We all have our special ____. For some, it’s the mission trips, for some LOTS. For me, it’s Christmas @ COTHA. Our church family proves every year to be generous beyond measure.
This year I was excited about the new Christmas @ COTHA tree that we designed and built. It’s new; it’s cute. It made me have a little skip in my step every time I looked at it in the foyer. It’s the little things, right?
Next is the excitement I feel when making lists for the receiving families. I get giddy at the thought of those kiddos opening gifts that so much love and joy went into putting the under the tree.
All of that is exciting…and thrilling…but nothing compared to the excitement and thrill I got on Monday morning. Darrel texted the staff that we’d had a break in and the Christmas @ COTHA gifts were gone!!! I’m in Boston, trying to navigate the streets to return a rental car (not easy) and my mind is going 90 to nothing trying to figure what to do next. I let my human side squeak out and started crying thinking of all the kids that might get let down. It hurt my heart. I want so very badly for all the families to get all they ask for, and I was scared that wouldn’t happen. FEAR. It’ll get you every time.
Once at our gate, and we had taken a deep breath, all the steps started falling into place.
This year I was excited about the new Christmas @ COTHA tree that we designed and built. It’s new; it’s cute. It made me have a little skip in my step every time I looked at it in the foyer. It’s the little things, right?
Next is the excitement I feel when making lists for the receiving families. I get giddy at the thought of those kiddos opening gifts that so much love and joy went into putting the under the tree.
All of that is exciting…and thrilling…but nothing compared to the excitement and thrill I got on Monday morning. Darrel texted the staff that we’d had a break in and the Christmas @ COTHA gifts were gone!!! I’m in Boston, trying to navigate the streets to return a rental car (not easy) and my mind is going 90 to nothing trying to figure what to do next. I let my human side squeak out and started crying thinking of all the kids that might get let down. It hurt my heart. I want so very badly for all the families to get all they ask for, and I was scared that wouldn’t happen. FEAR. It’ll get you every time.
Once at our gate, and we had taken a deep breath, all the steps started falling into place.
COTHA and the Katy Community would not be daunted by this little act of selfishness.
Facebook got wind of this. The news got wind of this. The community got wind of this. Donations and calls started coming in post haste.
The flight from Boston to home is a long one. However, on Monday it seemed to take forever. Donna and I were in the air, didn’t know what was happening, didn’t know how to help.
Here we are. A little more than 48 hours after the break in. ALL the presents have been purchased. ALL the presents have been wrapped. 90% of the presents have been delivered to the families. I have been completely awestruck by the immediacy of the outpouring of love and generosity.
Here are a few statistics regarding CHRISTMAS @ COTHA for you:
• 6 families were on our list
• 27 people in those families
• 175 + gifts for those families
• Over 40 online donors SINCE MONDAY’S break-in
• 5 last minute super duper Elf Shoppers
• 8 last minute awesome Elf Present Wrappers
• Over $7,000 raised in 2 days’ time
So…this is 100% NOT how I intended to spend this week and 100% NOT how I expected this year’s CHRISTMAS @ COTHA to go down, however…
The flight from Boston to home is a long one. However, on Monday it seemed to take forever. Donna and I were in the air, didn’t know what was happening, didn’t know how to help.
Here we are. A little more than 48 hours after the break in. ALL the presents have been purchased. ALL the presents have been wrapped. 90% of the presents have been delivered to the families. I have been completely awestruck by the immediacy of the outpouring of love and generosity.
Here are a few statistics regarding CHRISTMAS @ COTHA for you:
• 6 families were on our list
• 27 people in those families
• 175 + gifts for those families
• Over 40 online donors SINCE MONDAY’S break-in
• 5 last minute super duper Elf Shoppers
• 8 last minute awesome Elf Present Wrappers
• Over $7,000 raised in 2 days’ time
So…this is 100% NOT how I intended to spend this week and 100% NOT how I expected this year’s CHRISTMAS @ COTHA to go down, however…
There are not enough THANKS to go around to all the people who have helped, offered to help, donated, wrapped, shopped or just sent us words of encouragement. We even had another local church bring us lunch today because they knew it had been a rough week. I LOVE OUR COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE JESUS.
Polly Stratton
Christmas @ COTHA Coordinator
Polly Stratton
Christmas @ COTHA Coordinator
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