Mattress by an Angel, Orlando is a 501c3 non-profit charity that provides new mattresses, mattress protectors, highrise frames or adjustable bases to individuals in Orlando who receive SSI or SSDI because of a diagnosed physical disability. Four years ago our adult childrens’ health began to rapidly decline, and now they both live with a disability. My husband and I really struggled with depressio
n, fear for the future, a constant shortage of finances, and anger toward God. Guilt, sorrow, fear and anger imprisoned my soul. I hated everything about my life, cried all the time, and had self-injurious habits. At my very lowest point, I finally cried out to God, “Take away my anger, Lord, if you can, because I know that you are the only One who can help me.”
Praise God that He worked a miracle and that He is still replacing our depression, anxiety and weakness with His joy, peace and strength. We are choosing to walk by faith in His hopeful and positive promises instead of by sight, with our natural negative reactions to our difficult circumstances. We are learning to thank Him for our trials, and He is teaching us so much about ourselves and how to share our story with others who are struggling. We needed a second income and a job that I could work part-time, so we opened a mattress store called Mattress by Appointment in the fall of 2020, with me kicking and screaming that I didn’t want to sell mattresses because I was a teacher. God had told me that I had a story to tell, and now He told me to tell my story and pray for every customer that walked in the door. Some of my customers had disabilites, a bad mattress, and a limited income and couldn’t afford a new mattress. As I heard their stories and they left without a mattress, it deeply pained my heart, because I thought, “What if that was my children?”
God kept sending me customers who had disabilities and couldn’t afford to buy a mattress. I heard Him telling me, “Give ye them to sleep,” but I said “Lord, how? I can’t afford to give away mattresses.” Then God taught me through the story of the feeding of the 5000 with the loaves and fishes, that he wanted me to give what I had and that He would multiply it. Shortly thereafter, a random stranger donated $500, so someone less fortunate than her could get a free mattress. Less than 24 hours later, a 38 year old woman who had had seizures since she was 5 years old called, needing a mattress. Several weeks later a customer donated $400, saying that God told her if she could spend that much on a mattress for her daughter, that she could donate the same amount for someone else to get a mattress, and my best friend gave me $75 dollars for the same cause for a birthday gift. After donating 5 mattresses, God revealed to me that I needed to be organized and open a non-profit charity, but I debated, “Lord, I don’t know how to open a charity, create a website, or have enough time to make this happen.” That very week, God sent customers who volunteered to help me apply for the charity, create the website, deliver the mattresses, and all for free. Next, I told God, “I am a nobody. Who will listen to me?” God answered me through a wise elderly lady, “You are a somebody if you are speaking for somebody.” Finally, I humbly told God that I would obey Him, and Mattress by an Angel was born. Then God tested me to see how commmitted I really was, “Sell almost all your personal belongings and donate the money to Mattress by an Angel.” It was a real struggle to part with things I loved, work hard to sell them, and then use this money to buy mattresses for strangers, but I know that God doesn’t want us to cling to the treasures of this world. Instead, He wants us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, and individuals with disabilities are some of God’s most precious treasures! Mattress by an Angel was God’s plan all along, but first He had to allow our suffering to give us empathy and understanding for individuals with disabilities, and secondly lead us to open a Mattress store, so we could see this great need, to improve the quality of life for individuals with diabilities by improving their quality of sleep. God promises to bring beauty out of ashes and joy in the morning after a night of sorrow, to give us hope and show us His plan for our lives. He is faithful, and this is His story. A story of how He keeps His promises to make all things work out for good to those who love Him, a story of His power to replace my selfishness and self-pity with His compassion and empathy, and a story of His love and tender care for individuals with disabilities.
