KinderBike

We would like to thank our supporters at KinderBike for their generous donation of 6 brand new KinderBikes!  We were able to sell the bikes at our Garage Sale this past weekend where 100% of the profits will benefit The House of Light.  Although much of what we are bringing on our drops has been donated, we are incurring costs for truck rentals and purchasing consumable items such as toiletries and kitchen items.  Thank you for helping us make a difference in the lives of these families! 

You can support KinderBike by "liking" their Facebook Page here and visiting their webpage here.

"Shelby"

Our second drop was for a young teen mom and her 5 year old son.  "Shelby" has been working with The Family Tree and going through a work study program to support herself and her son.  We ran into a few glitches during this drop, but we were still able to bless Shelby with furniture and even some clothes for her son.

The first glitch was getting the mattress for Shelby's bed, but God provided!  Then, on our way, Brandy contacted the case worker who was having trouble getting in touch Shelby.  We pulled all of our vehicles over and waited to see what the plan would be.

We finally got the go-ahead to head out to Shelby's house and the case worker would meet us there.

So, off we went! 

When we got there, it was clear that Shelby was not going to meet us. She had a job interview and was at school.  For those of us who had been on Jane's drop it was a little disappointing that we weren't able to meet Shelby, but the case worker assured us that this will probably be more of the "norm" than Jane.

At first we weren't sure what to do with all of the furniture that we had brought for Shelby and her son.  We lucked out when her neighbor and her brother showed up and were able to get in touch with Shelby.  The case worker managed to talk her in to letting the neighbor let us drop the big items in the backyard and her brother brought the linens and smaller items into the house before he left for work.

Once we got started, the drop went quickly.

Although this drop had a much different feel than the first one, we still know that God's Hand was at work through the entire process.  We, as a team, have learned a lot and are continuing to grow into a more cohesive group.  And, our passion for our community and especially these women continues to grow!

A big thank you again to all who have contributed.  We could not have done any of this without your support, your prayers, and your donations.  Thank you!

The Crew!

Here is a list of the items we were able to leave for Shelby and her son:

• Sofa
• Two Chairs
• End Table
• Lamp
• Bed Linens for both mama and son
• Bath Towels, Hand Towels, and Washcloths
• Book Shelf
• TV Trays
• 2 Kitchen Chairs
• Bed Pillows
• Clothes for her son

The Miracle of the Mattresses

We ran into a few obstacles for our second project.  The first being a lack of mattresses.  These are extremely hard to come by, but also the greatest need!  We had a twin sized mattress for "Shelby's" little boy but still needed a full or queen sized mattress for "Shelby".  The drop was scheduled for Friday, and on Wednesday we were still without any leads.
Wednesday night we received a message that a friend of a friend had a mattress that she was excited to donate to House of Light, but that we would need to drive to Castle Rock to get it.  We rallied the troops and figured out who was going.  This was finalized Thursday morning.

Throughout the morning we realized that we were not going to be able to pick up the mattress until Friday evening or Saturday - after the drop had occurred.  PANIC set in!

This is when God intervened in a mighty and powerful way!

It was then discovered that the woman who was donating the mattress was the cousin of one of House of Light's Council members, Rachel.  She was willing to give us the code to her garage so we could pick up the mattress on Thursday afternoon!

Rachel and Lisa headed out to pick up the mattress and with the help of the kind young man who happened to notice us in front of his house, got the mattress and box spring on top of the car.  It was "loosely" strapped to the hood of the car (since Lisa's lesson with ratcheting straps didn't transfer to actual application).  A prayer was said and we made our way back to the interstate with Rachel leaning low keeping an eye on the treasures through the rear view mirror!

I forgot to take a picture, but this what we imagined the scene resembled!

Needless to say, we weren't laughing like some of the other Council members when Brandy received word that "Shelby" and her son had been given mattresses already...

We are extremely thankful for the generosity of Rachel's cousin, and the divine (and humorous) way the Lord blessed House of Light!

