A Story and Reflecting on 2011

Great story:  Got a email from a case worker who has worked with his client for 2 years.  The client had worked very hard according to her case worker, dealing with domestic violence issues and personal therapy. She had suffered continual assault by her husband who she is now divorced. She, after 4 years of homelessness and residential treatment, got her own apartment and had no furniture since moving in two months prior. Her two boys were removed 3 years ago from her and placed in foster care. She became pregnant while in treatment. When she gave birth, CPS came in and took the child from her.  The 4 month old baby died in the care of a foster family.  He was smothered by pillows in a big bed as his crib was being used for trash and random stuff. The police noted extreme negligence along with a very dirty home.  She was not contacted for 28 hours after her baby’s death.  Her heart was completely broken as she never got to be his mommy, hear him laugh or see him smile.  The guilt and shame is unsurmountable even though her recovery, and good standing in the program is well known to all involved in the case. She was working very hard to get him and the other two boys back.  She was overwhelmed with grief and cried out to the Lord for help. She felt  obsessed and distressed with all the unknowns. The night she cried out to God in desperate need, God gave her a dream that changed her.  She dreamt she was holding the baby, looking into his eyes, telling him of her love.  She heard him laugh. She held him and twirled him around and around laughing and enjoying her baby. The dream was more real than the news of his death.  She was changed in the twinkling of an eye. She woke up released of the heaviness and was able to surrender. She now wants to make a difference in the system for mom’s in her situation and for CPS to comply to certain standards regarding assessing the recovery and progress of individuals who have lost their children.  Bridge of Hope was able to fill her one bedroom apartment.  The boys 13 and 11, will be reuniting with her in February and cannot wait to sleep on the hide a bed we brought her.  On her wall was the only piece of furniture she had when we arrived.  It was a shelf filled with pictures of her baby and the urn with his ashes.  It is her special place to reflect and remember this precious life and the goals she has made  to make a difference.

2011 was a excellent year at Bridge of Hope. We continued to grow and meet the many demands of individuals and agencies from San Ysidro to Oceanside.  We are now working with about 20 different local agencies (shelters and  programs) along with Domestic Violence safe houses, Child Protective Services and newly arriving refugees. We also work closely with the many refugee families that have been here for years facing extreme difficulty due to the economic crisis.

*An average of 1500 families are given groceries each month through our food distributions and 211 emergency food program
*2-4 deliveries of furniture/ home necessities each week
*Bridge of Hope Saturday outreaches continue each month- 2nd and 4th Saturdays 9-12
*We moved from a 1800 sq. ft. building to a 3000 sq. ft. building on a 10,000 sq. ft. lot. Big thanks to Richard Alleway and his construction crew, Bob Hasson, Jeff Andersen, Brew Briggs, Max Bauer and Rambo for all your hard work to make this building our new home.
*2nd and 4th Wednesdays store is open to case workers and their clients to pick out clothing they need for their families. This is also a excellent ministry time.
* Christ centered Easter basket give away and back pack/school supply give away to the community- Thanks to Melissa Drake and her family and friends who made it  happen.
*Gave away 120 Christmas trees (thanks to Coastline Community Church)  25 families were adopted by families bringing an over the top Christmas to many! Also lots of toys collected and given to parents to give to their children! Thanks to all of you who gave of your time and generous gifts!

GOALS for 2012

*Youth outreach beginning in April- weekly outreach to the local youth. Games, food, music and Bible Study
* Classes starting upstairs in our classroom (Bible Study, Financial Literacy, Resume and Interview classes, Accent reduction, Health and Nutrition and Emergency Preparedness)
*Outdoor Worship events-local worship teams come and bring worship to City Heights right there in Bridge of Hope’s yard.
*Have a North County location for furniture storage and delivery to our Oceanside/Escondido clients.

Thank you for your continual support and prayers. We need your prayers as we reach out to the youth and bring worship to our city.  We are so thankful for you. If you could hear the gratitude we hear each day from those we serve, it would bless your heart.

