I was driving to see my grandma in the hospital, praying for everything and lost in emotion this past January. Somewhere in my prayer I told God to use me. I asked Him what He wanted me to do, thinking it would have something to do with my grandma. But into my heart once again popped up, “Call Restored Hope.”
I didn’t know why God was so insistent that I call this place. I had never volunteered at refuge for women before and I was already tapped out from grieving the soon loss of my grandma. Why would God want me to give more of my time and more of myself when I felt broken already??
The answer is because He knew I needed them and they needed me. We needed to start a journey together of lending faith, and sharing Jesus with each other to strengthen the weakest parts of ourselves.
To me, that’s what Restored Hope is. If you go on their website, http://restoredhopeomaha.org, you will find that they “provide sanctuary, advancement, and community to single mothers and their children in abusive environments. We provide them a safe place to live, assist them in finding work and transportation, and present them a reason to live out their new future.”
But more than that, they provide Jesus. Through counseling, bible studies, cooking classes…Jesus is there bringing back life, confidence, love, and passion in these ladies’ lives and in the lives of the volunteers who serve at Restored Hope.
As I think of my people at Restored Hope I have come to love so dearly, Matthew 12-48-50 is all I need to say. “(Jesus) replied to him, “who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
As I lost my grandma, God filled my emptiness as He raised up a whole new family for me here in Omaha. I’m learning that God’s table is filled with family who don’t look like me, talk like me, come from the same place as me. These women are now part of my family. They are my sisters and I love them dearly.
I am so grateful that I was invited into the Restored Hope family. So on this Omaha Gives day I want to invite you to become part of Restored Hope’s family with me by giving, praying, or joining in action.
Andrea Chatelain 