Hello, my name is Connie Johnson, I am the executive director at Hope Helps TN. I want to take a minute and tell you about the last 2 years.
In 2020, because of COVID, and all the new mandates HHTN had to figure out how to operate and still get the main message, that God was still alive and working in lives, across. God showed us how and what to do. He kept us safe, and we only shut down for 2 weeks due to a Covid exposure. Through the grants, free foods, and donations that Second Harvest got, we were able to keep our doors open, we were able to stock up some. Our numbers in clients dropped but all that had to do with distancing and fear. There were times when only 3 or 4 clients would come and other times it might be 15 or 20. But when we compare numbers to 2019 it was a huge drop. Volunteer numbers dropped mostly due to mandates and health concerns, yet God knew, and we always found a way to stay open.
Then 2021 hit. At that point it was like what are we going to do, volunteers are not coming in like they were. We were struggling to have enough people even to open our doors. Some days we would only have 4 or 5, most days there would only be 3. I kept asking God what do we need to do father? What do I need to do? I was struggling with self-doubt, and my faith. Somewhere around May I started getting majorly discouraged. HHTN didn't have enough volunteers to keep up with all that needed done. Those who did come were getting tired and you could see the discouragement. Clients were low, no one was making monetary donations, things just looked like we were not needed. We still got our food for free, and God was still giving us what we needed and at times it was just too overwhelming. Sometime around August I started asking God are you telling me that we need to start shutting our doors? Everything was piling up and nothing was getting done it was like we were spinning our wheels and I could see no progress whatsoever. I felt as if all we did was useless and for nothing. It appeared no one cared, nothing was changing and our usefulness in the community was over.
Then in September/October somewhere in that area a client who had been with us since 2020 came through the doors and she asked to speak to me particularly. She said “I felt like I needed to come in to tell you thank you for everything that you all have done. Everything that you do here everything, that HHTN does. I just wanted to thank you and I wanted to let you know what HHTN means to me and my family. I don't know if you remember me, but I came in right after the COVID started and the shutdowns were implemented. I was at the end of my rope I did not know how my family were going to get through any of this. I had two children one was graduating high school getting ready to go to college who had a lot of medical needs, and one still in high school. I was sleeping on the couch, so each of my children had a room to themselves. I had just lost my job of many years, the business shut down permanently due to Covid, my husband walked out and was not helping support the kids. I had no idea what I was going to do, didn’t know how I would pay for our next meal. You were busy that day yet took the time to stop and talk to me. I told you about my struggles, and how my daughter had brought in a girl she knew from school who was sleeping where she could because the foster mom kicked her out at midnight on her 18thbirthday. How she her being there made everything so much harder. How my daughter was changing her whole life to help this girl. She was talking about giving up going to college. How both my kids were sacrificing so this girl could stay with us. I knew that when I asked this girl to leave it would put a rift in my relationship with my daughter. You talked to me about Jesus and how we needed to trust him, how sometimes we have no idea why things are happening, but we needed to trust him. You prayed with me about all my concerns and gave me food and clothing enough for my family and this girl. I feel you need to know, because of the many prayers from HHTN you gave me that encouragement you gave me that peace you gave me the hope I needed. I took Jesus at his word; I was able to trust in him. We would come and get food, clothing, and encouragement. What has happened is the girl was able to finish high school, she got a job, got some higher education and she's now got her own place and is doing very well. I've opened my home to the kids my daughter brings in. I'm still sleeping on the couch and my son, my daughter and whoever they bring in has a place to live. It was HHTN's help and encouragement through the many many prayers that I got through.
She went on to tell me about the 3 or 4 kids that her family were able to help with. She told me about a boy whose home burned and all he had left was the clothes on his back and shoes that the soles were burnt off. His parents walked away, and they didn't want him anymore. She told me about a girl whose parents were into drugs and alcohol, she didn't feel safe there, so she was living in her car, all she had was about 4 Walmart bags of belongings. She was trying to graduate high school.
She said that her daughter was now in college, would soon be going through her clinicals for nursing and that she was still bringing in young people who needed help. All the kids that they've helped by bringing them into their home are doing well. They're going to school, or they have jobs, all have their own places and are thriving. She said her and her family are thriving.
While we were talking, she stopped because she just never had realized how many young people’s lives that her and her family had helped until she was telling me about them. With tears in both of our eyes she went on to say, that one of the things that she now understood was that we never know what the plans are that Jesus has for us. But that we need to trust him, believe him, and lean on him because he will get us through everything.
God sent this mom to give me the encouragement to continue because at that point I was contemplating shutting down HHTN. I was already figuring on where stuff would go and how we would get rid of it and who I needed to contact. But God sent that person to say no you're here for a reason you're here to help people. You don't always see it but you're here to help them and that's why there is a HHTN. She brought that encouragement I needed to continue with what God had called me to do. I just need all of you to know that we don't always see what God does, through what we do for him, but I know that HHTN makes a difference in people’s lives. This mother has shown me that. She came here for food but got much more, and through two years of the hardest years we've had to live she was able to take in people and to help them because God had a plan. He knew what was going to be needed way before we did. I encourage all of you to step out in faith and listen to what God tells you because he knows. We may never know the results of our obedience but if it is from God, it has a purpose. May you be blessed in your obedience to him.