Dear Love,
How can I begin to thank you for the gifts you have given my family? Maybe if you knew a little about us you might see all that you have done.
My husband and I met in high school and through rough times and celebrations we married at the end of college. We bought our first home and settled into our careers. As our plans turned to children, we realized there were hurdles to cross. After 5 years of trying, God’s timing came into play and we were blessed with triplets. At 7 months, I went back to teach another school year. We soon realized the cost of childcare was more than just monetary. Someone else was raising our kids.
So we made a life change. I put my career on hold as a teacher and dove into motherhood. We made cuts and lived off my husband’s income. We cut spending down to necessity. We sold our large house and moved into a smaller one, paid off our car loan and thought, “we can make it.”
That’s when Love came into our lives. You see we, even being college grads, hadn’t had a class on how to make and manage a budget. It seems such a simple concept, so why learn?
It didn’t take long to realize we were still on the verge of sinking. I started to panic.
Then I found a pin lying in the middle of our bedroom carpet. I had never seen it before and it said, “Trust God.” After 3 months of vacuuming that rug, I took that event as a sign.
Then two days later I heard a stranger talking about this great budget class. I knew I had my answer. I came and said, “I need help” and Love opened their doors.
We poured over the budget material that first night of class. By the second week we were devising a plan with our budget teacher. As we made our goals to decrease our debt and balance our budget, you taught us many lessons. As hard as it was to give up control of the finances, it was our journey toward financial peace.
There were staff and volunteers who were constant supporters to our family’s needs – they were the contact between us and the multitude of helping hands in our community. Through you, my kids had clothes for school. A church provided blankets to put on our kids’ beds so we could save on heating costs. Another church provided food for us when we couldn’t eat on $50 a week, letting us use our money to pay off debt. When Christmas came, Love made sure we felt joy and not stress for the holiday season.
You truly showed us the grace of God.
In the 10 months we were in the program, we were able to implement a budget plan, start a savings and become debt free.
You have given us life long skills that we in turn have given to our neighbors and friends.
Thank you to the countless churches that work with Love. Thank you, volunteers. You never looked down on us but rather gave us the feeling of welcome.
We’ll be sharing 40 stories of transformation leading up to our 40th Celebration Block Party on September 24th. Please join us!