Sheri and Brew Briggs

GREETINGS!!!

We are officially in our new building. Pictures will be updated on website soon. Thanks to all who poured in their love, hard work and resources to make Bridge of Hope’s new home a wonderful place.  This has been quite a project. We are convinced, by God’s many blessings through all of you, that this is indeed His will for us. We cannot wait to see what His great and mighty plans are for that neighborhood.

Every week it seems a new agency in San Diego is reaching out for help from Bridge of Hope. This last month, 2 new agencies from Oceanside, that works with moms who have been in recovery and lost their children, but are now regaining custody, have contacted us for help. These moms have nothing and have hit some incredible lows. A little gal, 23 came with her mom and case worker to get some basic items; dishes, glasses, silverware, bedding etc. She had just gotten her apartment and needed everything.  I asked if I could pray with the mom knowing she was 3 months pregnant and had been clean for 10 months. The case worker opened up with such relief at my request and shared a bit about the situation. The mom has a two year old, not living with her but in Mexico with the grandparents. Mom is from the U.S., dad from Mexico. She has a 10 month old baby girl in foster care, that was taken at birth.  The father was recently murdered in Mexico, 3 months ago.  Mom is doing well as she is clean, sober and has turned her heart and life over to Jesus.  We all held hands and prayed for her and her children with tears. The Lord was truly blessing her and this time together.  We were able to deliver furniture to her empty apartment the next week.  She was overjoyed as we brought in beds, couches, tables, dressers, etc.  With great excitement, she shared with us that she had just received news that her 10 month old was being returned to her that next day. She had not seen her since  saying good bye to her at birth.  She is waiting for the Mexican government to release her 2 year old son to her here in the U.S. She told me that she and her son are sick and he needs to get to the U.S. to start receiving treatment as soon as possible.  They will be enjoying Thanksgiving in her new fully furnished apartment, with her baby and family, celebrating God’s amazing grace and redeeming power

The first Friday of each month, we have our Community Food Distribution at Cherokee Point Elementary School. It began raining early that morning and poured pretty much throughout the whole day.  Distribution begins at 4:00, however people line up starting at around 9:00 for this event.  I thought, due to the heavy rains, that we would serve a lot less people.  I also thought that the weather would sort out those who maybe did not need the food as badly.  Well, I was wrong. I had almost 400 people waiting for food, in the heavy rains. Elderly, disabled, and those who were sick, and al the others, waiting to receive food. It was crazy.  We had about 12,000 lbs. of food and all of it was gone in one hour as the rains poured.  The days are difficult. Families are hurting.  More and more people come out and wait in long lines for food.  Calls are increasing each week for emergency food assistance. 1 out of every 6 Americans are food insecure.  Please keep this issue in mind. The days will get darker until Jesus comes. The church- His body is the vessel of His abundance. With Him we never lack. We pray we can continue to be a light and hope in the dark hour of many souls.

Thanks to the Alleway family and Coastline Community Church, we will be doing our annual Christmas Tree give away on December 3rd. We will hold this event at our new building from 12-4.  We will be doing Christmas Crafts with the children and I think Santa may show up for this one too.

PRAYER: Please pray for us to continue to hear God’s leading and to stay focused on His direction for the new building and it’s purposes. The opportunities with it’s size and location are limitless! Pray for continued provision for all the needs we face each day and our maintenance costs. I could really use a Admin-Assistant as well.

NEEDS: dishes, pots, pans, silverware, blankets, beds, dinettes, size 4 and 5 diapers

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!! We are thanking God for all of you!!!

