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Stories of hope from Share the Blessing 2024

January 17, 2024   |   Impact

Over the last ten holiday seasons, we’ve randomly selected and invited a small number of our clients to participate in our annual “Share the Blessing” campaign. We send these clients a $75 cash gift and ask them to think about someone they feel could use an unexpected blessing. Then, we ask that they simply give that person the cash—no strings attached.

Every year, we see the incredible ways God works and often multiplies the impact of these unexpected blessings!

As Christians, we’re called to a life of extravagant generosity as a response to Christ’s generous love toward us. And this generosity is an active response—we’re called to live it out!

As 1 John 3:16–18 states, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

We are called to actively love those around us, and generosity is a powerful way of living it out!

So, with that, we’d like to share the stories we received from some of this year’s Share the Blessing participants! May these stories inspire and bless you as much as they have for us!

Note: While the names have been edited to protect the identities of those who participated, the stories are mostly unedited (except for instances of clarity or spelling) so you can experience them in each participant’s own words.


Stories from this year’s participants

Over one of the hottest summer days while I was driving my 11 year old to baseball practice, I saw a woman walking with 3 kids in tow – carrying an infant, holding a 2 year old’s hand while the 5ish year old girl, in a ballerina outfit, walked in front. I commented to my son, “That mom looks so hot walking over there.” 25 minutes later, on my return back from dropping him off, she was still walking! But this time, she was literally dragging the toddler because he was so exhausted he couldn’t walk. I stopped, asked if I could give them a ride, and she accepted. They were on their way to dance lessons which explained the ballerina outfit.

She, [Ashley], has no car and her boyfriend broke the double stroller. She was beautiful and so were her 3 kids. I learned a little bit about them, including how the toddler was born with a hole in his heart and had a series of surgeries plus additional hearing problems which required all of them to use sign language. She lives here in Strasburg and would take the kids with her to clean houses to make a little bit of money. I asked if she had any support. She just said no. I dropped them off and returned an hour later to take them home after I ran over to the thrift shop and bought the 1 double stroller that was available (I was so happy).

I have only seen them one other time since that day and she was walking the kids in that stroller. I thought of [Ashley] and the kids earlier this week as I passed her apartment where I dropped them off from dance lessons.

On Tuesday, [my son] said, “ Hey mom, this is a ‘small’ thing but will you have a milkshake waiting for me for when I get home from school?” I laughed and said “Sure, buddy.” I was planning on going to Sonic, but changed my mind and went to the local creamery instead last minute. When I walked in, I saw [Ashley] was working behind the counter at the creamery and we both recognized each other!! (I thought, this is why I changed my mind to come here.) I asked her who was watching the kids while she worked. She explained that she and the father currently share kids 50/50, and that she was now living with her mom and saving money for lawyers/ court costs. We chatted for a while and I left.

The next day, I opened your “Share the Blessing” mail from LifeGuide. It was obvious who I would give the money to. I sent [my son] into the Creamery later that day and told him to ask for [Ashley] and to give her the card. She’s never met [my son] so she doesn’t know it’s from me.
Thanks for contributing to such a cool experience of how God works in everyday ways… I live for this stuff.

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What a pleasant surprise to see $75 in my letter from you. What a blessing it is to give back. There is a young family struggling in Carlisle that I know. The husband [Adam] does some work for me from time to time and I know they have been struggling financially. The gift was very much appreciated. I explained to him where it came from and that, in order to keep what we have, we have to give it away. Thanks for allowing me to take part in this year’s giving.

Your client, [Haley], asked me to help her distribute your Share the Blessing gift. This money will go to a foster child who will be in respite care in Carlisle over Christmas, as well as joining another gift to give an Afghan refugee mom [working as a local driving instructor]. Thank you for this opportunity to help two people this Christmas season.

[My wife] and I were able to give the $75 directly to a family with 4 kids who were in need of some help – not quite making ends meet – food from food bank and such. They were very appreciative of the help. Thank you for allowing us to share in the privilege of blessing others, especially at Christmas.

On the day that I opened the mail and saw my Share the Blessing letter, I was filled with joy to know that I could help a family in need with the support of LifeGuide. I immediately started to think of people who could use some help during the holiday season. However, this was not an easy task or one that I took lightly.

Throughout that night, I thought for a while about people I knew who could use some help. However, I was having a difficult time coming to a final decision. I even called some of my family members to get their thoughts on what I should do. On my way to work the next day, I spent the entire car ride thinking about Share the Blessing, and I prayed that I would be given a sign to help me make my decision.

