02/04/2024
Friends, you just can’t make this stuff up!
WARNING – Loooong post ahead! I will try my best to condense it, but there’s just too many amazing details to leave out! So, grab a Dr Pepper and settle in for the ride – pun intended.
If you’ve read our mission statement, you know that the goal of WNB is not just about getting donations for our ministry, but to “empower, motivate & facilitate the contagious acts of generosity.” What you’re about to read encompasses all that – which is what thrills us the most!
It all started out with a conversation between Randy and one of our Board Members, Ben. Ben told Randy about a friend who had been serving in a parachurch ministry in another country for several years. Upon leaving that country, they seized all his bank accounts, leaving him and his family with virtually nothing coming back to the states. He and his wife have 4 children, and Ben was hoping to secure a vehicle for them that would meet their needs.
Long story short – a vehicle was purchased and given to this family, as well as Randy and Ben having the opportunity to minister to and encourage Ben’s friend, after dealing with their painful experience. Of course, he and his family were blown away at the thought that people they might never know had given generously to WNB so that they would be the recipients of this Blessing.
A week or so later, we got an email from a guy inquiring about getting a van for a family with seven (yes, 7!) kids. After emailing back and forth a few times, we found out that he had heard about WNB because he had lunch with Ben’s friend, “C”, who told him about his Blessing. Vans are not that easy to come across, especially in WNB’s price range, so I told him that we would probably not be able to help, at this time. “N” replies that he already had a few he was checking into, and that he and his wife wanted to purchase the van themselves, and only wanted WNB to facilitate the process so they could remain anonymous! Sooo…
A van was purchased at a dealership in Texas and shipped to the family in Florida. That’s the gist of that story but wait! There’s more!
First, we had to contact the family in Florida and convince them (via texts and voicemails) that this was not a Scam – it was 100% legit – and that we really needed them to get back in touch. Which they did, and we managed to persuade them that someone was blessing them with a van for their family! To facilitate this Blessing, we had to contact a transport company, as well as arrange getting the funds from N & his wife. That’s a story in and of itself. They do not live in our area, but I happened to be going to Las Colinas to see a movie with our son and his girlfriend, so they offered to drive there to bring us the check. The theater was already dark, so I sent my son to meet them in the lobby (old people do not need to walk downstairs – especially in the dark!!!). He comes back with a personal check with about $15,000 over the cost of the van. They said they were so impressed with what WNB is doing, that they wanted to be a part of blessing even more people through our ministry!
The sweet family in Florida called to let us know that the van had arrived, and they were just elated. They were going to take it to pick their kids up from school that afternoon! The wife told us that her mom had been praying for THREE YEARS that someone would provide them with a van and that they would just drop it off on their front porch. Well…!!!
In the meantime, Randy hears about a young lady who needed a car to get her to school. Upon hearing her “story”, he finds out that she was adopted by a nurse in the hospital where she was born, so you know there’s more to that than I can share. In any case, because of the generous donation of N, we have been able to provide her with a vehicle! Again, we get the opportunity to let her know about all the wonderful people who believe in and support Randy and I with Why Not Bless.
Y’all, Why Not Bless is about as “grassroots” a ministry as it gets. Unlike many other charities and organizations, we do not have any corporate sponsors or foundations that provide us with unlimited funds. Quite the opposite, we started around our kitchen table with 4 friends who believed in our vision and helped with the seed money to start blessing others. We’ve been blessed with some very generous donations through the years, and we’re always grateful for that! However, what is equally amazing, is that people that donate $50 a month, or $100 here and there can share in the Blessings we facilitate in their honor.
Prayerfully consider how God can use you to bless others! ❤️