Brew and Sheri Briggs,

Bridge of Hope

3142 Idlewild Way

San Diego, CA 92117

858-449-2947

Site Address:

3406 Fairmount Ave.

San Diego CA 92105

Building Updates and a Story About Maria

Thank you all for reaching out to us through email and the phone. We so appreciate your willingness to pray for us, and come alongside us in the renovations and move of Bridge of Hope.  We are getting excited!!
The roof has been torn off and a new one is going on. Walls are coming out, new walls are being built. This coming week the electrical, plumbing, and drywall will be completed along with the paint.  Hopefully next week, the carpet will be laid.  (Still looking for carpet and praying for someone to lay the carpet.)  Thank you to all who are coming forward to make Bridge of Hope a place of love, hope and provision in City Heights.

Saturday I was blessed with such a tender moment I want to share with you.  A precious elderly lady named Maria, who I had not seen for a while due to her battle with asthma, came to Bridge of Hope.  She is such a beautiful, godly, sweet lady. The first time I saw her two years ago, my heart was immediately drawn to her as if God put a spot light on her in the crowd.  She had had no bed and was on the floor. Bridge of Hope was able to provide for her a nice bed and table for her tiny apartment. She lives on 43rd st., we are on 38th, so being old, with asthma and having only your feet to travel, makes it difficult for her to get to us. Saturday, she came walking up on her walker. She looked exhausted. I went to her and asked if she was o.k. She wanted me to pray for her, I assumed it was her asthma again as her breathing seemed off.  She put her arms around me and begin to tell me in Spanish with tears, that two weeks ago her son died.  I grabbed a neighbor that was walking by to interpret for me.  She listened as Maria cried and shared about her son.  He had been an amazing son.  She loved him so much and relied heavily on him. He had been very sick and she was thankful God had released him from pain, but her heart was broken.  There was fear there too for her future without her son.  Veronica, the interpreter began to cry with her as she listened. She put herself in Maria’s pain and felt it,  Two strangers crying together for the loss of a son.  We all held each other on the busy driveway crying together, even though I could not understand the conversation.  She told Veronica, she had to get to Bridge of Hope where she could get prayers and the love she needed.  It was such a moment of clarity for me.  Many people have ideas of Christianity, or what Jesus is like, or what they feel God’s kingdom is, but for me, that was all of that. That moment, together, strangers crying together, praying and holding each other was Jesus, powerful, and real. I thanked Veronica for allowing herself to cry and feel and be there with Maria. That was healing for Maria I know.  Thank you for that moment Jesus. Your kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Thank you for your support. We give thanks to God for you continually.

 

-Sheri

We’re Moving!!

Greetings,

We just signed a lease on a new building. Well, not exactly new. It needs a ton of work.  First of all, it has great  potential. It is a free standing building in City Heights, so no worries  about the neighbors getting mad at us for their car alarms going off or people sitting in their front yards waiting for the food to be distributed. It has plenty of room for things or departments to have their own space without juggling for space all the time.  It is on a 10,000 sq. ft. lot that is fenced in so lots of space for our children to play and be safe.  We have a blank slate, super cool landlords and there is peace!!!  We want to add a little prayer garden, greenhouse and hopefully pour a slab and put a basketball hoop up.  Lots of ideas!!!!

We are needing help. We are looking for some folks to come alongside in the area of electrical, plumbing, and roofing. We are needing paint, doors, windows, drywall, plywood, pavers, gravel, shelving, etc.  We are also wanting to create a park setting in the yard- tables, chairs, and benches.

Thank you and please keep us in your prayers. There is a lot to do and we need God’s wisdom, direction, protection and provision.

Blessings,

Sheri Briggs,
Bridge of Hope
3142 Idlewild Way
San Diego CA 92117
858-449-2947

Volunteer Spotlight: Esperanza

We’d like to highlight a longtime friend and volunteer at Bridge of Hope, Esperanza.

Her name means “hope” in english. Living just one block from our 38th street storehouse, Esperanza has giving her time and energy for the last two years in a very unique position here are BOH. She comes hours earlier than all our other volunteers to take down people’s names so that we can keep an organized distribution running. “I help to help the people sign the list for two things, the food distribution on Friday and the clothing store on Saturday.”