When I arrived at school (I am a teacher at a local elementary school) I received word that one of my former students and their family was in need this holiday season. When I heard their story, I knew right away that this was my sign and they were the ones that I was going to give the money to. I spoke with the counselor at my building, and she was able to help me get the money to the family to help with their needs this holiday season. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and this experience was a true testament to that saying. Thank you, LifeGuide, for sharing this opportunity with our family and the family of another!

We were excited to be chosen to participate in Share the Blessing this year. We chose to bless a friend we have known for a number of years. She moved to the U.S. from another country and speaks very little English. She makes the most of what she has and is always pleasant and caring in her own special way. To be able to give her this gift was awesome and a blessing to us, too! She was overwhelmed and very thankful in her soft-spoken way. Thanks again for the opportunity to give and for the way LifeGuide has embraced the true meaning of Christmas.

I shared the $75 between two people who were my servers at restaurants over the holidays. I was a waitress many years ago and raising two children as a single mom, and my heart goes out to servers who make $2-$3 dollars an hour and depend on tips to survive and support a family. I do not have anything big to report but I felt it made a difference in two peoples’ lives knowing someone cared and they received a much larger than normal tip.

[My wife] and I were very pleasantly surprised to receive $75.00 in the mail from LifeGuide for your “Share the Blessing” initiative at Christmas time. A big THANK YOU to LifeGuide for choosing us to participate in this wonderful, generous gesture!

We immediately had someone in mind when we read your letter. We sent the $75.00 to a friend of ours who has been struggling financially. Upon receiving the money, he telephoned us. I described LifeGuide’s “Share the Blessing” initiative to him and he was deeply touched. He said, “This will spell some much-needed relief” at a time of financial hardship. He sends his gratitude to LifeGuide.

Please convey [our] thanks to Doug Denlinger and the members of the LifeGuide team. You are living out 1 John 3:17-18.

[1 John 3:17-18 — If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.]

[My husband] and I wanted to thank you for including us in giving a blessing to someone who was in need this year. We are both honored and humbled by the experience. When we received the letter, we prayed and prayed to whom we should give this money.

Well, yesterday we went out for breakfast… As we ate, we witnessed one of the customers hand out stuffed animals to all the children in the restaurant. We paid for our meal and when we got to the car, [my husband] said, “Hey…why don’t you go and ask the manager if one of the waitresses could use a little cash this season.” So I went in and I was talking to the manager and she said her fiancé had just lost his job and could certainly use the money. It was really moving because she was filled with tears of joy when someone gave such a gift. I left with such a great feeling that someone in need was going to have a much-blessed end of the year because of this.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to participate in Share the Blessing this year! It was a gift to us to be able to pray and discern how God was leading us to gift that money. We ended up giving the gift to a family from our church who have had a very challenging year. The dad/husband welcomed his grandmother into their home after increasing health problems/needs. This required his wife to quit her job to be able to take care of her and take her to numerous medical appointments each week. I know this was a significant strain for their family, as they have 2 young daughters. We actually gave the envelope to our pastor and asked him to give this gift on our behalf so it would remain completely anonymous. We were told that the response was shock and tremendous gratitude. Our prayer was that their family would feel seen by God in a very practical way.

Again, thank you for allowing us to take part in this. We are so grateful to partner with LifeGuide!

My husband and I have been helping a lady who has been out of work since 2019 and is disabled, but not yet approved for disability (we’re working on it). We were glad to be able to pass along the “Share the Blessing” card and money to her. I gave it to her when I also delivered some tissue boxes after finding out that she’d been using napkins scrounged from a friend for tissues. Here is her text back to me after she opened the card when I was gone:

“Oh my gosh…I just opened the card……I’m so thankful I have Kleenex. Please let whomever you got it from know how touched and appreciative I am! May God bless them.”

Thank you for giving us the chance to bless her this way!

We were struggling to think of someone in need, so I asked my daughters if they knew of someone who could be blessed with this gift. They too could not think of anyone at this time.

I was carrying the gift in my purse, so that if someone came to mind, we’d be able to bless them at that moment. Well…. we were traveling up to see [my husband’s] mom who recently was admitted to the hospital and is now in a rehabilitation facility with health issues. We hope that she gets strong enough to leave the facility and return home. While traveling up to see her, we stopped at a convenience store to use the facilities… [My husband] felt something tug at him, saying we should bless the girl working at the store. He’d asked if I had the gift with me, and I did! The girl was so surprised and overwhelmed and thankful that strangers would bless her with this gift. You could see the tears in her eyes, it was a very humbling experience for us.

