October 2, 2009

Zambia…Finally Here – Thank You Supporters!

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A SINCERE THANK YOU

 

To ALL of those who have supported me through their financial contributions to make my travels to Katete, Zambia possible.

 

 

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It is because of YOUR help that I am able to help those in Zambia move from this…..

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…..and this …..

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To this …… receiving the key to their very own….

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 strong and sustainable home.

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THANK YOU ….

Wendy – Michigan

Sue – Michigan

Erin – Illinois

Shelly – Michigan

Mary – Michigan

Fred – Germany

Breanna – Colorado

Ben – New York

Jessica – Michigan

Mark & Chandra – Michigan

Rog & Luanne – Michigan

Susan – Michigan

Trazy – Michigan

Stephanie – Unknown

Bev & Jerry – Michigan

Doris – Michigan

Lorie – Pennsylvania

Allegra – Colorado

Emily – Illinois

Anne – Massachusetts

Colleen & Doug – Michigan

Lesley – Canada

 

 

 

September 29, 2009

Offering Hope…8100 Miles Away

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Habitat Brings Hope…

 

 

The clock is ticking down.

Come Sunday, I will finally be there….Katete, Zambia.

For those who have followed us since the beginning back in December 2008, you’ll recall that it was my Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village trip to Tajikistan that ‘changed my life’.

It was THAT experience that birthed the idea of Hope Heals.

It was THAT experience that solidified the calling on my life.

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Now, I have the wonderful opportunity to travel, once again thru Habitat, to the small, remote village of Katete, Zambia.

No electricity.

No plumbing.

No running water.

Working along side the Zambian people….helping them build sustainable housing for their families…learning of their culture….their life….their faith….their hope.

zambia children

I will return on October 17th….

Humbled.

Grateful.

Blessed.

 

September 29, 2009

Hope Heals On the Go!

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As you know, we’re back to hittin’ the streets with our Hope Heals Road Crew….reaching out to our area’s homeless…providing a hot meal….or a Hope Tote…or something simple like a cup of hot chocolate.

The weather has quickly changed here in West Michigan and we’ve gone from sunshine to dark n’ dreary rainy days.  Winds have picked up considerably and it’s just flat out cold.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a harsh Winter around here.

If you live in the area, you just may see Hope Heals on the go.  If you’d like to help us help our homeless….give me a shout!

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Here’s what we have planned for the Fall and Winter months….

*Passing out hot chocolate

*Distributing hot soup and other hot meals

*Handing out Hope Totes filled with hygeine items and snacks

*Passing out hats, scarves, gloves, earmuffs, etc.

*Handing out hand and feet warming packets

*Bringing blankets and quilts to those under the bridge

….and much, much more!

 

September 29, 2009

It ALL Makes a Difference…

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Donation Thank You!

 

 

Once again, we’ve been fortunate to have those around us who believe in what we are doing with and for our homeless community.

My Mom’s friend, Marianne, hooked us up with 28lbs. of baked beans which we’ll be able to use during one of our Road Crew outings.

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It’s ALWAYS a wonderful surprise to receive financial donations and notes of support from our blog followers.  We know that now, more than ever, finances are tight all around, so when someone donates to our efforts we are very much humbled and appreciative.

We take that seriously and will always be good stewards of that donation.

So a BIG THANK YOU to Bev & Jerry of Michigan and to Safia of North Carolina for your financial contribution.  Your donation will most definitely be put to good use! 

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And lastly …. we were blessed, once again, to receive a box full of goodies from my Step-Mom, Karen, who continues to support us and everything that we do by stocking up on various hygeine items and bingo prizes.

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EVERY donation … no matter how small …. makes a difference!

We Thank You Marianne, Karen, Bev, Jerry, and Safia!

 

If you’d like to help us make a difference among our homeless,

please click HERE. 

 

September 10, 2009

Hope Heals Announcement….

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Go HERE to read about what’s next for Hope Heals — you’ll find it at the bottom!

 

September 10, 2009

And BINGO Was Her Name-O…

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B-I-N-G-O …..

B-I-N-G-O….

B-I-N-G-O…..

 

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 ..and BINGO was her name-o!

 

 

 

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Another bingo night down at Degage Ministries with our homeless neighbors and, yet another, opportunity to reach out and be there for those in need.