When asked why she likes coming to Bridge of Hope she says, “I like to help because it’s relaxing and a distraction from my home life. I like to help the people here. No more, I just like helping the people.” Esperanza, like many others, found our little storehouse one day while passing by the street and noticed the store. She has since become a faithful member of our team of local volunteers and we are so greatly blessed by her presence and punctuality in serving the community.

Esperanza has faithfully served at Bridge of Hope for the last two years

Recent Happenings

Hello dear friends,

Wanted to share what a Saturday looks like at Bridge of Hope.  One of our precious and committed volunteers said, “Every Saturday is different. You never know what will happen.”

This is true, due to all the different lives we encounter, difficult circumstances people are facing, economic challenges, newly arrived refugees, fear, homelessness, deportation of a loved one, the arrival of a new baby, etc.

Today when I got there, there was about 25 little children from all over the world, waiting for us to open the store.  They were so excited.  When we opened our doors, the children and adults pulled out all of our benches, tables, chairs and left over melons and onions from yesterday’s food distribution, onto the driveway and side walk.  The craft tables and foosball table went out to start the day’s activities.  There are so many beautiful faces both young and old.  We had about 120 visitors come through our store.

Many children ask for simple things like a towel or bed sheets, a pillow, or socks. A young teen girl came for the first time today for school clothes. She also asked me for a bra and underwear with no embarrassment, she just needed them.  Moms needing diapers, needing underwear for their children.  A pregnant homeless couple needing a blanket and diapers for their 2 year old. Young children asking for toys for the daycare their single parent mother is attempting to put together in hopes of a career taking care of children, after seeking employment for two years with no luck.  As we are listening to people’s requests and searching the storehouse for these items, I pause and think to myself, “These are real needs. These are serious things for people’s lives.”

I met a man and his pregnant girlfriend who had just been accepted to live with her sister after being homeless for a year. She is five months pregnant. Long line of generational pain and abuse.  I talked with her a while and prayed for her. I then met her boyfriend.  As I began talking with him, I felt the Lord’s call on his life, but was interrupted by a situation. I told him not to leave and that I wanted to talk with him.  I was able to return to him along with my friend Baranthu, who is a radical man of God from Ethiopia.  The young man said, “you wanted to talk with me?” I said yes and immediately Baranthu and I felt the power of God begin to move and speak.  We felt the call of the Lord on his life.  We reminded him of the dreams and visions the Lord had given him when he was just a boy, which he thought were dead and gone.  We began to pray and suddenly the Holy Spirit fell like a storm on this young man. He began to speak in tongues and cry.  We all held hands and let the Lord do what He desired to do.  We continued and stayed with him until what was done was done.  It was raw, real, powerful and life changing, right on our driveway with everyone around.  Thank you Jesus for your encounters. Better one day in your court than a thousand elsewhere.  As we finished the prayer, Baranthu encouraged them to stay in the Word of God and to devour the Word. That God would use him to heal and restore the broken.  That witnessed to the young man’s heart and calling that he thought had died long ago. Thank you Jesus that your word is true. That no one can pluck us from your hand. That your promises are Yes and Amen.

When we finished the prayer, I looked up and saw a precious sister and her son that I had asked to meet me there.  Alex is 9 years old.  He had participated in a Easter outreach at Bridge of Hope this past Spring. God pricked his heart to raise money for Bridge of Hope. He held a couple lemonade stands and raised $208.50.  He was so excited to come and bring us the money.  What a precious young man with a big heart for the needy.  I got to thank him and pray for him and share with those around me what this precious brother had done for us.  Thank you Jesus!  Thank you Alex for your hard work.

I am only one person speaking about the day.  Many others were there sharing the love of Jesus and His abundant provision.  They too have their stories of conversations and time spent with others.

