December 12, 2023
Dear Supporter,
A few weeks ago, we sent you our year-end newsletter. I am reaching out to you to ask if you would consider supporting Hope Unexpected in your year-end giving.
As we begin to prepare for time with family and friends, we can easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle. At the heart of our hustle and bustle is preparation. Preparing for our family gatherings, preparing for our gift giving, preparing for our meals around the table, preparing to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The story of Christmas is, however, quite the opposite of preparing. God chose a single woman to birth our Savior. She wasn’t committed to Joseph yet, she wasn’t prepared to have a child yet, and I have to assume that she wasn’t prepared to have her baby in a barn full of animals. But yet, her baby was to be the Savior, the “Joy to the World!” “The thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.”
There is something about preparing that is “safe” and “expected.” We know what will happen and we know just how to prepare.
Our name, Hope Unexpected, is fitting. I’ve been the Executive Director of Hope Unexpected for just over 11 years now and I’ve seen glimpses of how God works and it’s never amidst the organized and preparing but rather, in the unexpected moments, the “thrills of hope” that we see the impact of what we do. It’s in the moments when a child recites a Bible verse unprompted or reminds a peer to “always tell the truth.” There is a “thrill of hope” when a mom sends a picture of herself, and her baby being baptized at their new church. There is a “thrill of hope” when a mom shares that she is working on praying for the first time. There is a “thrill of hope” when a mom walks into Monday Meets and says, “I’ve been looking forward to tonight all day.” Can we prepare for a “soul to feel it’s worth?” Maybe, but we never know when a mom attending our programming will one day walk in and smile knowing she is in a place where she is loved and cared for just as she is. It’s unexpected. That’s the amazing thing about the Christmas Story. It’s unexpected. It illuminates hope and we see God’s perfect plan unfolding in the most unexpected ways.
We look forward to more “thrills of hope” for the 50 moms and more than 90 children we serve. Will you join us as we serve single moms and their children in this weary world?
Blessings,
Venmo | @Hope-Unexpected
PayPal | Susan.HopeUnexpected@gmail.com
Mail | PO Box 60, Byron Center, MI 49315
Your gift makes a difference in the lives of single moms and their children!