Simply Sisters® is not just about Sheila Shields. There’s Rachel (who recently had her first baby – a girl named Lydia Anne), Cheryl, Penny, Nancy, Dana, and Sue. These ladies form the small group of seven who meet most weeks for prayer, bible study, conversation, and lunch. But there are nearly 75 others who volunteer their time and talents to help make the ministry of Simply Sisters® come alive.
The scope of this outreach is astounding. We endeavor to touch the lives of women who are hurting, discouraged, or may need a simple message to remind them that someone understands their journey. We mentor young women who have completed their time in foster care but are not ready to meet the challenges of life on their 18th birthday. That’s the day they are no longer allowed to be in foster care.
We also mentor mothers who, through their own poor choices, have lost their children to the Department of Human Services. With time and diligence, they may one day be reunited as a family. Until that day, Simply Sisters® encourages and build relationships with those ladies, reminding them that poor choices can be behind them, and a bright future can lay ahead.
Have you ever used a composition notebook? With lots of bling (paper flowers, gems, pearls, lace, and other pretty embellishments) and somewhere between two to four hours of work, it can become a beautiful journal for ladies to write their thoughts and put their hearts on paper. We’ve not kept an accurate count but are confident that somewhere around 1,000 journals have been gifted to women.
Nearly 700 baskets and boxes with all sorts of handmade or donated items have been delivered or mailed to women locally and in 27 states. Over 7,000 small gift bags have been distributed in events in Albania, Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, Australia and in various events in the USA. The $1,500 per year we spend in postage is a small price to pay for the joy that fills the home of each lady who receives a special gift of love from strangers she may never meet.
The full list of items we make and provide is too large for us to include in this newsletter. Things like special pillows made for women recovering from a mastectomy, prayer shawls, facial cloths, makeup bags, glasses holders and more are given but never sold.
It’s all possible because of people who care and have a heart to touch others. Whether a volunteer who helps prepare items or a donor who makes it possible for us to purchase needed items or pay for postage, we are blessed with the opportunity and commitment to bless others.
It may sound too simple, but I hope you will receive my deepest thanks and appreciation for the part you play in helping us to play our part in “loving, caring, and doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11)
Blessings to you on behalf of all of us…givers, workers, and recipients.
Director