An Unexpected Gift
So much was gained through Gift of Love, including this new friendship.
Toys, smiles and warm cups of hot chocolate were abundant at the Heights and Southwest campuses during the annual Gift of Love celebration. Just a few weeks before Christmas, hundreds of families gathered to shop for new, discounted toys to give to their children.
Designed to preserve dignity and foster community, parents hand-picked toys for their children that the people of Woodmen donated. While their parents shopped for their presents, kids stopped by fun stations to create crafts, enjoy tasty treats, and learn more about the meaning of Christmas.
Cindy Coy, a long-time ACTS Ministry Partner, and her two teenage boys volunteered to help oversee the cookie and hot chocolate station. During their shift, a three-year-old boy named Cristobal stopped by with his mom, Bianca, to enjoy some hot chocolate and munch on Christmas cookies. Cindy and Bianca chatted while the three boys decorated cookies. Cindy learned that Bianca was a single mother new to America, having moved from Venezuela a few years prior. Bianca shared her struggles as a new mother attempting to make ends meet. Led by the Holy Spirit, Cindy asked to pray over the young mother.
While Cindy prayed, Adam and Isaac, Cindy’s sons, felt they needed to invite the family over on Christmas eve to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. They quickly filled Cindy in on their plan. Just before Bianca and Cristobal left, Cindy asked them to come to their home for lunch and afterward to join them for Christmas Eve services at Woodmen.
When Christmas Eve came, Cindy and her sons waited anxiously for their new friends to join them. When the knock on the door came, they were overwhelmed with joy that their invitation was accepted. The two families spent Christmas Eve together, celebrating the birth of the Savior. Cindy described their day together as: “Truly a gift. Teens are fun but a three-year-old brings a new level.”
Both women and their children are now glad to call one another friends. Cindy invited Bianca to her Community Group with the hope of surrounding her with support and love. At first, Bianca was reluctant, but she ended up coming and now attends the group weekly. The families often enjoy lunch with one another and are grateful for the friendship made through Gift of Love.
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