies. I talk about how much the organization has supported and helped me. How they are completely Christ-centered, and how everything in the group is aimed to help people mourn and grieve but ultimately hope.
       And then, I opened the floor up for questions, and the response was overwhelming.
      "I have a friend that had a loss, how can I get her a box?"
      "Did you say this ministry is not in North Texas?" (The Hope Box ministry is not at any of our local hospitals right now.)
       "Can we host a Hope Box gathering once a month?"
       "Do you need contacts for the hospitals?"
       "What else can we do besides the hope box? Do you need money donations?"

        It was amazing. God had totally taken all my fears and anxieties (and the leaders' anxieties) away and used us for goodness. He had taken our story to another level, again, and Kaitlyn's legacy was living on by inspiring these women to take a risk and donate to an organization they may never (hopefully) need or get anything out of.
        I left there feeling elated, and so glad that God had given me the courage to speak and the right words to say. I felt like I was making a difference in North Texas, and it was awesome to experience.