Restored

On Christmas Day a family in our church lost their apartment and everything in it to a fire. The dad was burned pretty good literally from head to toe. The two children, 7 and 2, suffered minor burns. Apparently the Christmas tree caught fire from the fire in the fireplace. And the rest was history...

The Sunday following Christmas, Cody and I felt called to help restore some hope for this family. We spoke to the family after church getting sizes and needs. So I sent an email and put the situation as my status on Facebook. The immediate response was incredibly overhelming. You would not believe amount of donations! Here is just a glimpse at what was donated to this family:

Donations

• 21 bags of clothes from 8 different families
• 15+ brand new toys
• A toddler bed
• A twin bed
• A queen bed
• Coach purse
• washer and dryer
• couch with matching chair with ottoman
• sofa table
• two matching dressers
• toddler girl's bike
• two TVs
• bedding: comforter, sheets, pillows, blankets, etc...
• kitchen items: pots, pans, complete set of glasses, dishes and silverware, brand new blender, pitcher, cooking bowls, etc...
• house decor: framed pictures, lamp, candle holders, etc...
• $250 Visa gift card
• $100 Best Buy gift card
• $100 American Express gift card
• $50 Target gift card
• $25 Olive Garden gift card
• $150 cash

All of those donations came from 25 families. Some associated with Journey Church. Some I work with or have known for years. Here's some of my favorite donation stories:

The science teacher I work with, Charlene, called randomly about a week after the fire. She said she had some money for me. I'm thinking, "Sweet! For what?" She said her kids-all teenagers-wanted to give back, but they didn't really have items to donate. So her kids cleaned out their closets and took clothes they no longer wear to a resale shop. They donated every bit of their money from selling the clothes to the family - $50!

Our buddy, Blake, was burned fighting the fire Christmas day. He contacted me on Facebook and said he wanted to help. He stopped by the station on his day off and gave some money to Cody. I think that speaks volumes about how Blake and his wife, Jennifer, selflessly give. You'd think Blake did enough just fighting the fire, but he continued to step up and give. Great example.

Our friend, Tina, contacted me and said she had a trailer home available for the family to stay in while they figured out Plan B. As things unfolded, the family took Tina up on her offer. The family is now living in a home rent-free through January and can stay longer, if they wish, at a reduced rate.

Not only was their home re-furnished, but they had a new home for however long they wished as well as $675 in cash and gift cards! God is SO good!

As, Cody and I were collecting and delivering donations, my sister-in-law, Sundy told us about a family in Seminole who lost their home at the same time due to the same reason. I got that family's contact information from my mother-in-law. The duplicate furniture and house items that were donated to the first family were donated to the Seminole family instead, so nothing went to waste!

Donations to Seminole family:

• queen bed
• double bed with matching oak frame and night stand
• kitchen items: pots, pans, utensils, cooking ware
• bedding: comforter, sheets
• some clothing

There are still several contacting me wanting to give. We still have a few furniture items to pick up. It's just simply overwhelming how much people are willing to sacrifice for others!
Also rising out of this is the possibility of a firefighter wives' charity that organizes collections such as this as the need occurs. I'm excited to see how God impacts the city of Norman through the fire department.
Watching God move was the best part of all of this for me. I just sent an email. People responded. It was so humbling. I think we have pretty incredible friends and family in our life! We are blessed.