Coming To A State Near You!!
Over the last few years, we have received inquiries on how to get started doing work similar to Furnishing Families in their region. To answer this question seemed counter-intuitive, because all this began organically, and seemingly by accident from a water leak disaster in our home. The room became repurposed as an office after renovation, and the bedroom furniture was connected with a local organization that helps single moms get on their feet. In hindsight, we can see what God was doing through it all, but it can be hard to tell others “The Steps” for how they should begin their ministry.
This summer, we decided to share in-person what we’ve learned with the hope that it would help provide a roadmap—not a formula—for others who share a similar vision of serving local families with furniture, beds, and housewares. We invited some of these folks to our headquarters in Fort Worth to see the day to day operation at our warehouse, meet and pray with our team, and help with deliveries.
Sherry and Steve Stoeppler (pictured to the right of Karen) have started the process of accumulating inventory and are now preparing to serve their region in Tennessee. Bonnie Stephenson (far right), from the email “Hanging Out With Partners,” is also developing her organization Furnishing Families of Louisiana! Thank you all for making the trip to us and getting in on the Love-In-Action.
This type of work is becoming a calling for many. We have friends who have started their own organization in Oklahoma city and others in California who have already completed deliveries! (Watch for their stories in a future newsletter.) Annabelle and Lance were in Colorado Springs with The Fire and Glory Tour and several ladies there decided they want to start a Furnishing Families type ministry in their garage!
Here's how the Lord works! A few weeks ago, one of my friends who lives in the Denver area named Renee asked me if I would like to receive some furniture she had in her storage unit. I wasn't quite sure how to drive it all the way to Texas from Colorado so I kept it on the back burner in my mind. Renee drove into Colorado Springs for the Fire and Glory meetings. While we were at this conference, one of the ladies serving us in the dining room named Vanessa told us that she is about to start a Healing House. I introduced Vanessa and Renee to each other at lunch. A third person named Kim was sitting with us, and she offered to receive the furniture from nearly 1.5 hrs away and store it in her garage until Vanessa closes on her Healing House purchase! Wow! -Annabelle
Almost everybody has something they're storing that they could donate to someone else.
It's not necessary to jump hook, line, and sinker into this type of work. You can start by sharing a table and chairs or buying somebody a bed. Once you get started and see the impact you have on a family, especially from the child's perspective, you’ll feel the shift of functionality that happens in their home and begin to get addicted to making it happen over and over again.
If you are considering the possibility of a similar outreach organization, my encouragement will always be to do it the way God is leading you. As followers of Jesus, we are all representatives of the kingdom of God and, ultimately, that’s the most important affiliation/network we need. We would love to hear your stories and serve as a support along the way! We look forward to keeping you all posted on how God uses these outreaches in their areas.