We are looking at a new building about 10 blocks away.  It is thrashed, but has a lot of potential and a great rent price.  It also has a huge fenced in yard that we could do a lot with. Hopefully a garden and lots of sitting and playing room for those who come to visit. My vision is to have a piece of heaven in City Heights. Bright, cheery, welcoming and peaceful.  Please pray for wisdom regarding this. Also the move will be enormous. We will need many bodies to help with the refurbishing of the property and the move itself.  Thank you.

Thank you for your generous donations. Thank you for the diapers and diaper money that came in. Thank you for remembering us in prayer.

-Sheri

Cancer, Prayer and Diapers

Bridge of Hope is continuing to serve in the name of Jesus, those who the Lord brings to us. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. You are the reason we are able to meet the needs we encounter every day.

I want to share a story that reflects the sometimes “tension” we feel each day. About three months ago, I went to visit a family who have been in America for about a year from Africa. This family has had many challenges. They were farmers in their country. They came as a family of 12. Three of the daughters had been raped and had babies when they arrived. The 16 year old gave birth two weeks after arriving in the U.S. Two of the daughters are handicapped. Grandma, who is in her eighties, came over with the family. When I walked in the door that day, I saw grandma laying on the couch with a thin blanket. She was looking very frail and sick. She cannot speak any English, but reached out to me with her eyes. She was cold. I gave her my jacket, she covered herself with it and smiled. Then she grabbed her shirt, pulled it up, showing me her incision which was about 12 inches long- from the bottom of her belly to just below her breast. It did not look good- red, weepy and serious. Her grand daughter said, “she wants you to pray for her.” I got on my knees and prayed over her that God would heal her and take all infection from her. She was still cold so I ran back to Bridge of Hope and grabbed a down blanket and covered her up tightly.
Two weeks ago, at our Friday food distribution, we had a situation where a handicapped lady came to get food. She had been drinking and accidentally ran over a girl’s foot and broke it. There was chaos- anger, accusations, police and paramedics showing up while 200 people waited for their food. The next day, a man we have never met, came to Bridge of Hope in the early morning and waited with the others for us to open. He was intoxicated and inappropriate. He made a scene as well and threatened us. That same day, the lady who had injured the girl the day before came back and would not listen to instructions given to avoid another accident. She too cursed and threatened us and made a scene. We continued to pray and recognize what this was and where it was coming from, but none the less, it was wearisome. After we closed the store at 12:00, I took home the grand daughter of the grandma from Africa I shared about. We knocked on the door, grandma opened it and smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen. Right away, upon entering, she again pulled up her shirt, past her chest, as if still in Africa, displaying the large scar across her belly. Her eyes reached out to me as if to cry out. I asked her grand daughter, “what is it?” she said, “Cancer, she wants you to pray for her.” Feeling empty, frustrated by the last two days events, by faith, I grabbed her belly with both hands and prayed the prayer of faith for this sick, precious grandma. Moments before this encounter with God who was reaching out to touch this grandma- all hell was breaking loose to thwart and distract God’s plan to bring the Kingdom of God on earth. With all that was within me, as to say to the devil, “you will not win” I grabbed her and proclaimed her healing in Jesus name, rebuked the cancer and pleaded the blood of Jesus over this sick, tired body. As I walked out the door, I had tears of gratitude to the Lord, and renewed clarity.
Acts14:21-22 “After they had preached the gospel to that city, and made many disciples, they returned to Listra, Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God.’”

Quick note: Diapers are a huge need for families. We are approached each week for diapers. I am able to buy them from the food bank at a better price, but still it adds up because there are so many that need them. We are doing what we can to help Diego Hills Charter School assist their teen moms with what they need. I got a call recently from a teacher who needed size 1 diapers for one of her students. Mom is 17 and has a new born. Right after she had her baby, her mom went into the hospital with heart problems, so she wasn’t able to work. They were out of money and weren’t able to buy diapers or food. So the student and her brother went to the blood bank and gave blood for money. Thanks to you, Bridge of Hope was able to provide diapers for this mom.

May God continue to bless and encourage you. May He continue to provide for you and protect you and your families.

