Great Day at Halloween Outreach Pumpkinfest 2011...and new Video!

"We are Ordinary People, but He takes NOTHING and He makes SOMETHING out of it." ~ Ross H. Minkler (Kelly's Great Grandfather)

I am loving the wisdom I continue to find from my Great Grandfather's messages. You will hear an excerpt in the video below. 

OH had another amazing Halloween Outreach, Saturday at Pumpkinfest. You know, we sometimes don't do things to help others because we always think we have to help on a large scale that we feel we can never meet. Because of that mindset, we forget that the smallest acts of kindness can sometimes mean the most to others in need. For instance, a warm smile, a cup of coffee, a blessing bag filled with basic necessities, a hug, a Halloween costume, or lunch, may not sound like much, but it can mean the world to someone in need. God will use you in a small moment if you would think to allow Him to.

 Our Halloween outreach has grown over the years since I first began it. This year we chose to set up a booth at the local, Franklin Pumpkinfest. Thousands of people come to this festival. We were thrilled to be able to spread the word about Ordinary Hero as well as bring the moms and their children who reside at the local mission, over for a fun-filled day out to enjoy the beauty and the hope that comes from making a new friend and having some fun. We match all the kids with a volunteer for the day, which gives the Mommas a much needed break. While at the festival, our OH booth gave children the opportunity to draw a picture for a child in Africa as well as make bead bracelets for children in Africa.

 There were several moments that warmed my heart during the day. Some of you may remember one of our very first official Ordinary Hero Christmas Projects, at the end of 2009, where we went in and helped a family fix up their home and provided Christmas for them during their time of need. It was such a blessing for so many to be able to participate in that. You never know the lives you will impact by reaching out a helping hand. You never know who is really watching and taking it all in. Well, trust me when I say, the children are. This mother had a 16 yr old daughter at the time who was very sweet and helped us clean and fix up the home while her mother was in the hospital. She was one of 10 children. Well, Look who showed up to help as a volunteer on Saturday. She also came to my banquet last spring and expressed then how she really wanted to help and give back to others. Jenene is 18 now and on her own, starting college, and wants to be a medical assistant. She now wants to give back to others because she knows what it is like to be on the other end.  I'm very proud of her and the young Ordinary Hero she has become.

Another revelation of God's goodness was when this family came walking up to me. I looked at them and said, "Well, this is where it all began." You see, 5 years ago, I organized my very first Halloween Outreach with the mission moms and kids and brought them to my church. There was no Ordinary Hero, it was just something I thought to do on my own and got my friends involved to help me. From that outreach I met a young mom that stole my heart and I decided to help her.

I got her out of the mission with help from friends and fam and we sought to get her and her children on their feet. She had two small children at the time and was very early pregnant as with #3. I helped her, but at the same time,  watched her personally go up and down over the course of three years trying to raise her children as a single mom. A bunch of us stepped in to help her with her children when she was at the bottom once again. In the end, she made the most commendable choice of unconditional love.....she chose adoption for her children. All of her children were adopted into loving homes. Little Snow White, pictured below, was the little one in her belly at the time that I met her. Now Snow White and her little sister, as well as her other two siblings,  are experiencing the miracle of adoption and are surrounded by many, many people who love them a lot.

This birth mom is a true Hero. She wanted nothing but the best for her children and did everything in her power to make sure they had that. She made this adoptive Momma doubly blessed. These children know what it is like to feel love in every direction. All I can say is THANK YOU, to all of you birth moms out there. I'm sure you don't hear that enough.  You truly are giving your all.  

Now that you see what amazing things can derive from such a simple outreach, enjoy this video of this year's Halloween Outreach and see all the many lives that were touched. Many thank you's go out to all of you who volunteered and to all of you who donated costumes and lunch for these kids. An extra special THANK YOU goes out to Kortnie Hastings for helping me coordinate this year's outreach. She is my awesome organized friend. Also, I must give a shout out to my daughter, Lauren, who was out till midnight at Walmart and then up the next morn at 5:30 to help set up. She was such a huge help! Also, Clay and Cindy, thanks for coming early to battle the cold and help set up.

 You can all see for yourself what a big blessing this outreach was to them :-) To view all of the pics from this special day CLICK HERE.

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