Getting involved with Threads of Hope...Part 1

How did we get involved with Threads of Hope in the first place?

We have been asked this question many times so I will answer it for you in case you don't know.

We have been acquaintances of Chris and Alex for years because we attend the same church.  We knew they had a ministry that purchased bracelets made of thread from the people in the Philippines where they had already been dorm parents for years.  Being a lover of color, the bracelets had always appealed to me.  I had a collection started over the years as we saw Chris and Alex during the summers.

In January of 2011, my friend Doreen sent me an email asking for helpers to count bracelets at church.  We brought everyone living in the house at the time over to the church for the opportunity to serve in some way.  During those few hours we learned that there was a need for people to count bracelets periodically outside of that night as well.  I brought some bracelets home and started counting.

Shortly after getting involved with counting, Doreen asked me if I would be willing to back her up with the shipping of the orders when she went away.  I happily accepted, again looking at it as a way to serve Threads of Hope in some capacity.

Months later, when covering the shipping again, Alex was home from the Philippines for the summer and was bringing me product I was missing to complete some orders.  I didn't know Alex (or Chris) very well, so we chatted about many things. We talked about business functions and needs and organizational ideas, etc.  After one conversation about duplicating DVD's, Alex looked at me and said "We could really use you in the Philippines."  Hmmmm. "Interesting comment," I thought to myself.  "Let's see what Jim thinks of that comment.

Stay tuned...as the story continues!