Provision For a New Mom

A few weeks ago, we got a call from Project Safeway, a organization that helps with families of homicide victims.  Mostly gang related.  They have brought us many broken families and teen moms, surviving very difficult situations. The director told me she had a client who had just had a baby. The baby was born pre-mature, but was now being released from the hospital.

Mom had absolutely nothing for the baby.

Thankfully, we had plenty to give her.  They came by to get the packages of baby items I had prepared the day before- 2 cases of diapers, 2 cases of wipes, a diaper genie, tons of baby clothes, bassinet, baby front pack and more.  When the mom came upstairs to get the packages, she starting waving her hands in front of her face for air. She said, ” I can’t breathe.  I need to stand here for a minute.” I was worried like she was sick or something.  She told me she could not believe what we were giving her.  God was touching her through the provision.

The abundant provision! That is our God!

With tears of joy and thankfulness she received the Lord’s help and blessing. I helped her down with everything, and got to pray over the tiny, tiny baby girl.  Then I asked if I could pray over her. She was very open and almost blown away by all that was happening.  As I prayed, I saw a picture of a little flower sprouting up out of dry ground.  Surrounding the flower was a wall, circling all around it.  It was a grey, thick and tall wall, intimidating and not very pretty.  I thought, “what is that?, it looks scary”- the Lord showed me as I shared the picture, that she is surrounded, and protected by Him-Almighty God, and nothing can get through to destroy that beautiful flower that is blooming. He is her and the baby’s shield and fortress.  She began to cry. God was speaking to her directly about her fears.  I don’t know anymore than that, but I got to see the tender love of our Father God reaching down, touching her, meeting her needs, and comforting her heart.

Thank you Jesus for your provision that opens the door to the heart of the one longing for your touch.

-Sheri

An Incredible Story of Hope In a Dark Place

About two months ago, Matt and I were packing up the vehicles to take a huge load of furniture to a single mom.  She was about to loose her children to CPS, if she did not have the appropriate household items to make a home- beds, table, crib, couch, etc.  I was being careful not to lift anything, due to a couple recent back injuries while working.  I guided a heavy coffee table down to Matt for him to grab, when my finger was crushed under the weight of it and badly broken.  I was very discouraged as this was another obstacle in front of me to delay the work that seems to pile up quickly these days.  We receive about 3-4 calls a week from agencies and case workers who are needing help from Bridge of Hope, – this in addition to new families arriving to America and those the Lord puts in front of us daily.  The next day, after I broke my finger, I was crying out to the Lord, “What am I to do?  How can i continue?  It is just not working out with my volunteers for this part of the ministry- I cannot do this- every time i do, I get hurt.   What is your will?  After praying and pouring my heart out to the Lord, I went to my email, and what I read, took all my despair away. It said, “We have the kids! The battle is over, they are safe”

About three and half years ago, I met five wonderful children in the neighborhood of BOH.  They were  all under the age of 11. They would come to see me and hang out at the storehouse all the time. They were always hungry, needing a bath, on their own no matter what time of day or night, and looking out for each other.  They lived in a abandoned house with their father, with no running water. Mom was in prison.  We taught them about Jesus, led them to the Lord, taught them scripture, loved on them every chance we could.   We became very close- even became a part of their lives in school, with the counselors, their Principal, CPS, and all that goes along with these types of situations. My dear sister Deanne and her husband Kip starting spending time with the children and long story short, ended up bringing the two year old into their home , as the dad let her ‘stay” there.  None of this done in court, just two servants willing to be used by God. They said yes to jumping into a deep, uncertain, heavy situation for the sake of this little girl to be saved.  The other children were bounced all over town, CPS cases continued being opened by all who saw and called, the children in constant heartache and turmoil, dad went  back in prison (3rd time since I had met him), but still, the children were not removed by the State but shuffled to different family members who were not able to care for them- the situation darkening. When he was released from prison, the court overlooked all and said the children were to be reunited with him, even the youngest was to go back after being with Deanne and Kip for two years.  They were released to Dad and were homeless within a week.  We continued to pray and cry out to the Lord for justice- calling CPS for help.  The darkness became darker just before the dawn, when finally, after years, God uncovered this to a certain school counselor- she got involved and CPS made a move to remove the children.  I am overjoyed and relieved to say that three of them are safe and thriving with Deanne and Kip- one is with another wonderful amazing family, the other is with a grandma.  Deanne and Kip have all rights for the children- the judge even honored them in front of all recognizing their hearts to serve and give so much with no pay.  God turned the whole thing around. The children are doing fantastic, able to focus, being healed, eating well, learning God’s word. Please continue to pray for them and their healing. Pray and hold up Deanne and Kip as they are working hard to parent them and make life long decisions. Pray for Mark and Kelly and they have opened their heart and home to  raise and love the oldest daughter.

