Looking Back on 2013

Looking back at what we have done in this last year, we are simply amazed at what we have accomplished.  We have learned, and are still learning, how to run this great venture called House of Light.  But with the determination and heart from the women who are House of Light, we have delivered furniture to thirteen families.

January: With a round of strong coffee, seven women discussed and created House of Light.

February: We continued to meet and form who we were and what we would be.  HOL began collecting gently used household items by "begging" and pleading to our friends and neighbors...and they willingly came through.

March: Our first drop was to a sweet woman that was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. HOL was able to provide a bed and recliner for recovery. The recliner was a donation that happened a day before delivery.  With a bed and a recliner, she was able to schedule surgery, which was way overdue.

Bed provided for our first client

We also had a second drop in March for a single mom and her young son.  She was working hard and even going back to school.  When their family came home after a long day, they had living room and dining room furniture waiting for them!

Emily keeping us organized

One of the biggest obstacles for HOL in beginning was finding donated mattresses.  The HOL Council began to pray for mattresses. Donations began to pour in.  We were in no way prepared for the "Miracle of Mattresses" and had no way to store them.  Brandy graciously opened up her garage and then her basement.  It became comical that what once was our greatest need became our most donated item. At one point we had 12 mattress sets.  We also started to build our collection of bedding, towels, kitchen tables, chairs, dressers, and couches.



April: "This is the best day of my life!" Those were the words exclaimed by a sweet girl after her empty house was filled with a table and chairs, sofa, love seat and dressers. Every member of the family went to bed that night with new pillows, sheets, and a comforter. When we arrived, each family member had a mattress to sleep on, and that was all.  This little girl slept on clean sheets for the first time!  There was not a dry eye to be found!

 We even picked up this large table on our way to our drop.  We could not even believe that we were able to find such a big table to donate to our sweet family.  The Lord had definitely provided!

May: A sweet family that had two girls who both love sports made a furniture donation. They were relocating and didn't need the girls desks and beds. Imagine the timing when we found out the family we were giving the furniture to was a single mom with two girls. Before HOL unloaded, the two girls had a soccer ball, basketball and guitar in their rooms. With the generous donation, each girl had a bed and desk. The mom also got a bed and dresser, and the family had a couch, end tables, a coffee table and a kitchen table. There were tears in this mama's eyes when she said, "I could never thank you enough. My house is something right out of a magazine."  Looking at her new tea cups and saucers, she also mentioned that she would learn to drink tea!

Word was getting around about HOL. Our collection was becoming too large for a basement.  Needing funds for a storage unit, we did a fundraiser yard sale.  People came through, like they always do, and donated like crazy!

June/July: We unofficially took a "break" for summer, but the donations continued to pile up on Brandy's porch and in her basement.  We received our first out of state donation, and Lisa traveled back from Iowa with a queen sized mattress, first attached to the top of the car, and then squeezed on top of the children!

August: HOL feels official.  We have a new logo. We have business cards.  We even have a new storage unit for our donations!  Southlands Storage Unit became the new hot spot for loading and unloading the truck!  

September: One of this month's drops was to a single mom with four kids.  Walking in, the house was perfectly clean, but very empty.  In the corner where a six year old slept was a neatly folded burgundy comforter with a stuffed Spidey sitting on top.  It felt so good to leave behind a twin bed with sports bedding.

Packing up the truck

October: Sometimes when a donation comes in it sits for a while, waiting for just the right person or family. Toward the beginning of our gathering items for HOL, we received a cute black and white queen comforter with Dr. Suess on it. It was a little tricky because you want to give a girl, well, something girly. And usually the young boys we provided bedding to were getting twin bedding. When we packed up the bedding for the October drop, we had no idea that the six year old twin boys who were playing hide and seek in the closet were the perfect fit. They couldn't believe this new fun Dr. Suess bedding was theirs. Before HOL there was nothing in the two bedroom apartment.  When we left, the once empty apartment was now a home.

November: "My wife really wants to arrange the furniture herself."  It was such a sweet thought by the man we delivered to. We delivered a sofa, kitchen table and chairs and two bedroom sets. We were careful to leave the design to his wife. I know I love to have a say where my couch is going to be.

December: We ended up not doing an official drop in December and only picking up donated furniture, which was a blessing in disguise.  We had so many donations, we ended up "dividing and conquering," and making it back to the schools to pick up our kids, just in time!  We were still able to give furniture to a family through The Family Tree, who graciously met us at our storage unit with their own truck and delivered the furniture for us.

Did you know the ladies moving furniture are the members of HOL? We are a strong and determined group of women. Moving heavy furniture is hard. It is especially hard when the temps are in the 30s (or below) and we have also learned it is tricky to hold a heavy dresser when the sweat reaches your hands. But we love it!  We look forward to the second Friday of each month when we can gather together and bless our neighbors.  We know, though, that it was more than furniture we delivered to these families. It was a sense of hope. God is good!