"Jane"

On Friday, March 4th, four members of The Council from The House of Light gathered the donations and our strength and headed out to "Jane's" apartment.  We packed up the truck, the mini-van, and the Subaru, prayed together, and set out to deliver the furniture.

We were blessed right away by Jane and her case worker from The Family Tree.  She was the sweetest woman who was beyond thankful and choked up on multiple occasions.

Jane's new "Pretty Bathroom".  She loved that everything matched and it finally looked beautiful.

In addition to the Lazy-Boy Recliner that was graciously donated for Jane's cancer recovery, we brought over a kitchen table and chairs.  The space was tight, and it was amazing how it fit perfectly!  We were able to drop down one of the sides to that it lay flush against the wall.  Jane loved it, and donated her two kitchen chairs that she had for us to bless another woman with!

The first thing we moved in...the bed!  For the past 5 months, since Jane first moved into her apartment from the shelter, she had been sleeping on the floor.  She could not have the 5 pound cancerous tumor removed from her ovary because she would not be able to get up from the floor, or down for that matter.  Rachel, one of The Council members, has been blessed with the gift of sewing.  She graciously made this duvet cover and pillow for Jane's new bed.  Jane kept running her hand over her bed saying, "I can't believe this is mine!  Is this really for me?" 

Only four of us were able to make it on Friday, but every single one of The Council played a very important role in getting us ready for this day.  Throughout our journey, you will meet each one of us, and we are looking forward to what the future holds.

Before we left, Brandy explained to Jane that we are a faith-based group of moms who felt like it was time to do something more in our community.  Sonya had brought along a new Bible and a copy of the Jesus Calling devotional for Jane to keep.  We then asked if it would be alright if we prayed for her, and she graciously accepted.

It was a very powerful morning, and we were all moved by Jane and her willingness to allow us into her home.  She was appreciative and excited.  We were able to leave a few donated meals for her as well.  Her surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5th.  Please keep her in your prayers as her doctors learn what stage her cancer is and how they will move forward with her treatment options.

Here is a list of what you helped bless Jane with:

• Bed Frame
• Box Spring
• Mattress
• Sheets
• Pillows
• Duvet and Cover
• Dresser
• Shower Curtain
• Matching Bathroom Accessories
• Personal Hygiene Items
• Kitchen Table and 2 Chairs
• Lazy-Boy Recliner
• Standing Lamp
• Welcome Mat
• Vacuum 
• Cleaning Products
• Several Meals that have filled her freezer
• Bible and Jesus Calling Devotinal

The Next Step

We have been overwhelmed by the willingness to give, not only by our friends and family, but also by complete strangers.  It is encouraging to watch God's hand at work through individuals that we have come in contact with!  Thank you.

After only about one week we are just about ready to deliver what we have gathered.  Although we originally thought we would be helping the young woman and her daughter who we previously mentioned, we have been unable to get in touch with her caseworker.  Therefore, we have committed to a woman who has known for several months that she has ovarian cancer.  The tumor that is currently growing inside of her body weighs 5 pounds.  She has been unable to schedule the surgery to remove the tumor because she did not have a bed to recover on, as she is currently sleeping on a comforter.

We are excited to report that we will be delivering her new bed to her later this week!  We will also be delivering other pieces of furniture as well as some items to help her decorate and really make her finally feel at home.

This is only the beginning, and we can hardly wait to see how God will move next!

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Getting Started!

Although we are still in the formation process, we are already collecting gently used household items to give to a woman and her young daughter in Aurora.  She is in desperate need of a queen-size bed and mattress for herself, as well as a twin-size bed and mattress for her daughter.  Along with the beds, they both need dressers, as well as bedding for their new beds.
At this time we cannot accept used mattresses, but would greatly appreciate anything else that can be donated in order to help this young family make their new house into their home.
If you are able to help, please contact us at thehouseoflightproject@gmail<dot>com
Thank you in advance for prayerfully considering how you can help.