Local Texas church shares about Hope disguised as Furniture

Pastor Tommy Estes from Williamson County, Texas, recently shared his church’s story about meeting the needs of two CarePortal requests.  As part of meeting these needs, Pastor Tommy assisted in the delivery of the items.  His story – along with so many others who have participated in the delivery of items to those in need – conveys a larger message than the simple distribution of goods.  Rather, each fulfilled request is a reminder of the eternal things: faith, hope, and love.  Here is Pastor Tommy’s story…

The Christian contemporary group Big Daddy Weave sings a song entitled My Story.  The very first verse says, “If I told you my story, you would hear HOPE that wouldn’t let go.” I believe that to be true about CarePortal’s story – Hope that will not let go!

I recently had the privilege to help pick up and deliver furniture and other household goods to two families in Austin, TX, coordinated through CarePortal. The experience was life changing. If you have ever carried a crib up a flight of narrow stairs with a quarter space landing, then you know it can be challenging. After many attempts of trying to carry a crib upstairs, the young mother told me that we could leave the crib downstairs. However, if she were my daughter, I would not be satisfied leaving a job undone! So, with the help of two young adults (one of which is my son), we were able to spend some time to disassemble and reassemble a crib in an upstairs bedroom for a single mother with a new born.

The second delivery was just a few miles away from the first. Here we were able to deliver a couch, chair, lamps, toddler bed, and a washing machine to a mother who is restoring a relationship with her children and herself from a life of drug abuse. The apartment was empty when we arrived and full when we left. Lifting and carrying the furniture into the apartment definitely left my body feeling sore, but watching my son and his friend encourage this young mother’s son with hope was priceless.

CarePortal is not only about the meeting of physical needs. The meeting of the emotional and spiritual need of hope to the hopeless is met when someone sacrificially gives or donates time, finances, and other resources to help their community. Hope is met when someone locates and coordinates the picking up and delivery of hopeful resources. It is met through the actions of saying, “I care about you enough to take apart a crib and reassemble it upstairs for you.” Hope is met when we stay to laugh and visit a family without time restraints because they are valuable enough to have our undivided attention.

Everyone deserves hope. Hope that God extends to our country will never be found in government institutions. It’s found in the lives of caring strangers that make up local churches throughout North America and the world!

Interested in getting involved?  Contact us here>> for more information.