After reading that email. I started sobbing, completely blown away by the goodness of God.  If the last 6 years was all for this one family, it was worth it.  The only reason we even met the kids was because we were there and started a conversation. God was all ready working in their lives, he saw the abuse and despair, His eyes were upon them, He just asked us to join Him to say yes to being their friend. They now have a beautiful mom and dad who love them and love Jesus. Thank you Kip and Deanne for giving your hearts, laying them on the line in love. For staying in there, not giving up. I love you both so much. Thank you Kelly and Mark for giving your hearts and laying your life down for her.

I went to my mailbox  two weeks ago. I never check the mail at BOH, but did this time. it was a letter mailed to me from Christmas time.  It was from the kid’s mom. it said a lot, but I will share this, ” thank you for all you have done for my children and the community. i want to thank Deanne and Kip for all they have done for my family, especially for taking my youngest into their home and raising her for the last couple years.  i want them to know how grateful I am and what a wonderful job they have done. i am in prison paying the consequences for my actions and for a drug addiction that i have had for the last 18 years. I am glad to say I have been saved. I am getting baptized Christmas day and I am so excited people can change and their is Hope.”

Love the one in front of you. Love is the key.

-Sheri

Aunt Bettie’s Hats

My precious 87 year old Aunt Bettie, loves the Lord and wants to serve him anyway she can. She is faithful to pray continually as the Lord leads her, but also is committed each year to make hats for those who sleep outside. Every day, she knits hats, each one different from the other. At the end of the year, we count the hats at Thanksgiving. With arthritis in her hands and a arm that aches and is difficult to move, due to a serious break a few years ago, she is faithful to continue to knit and pray over each hat. Every year when my aunt gives them to me to give away, I feel a heavy weight and concern in my heart of where these hats to go? There are many homeless now in San Diego, everywhere. So many people are cold. Those who shop in our store at Bridge of Hope could use them too. But again, I asked the Lord, Where?

The next day after receiving them, I got a call from a brother who is a faithful servant to the severely needy in Mexico. He goes to Mexico four nights a week and has for 20 years, bringing supplies to desperate situations. He called and asked if we had men’s jackets. He is helping about two hundred men who are living on the Tijuana River and they are freezing at night. His first night there, one man was dying as he lay there. I told him I would begin to gather jackets for him. Once I hung up the phone, the Lord reminded me of the hats. I called the guy back and told him about my aunt, the hats, and the seriousness of making sure these hats go to who really needs them. He told me he had tears in his eyes as he listened. I knew that this was the perfect match for my aunt’s hats this year. Then to my amazement, I went to get my regular pick up of donated clothes at Buffalo Exchange, and there were two huge big black trash bags packed with men’s jackets. Unbelievable! In all the time I have picked up clothes there, this has never happened, especially this time of year. The Lord had provided not only all those hats, but wonderful, beautiful, practically brand new jackets. A couple more bags of jackets came in after that. We loaded our brother’s truck and sent him on his way. What a blessing to know that each hat being worn, has been blessed by my wonderful, faithful, loving Aunt Bettie.

-Sheri