If you’re in the area and would like to lend a helping hand sometime, give Karla a shout at karlapankow@hope-heals.org

To donate to our efforts, please go HERE.

 

September 9, 2009

A Wish Granted …

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Gettin’ a Wish Granted…

 

 

With a new project comes a new wish list and we were very excited to get this donation from our friend and volunteer, Vicki….

1000 foam cups for the hot chocolate that we’ll be serving to our homeless friends on those cold Fall evenings and Winter days.

She also hooked us up with 100 to-go containers which are perfect for one of our meal distributions. 

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A HUGE THANK YOU to Vicki for coming thru for us!

So very appreciated!

Since June, we’ve served 1,076 meals to our homeless community and we’re not letting up so if you’d like to help us help others in need…please visit our Current Wish List.

 

September 6, 2009

Hittin’ The Streets …

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Today was the big day …

We kicked off our Fall/Winter gig … Hope Heals Road Crew!

Gorgeous Labor Day Weekend … temps at 73 degrees … perfect day to hit the streets and serve hotdogs, baked beans, and carrots to our homeless neighbors. 

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 We cooked up 14 pounds of baked beans…

 

  

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 …and grilled up 88 hotdogs…

 

 

 

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Packaged it all up with love and care …..

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…got the Jeep packed up and we were off!

 

 

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Our first stop was over to our summer stomping grounds at Heartside Park.

We were pleased to see a group of our homeless friends hanging out under the pavilion, but I think we confused them a bit as they saw the blue Jeep turn that corner and pull up to the park.

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After all … they thought we were done with the park for the summer!  Still…they were happy to see us and we received, as always, a very warm welcome.

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After serving a good handful of lunches, we were back on the road up to a couple other parks where we usually can find a group or two of homeless hanging around.  We also hit the surrounding streets of our area organizations like God’s Kitchen, Degage Ministries, Guiding Light, and Mel Trotter Ministries.

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Our first day out doin’ our Road Crew deal was a big hit.

We served 88 meals out of the back of the Jeep.

Reconnected with some familiar faces….

And met some new ones along the way…..

 

“God Bless You Ladies”

“We always can count on you”

 

Hope Heals Road Crew:  Reaching Out & Offering Hope

 

September 4, 2009

Introducing…Hope Heals Road Crew

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Introducing the …

 

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Last winter when we first started our true, hands-on approach to helping our homeless community, we would go downtown into the streets where the majority hung out and we would pass out care packages right out of the back my Jeep.

I believe there’s something pretty powerful in that ….

In going to them…

In walking the streets beside them…

So this Fall and Winter … that’s the focus of Hope Heals.

To get right in there with our homeless friends.

Whether it be serving hot chocolate and donuts on a crisp Fall morning….or passing out boxed lunches on a Saturday afternoon….

Whether it be distributing care packages full of snacks and hygeine kits….or our “Hope Totes” filled with comfort items.

Whether it be making sure they have a hat, gloves, and scarf on a cold, Winter day….or covering them with a heavy quilt as they sleep under the downtown bridge….

We’ll be there ….

 

“Hope Heals Road Crew:  Takin’ It To the Streets”

 

September 1, 2009

So….What’s Next?!?

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What’s Next?

 

This seems to be the “Question of the Week” now that we’ve closed out our summer run of Project Grab-a-Bag. 

As of today, we’ve spent 8 solid months of reaching out and going into the streets doing what we can to help our homeless community.

From placing quilts over the cold bodies of the homeless under the bridge…..

To walking the streets with hundreds of care packages filled with a homemade scarve, snacks, and a hygeine kit. 

To week in and week out of hosting picnic lunches with games and prizes for our homeless friends.

So often we’re asked about our “non-profit” … who funds us … are we from a church?

But really … we’re just two girls.

Two girls out there doin’ it on our own … out of our own pocket.

Thankfully, throughout the past year, we’ve met people who believe in what we do and, as a result, have been so kind to donate….to help us continue our efforts.

We are so grateful for that and for them.

But I wonder …. what if there wasn’t anything…..”next”?

Would you be disappointed?

To help us …. help them … please visit our Current Wish List and consider donating to us today.

 

Thank You!

(PS:  If we can get the support we need, “what’s next” will be announced Friday, September 4th – stay posted!)

 

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