He's Always Been Faithful to Margaret's Hope Chest--A RECAP of 2011

I have started writing this post a hundred times in my head...
but when it comes to typing it out on my keyboard
my words either come up short
or there aren't enough words to tell all the tales of provision and blessing
that Margaret's Hope Chest has experienced over the past year.

And then as I was sitting in church on Sunday the following song was sung and I realized I had to find a way share God's faithfulness to us with you dear reader.

He's Always Been Faithful to Me  by Sara Groves
 Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.

I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.

This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful, He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful to me.



Over the past year, I have woken up morning after morning to find e-mails in my inbox from

• families who are brave enough to ask for a quilt
• quilters who are generous enough to use some of their precious time and resources to help us serve these families
• recipients of our quilts who are thoughtful enough to remember to say thank you and tell us how much the quilt meant to them or a loved one
• notes of encouragement from friends around the globe who understand the importance and value of what God is doing through us.

And I am amazed. Simply amazed by it all. And everyday I am in awe of the mystery of the story God has written for my Grandma's life--she is dead on earth-yet through His perfect ways she is very much alive. Right now, her name and legacy are being passed through prisons around Michigan--I know this because we get letters from men and women in prison that say, "....I heard about your mother/grandmother from my friend in prison--I am sorry about what happened to her.  It amazes me that you were able to forgive-and that you care about me and my family. I would like to humbly ask for a quilt for my child whom I haven't seen in 5 years...."  That is a sign of life and HOPE--an example of God's redeeming nature--it is His desire to claim every inch of earth as His own-even prisons where, from the outside, it would seem that lives are wasted.  I can't stop thinking about that some days.

God provided for our every need in 2011.  Volunteers (approximately 150 in 2011), families and individuals who need HOPE and a quilt (470 quilts were given in 2011), monetary donations (over $4000 in 2011), and prayer and emotional support from friends, family and strangers. 

I don't have one single regret in serving God and others in this way--not one. I count all of the personal time, money and creative sweat not as loss--but as gain. 

So, we look forward to new year with new children to bless, new pain and grief to heal, new quilt patterns to try out because we know that...
"God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end"