Yesterday, I received a phone call from Lisa at Hope Kids. I had talked with her on Friday about matching our project up with a family she works with. She promised to pray about it and call me back on Monday. Monday evening, my phone rang and Lisa said the words I’d been dying to hear all day, “I think we have a family for you.”
She told me about Benny, a two year old with a form of eye cancer. At his last scan a few days ago, Benny was cleared: cancer-free!
He has a 4-year old big brother and an infant little brother.
I thanked her, hung up, searched for his picture on facebook and then asked Lacy to pray about whether this family was THE family. This morning she told me first thing, “That’s them, Mom. I feel warm about it.”
As I thought about Benny last night, I thought about God’s love for all of us… EACH of us, no matter who we are, where we are, how much money happens to be in our bank account, or what color of skin, clothes, and make-up we sport.
There are louder stories -stories of children weeks from earning their angel wings. Thank goodness those are being talked about. Thank goodness for social media where we can donate and support those we’ve never met! Benny’s story isn’t so loud. It’s quiet. His story isn’t making headlines or taking social media by storm. It’s our story: the story of a family working each day to simply make it to the next day.
Does God know about US? Does God see us doing dishes and pulling out of the Drive Thru line for the third time that week? Does he see our seemingly small lives?
Benny is proof that HE DOES. Benny will spend the holidays with his family this year and, God willing, every year! He will run and jump and play basketball and video games! He will get into trouble and out of trouble (I mean, he has TWO brothers… so it’s inevitable). He has a bright future ahead of him.
But what about today? What about this very moment -the moment when the outgoing outweighs in the incoming. Mom is emotionally, physically, financially, socially and spiritually SPENT. There is nothing left. What then? GOD THEN.
A little heavenly tap on a shoulder somewhere. In Benny’s case, that shoulder was Lacy’s. Benny doesn’t know Lacy yet, but he will. He doesn’t know Alice yet, but he will. He doesn’t know that Trenton is already coming up with a list of things he JUST MUST HAVE, but he’ll soon have them.
We don’t know much more about this family, but we will.
We don’t know much about them, but somehow their quiet fight IS our story.
At this counting, Lacy has $1,079!
“I want to get them gifts,” she said, “And give the leftover money to them.”
She also has quite a lot of donated toys! She has a team just WAITING to sift through and process the toys! Benny and his family will receive the toys that will benefit their family with THREE boys. The rest of the toys will be lovingly collected and sent to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
To those of you wanting to know more about THE family to buy specific gifts for them, here it is:
There’s Mom and Dad and three little boys (4, 2, and an infant -six monthsish). Aren’t those the BEST ages?! You can basically buy ANYthing, and it will be the most awesome gift ever. I know. I’ve had four and two year olds before!
I’m thinking Mom need a pedicure and a date night.
Any other ideas?
In our quest to find THE family, we came across several stories. I’ll post one here for you, in case you feel one of those heavenly *tap tap*s.
Here’s a more local family -they’re in Phoenix Children’s right now, but there are members of the family in Show Low, AZ:
Baby Ethan
There were a few more, but I’m struggling to track them down!
Merry Christmas, and really -THANK YOU for supporting Lacy through all of this. I wish my computer were working so she could post a few words of her own. This has been a blessing in our lives in SO very many ways!
A few months ago over the summer, I gathered my kids into my bedroom. I lit a candle. I talked about sharing light and read some scriptures. I had the kids help me and one by one, we lit the candles in my room (there were about 20). As the light in the room grew brighter, Lacy gushed, “THIS IS JUST LIKE HEAVEN!”
Since that night, we started asking the kids at the dinner table, “How did you share your light today?”
LIGHT has sort of naturally become our theme right now. Sharing it, feeling it, loving it…
How do YOU share your light?
I want to thank you personally for helping my cousin and her family. We have always believed that God will provide. He does, every time! Even though strangers. Your family has been a blessing to my family and I thank you.