Just Wow!
We began the month with North Myrtle Beach Mayor, Marilyn Hatley and the City Council issuing a proclamation declaring January as Gun Safety Month.
It was a great honor to receive this and have the work we are doing in Matthew's memory officially recognized in NMB. To celebrate the month, I did a heavy focus on teaching the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program to local children in area day cares, preschools, private schools and churches. The proclamation also led to an unexpected TV interview. GOD IS GOOD!
It was amazing to see so many children learning what to do if they find a gun: STOP, DON'T TOUCH, LEAVE THE AREA, and TELL AN ADULT. I really loved sharing our story and this program, but it took a toll on me. I soon found myself without a voice and then sick. Non-the-less, it was completely worth it! I have had SO many parents tell me their kids have recited those steps over and over and over to them. GOD IS GOOD!
As I was doing all this, we were also planning for our annual, BIG fundraiser; a Chicken Bog dinner and Silent Auction. Our volunteers are awesome and they worked so hard at getting items in for the auction. But, as we got closer to the January 29th event, the forecast for that day was getting worse and worse (and my stress level was going up and up!). Three days before the event, we had to make the decision to postpone it by two days until the 31st. I was so disappointed. I knew that there was NO way to have it on the 29th, but I also knew that moving it at the last minute was going to affect turn out. We ended up with three days of icy roads and four days of cancelled school, but by 4:30 on January, 31st, the roads were clear and we DID have an great event.
I think cabin fever had set in and everyone was ready to get out. Profits were not what I had originally hope for but I absolutely CANNOT complain. We're still collecting on a few final silent auction items, but our profits should come in around the $10,000 mark! The Matthew Project has been blessed again, and I thank God!!
It's really difficult to put the month of January and what it meant to us in words. January is a very hard month. The 22nd marked four years since we lost our sweet Matthew. I still miss him more everyday. I think about him everyday. I wonder how tall he would be, what his voice would sound like, would his hair still be soooooooo blonde...
The list is endless.
Yet having this work in the month of January, having an intentional focus on gun safety in our home town helps ease the pain. The hope that we are saving children through the work of the Matthew Project keeps us going. January was a long, tough month. The emotional and physical strain was real. But it was so worth it.
THANK YOU to everyone who helped us this month. Your prayers, words of encouragement, donations and love do not go unnoticed. We are very blessed.
So yep, it's been a little crazy 'round here, but it was worth every crazy, frustrating, stressful moment.