Thank you LifeGuide for allowing us to share in this blessing opportunity.

What a beautiful surprise it was to get the card in the mail to be able to Share the Blessing!!! There is a co-worker I gave it to. She is a young single mom of twin 8-year-olds. I have been so proud of her growth during her time here as she has been dealt a tough hand with limited options. Through it all she keeps on pushing. She was so appreciative. It is a blessing to be a blessing. Doors have been opened for me that I could never have imagined and I am so grateful for those who came before me and sacrificed and those who are walking with me now to encourage and strengthen me. My responsibility is to create opportunities for others and pass it forward. This was a part of that!!! Thank you for all your team does and praying peace, safety and joy for the new year.

We prayed about who to give the money to, and the Lord directed us toward a need close to home! We had found out that our neighbors were feeling discouraged about finances after a large appliance replacement and numerous expensive car repairs. We were able to share this blessing with them, and we rejoiced in the Lord’s goodness and provision together! Praise be to God! Thank you for thinking about ways to live missional and bless others through your business! You rock!

Thanks for letting us be part of the Share the Blessing campaign. It was a joy to be able to represent LifeGuide in blessing others.

I must admit, when I opened the card and found the $75 cash inside, I was confused and yet excited. I didn’t know why you guys would be giving us money, but it was Christmas, so I figured it was possible. LOL. Then I read the letter and discovered that you had chosen us to be the bearers of the blessing to someone ELSE. That was exciting, too, though, because [my wife and I] naturally like to bless others. And it was easy for us to figure out who the $75 should go to: our 62-year-old neighbor, [Bob].

[Bob] has had a hard life. He did not grow up in a Christian home, and got caught up in drugs and alcohol at an early age. As an adult, he became a roofer by trade, but many years of walking on steeply sloped roofs took a toll on Bill’s back and eventually he needed surgery on his back. He’s been very limited in what he can and can’t do even to this day and has essentially been disabled and unable to work or do much of anything for about 10 years.

About 11 months ago, [Bob] was able to get a job. It’s been hard on him physically at times, but he has been giving it his all. Then, a couple months ago, his wife left him. She had a good paying job and had been working full-time and paying their bills, so her leaving has left him not only emotionally drained but financially as well. The job he has doesn’t pay much and isn’t full-time (almost, but not quite – the hours fluctuate), so he isn’t getting any benefits, like health insurance. We’ve been helping him some with food, inviting him over for meals, taking him along to church (to help him save money on fuel), etc.

When I handed [Bob] the card with the money in it, he was grateful, but he’s not a really expressive guy, so there was no huge “Thanks a Million” or jumping up and down with a huge smile on his face. That’s just not [Bob]. But he was very grateful. Later, he told me that when opened the envelope and saw the money, he was trying to figure out which bill to put the money toward first (i.e. the credit card… the neighbor who had loaned him money… the doctor…etc.)

About a week later, after church, [Bob] rather sheepishly asked me if it would be OK if he gave some of the money to someone else that he knows who is in a really bad way (i.e. had a stroke, can’t work anymore, and is going through a really rough time). I told him I was sure that would be OK, because that’s the whole idea behind ‘Share the Blessing’.

So, thanks again for trusting us with your money and allowing us to bless [Bob] and possibly others. We appreciate you!

We donated the $75 anonymously to a family who has fostered and adopted children. They have had a difficult year.

Several months before we received the note about being selected to participate in the “Share the Blessing” campaign, we hired a new employee in our office at work. He is in his 20s and has been through some difficult times with several health issues that required him to leave his first job to focus on getting himself well.

After another recent health setback, he told management that his first paycheck went straight to his healthcare bills. Once I learned about this, I felt a nudge to give him some money to help. I questioned this nudge and pushed it aside as I wasn’t sure how he would react or how it would be received. The next couple of months were business as usual until we received the note and money in the mail from LifeGuide. Funny how God works sometimes. As soon as I read the note, I just knew who the money needed to go to and I didn’t ignore the nudge this time.

I wrote a little note in the card and left the envelope on his desk. After he read the card, he immediately came to my office with tears in his eyes and asked to give me a hug.

I needed this as much as he did to remember that God is working when you least expect it and not to ignore the subtle nudges. Thank you for the opportunity to bless this young man.

We prayed for God to give us a clear vision of who could use the money. And we were feeling a bit unclear about who to give it to. But we kept praying. While [Bonnie] was dining at a local family restaurant with a few other ladies, the waitress started talking to us. She started to share she was a young girl pregnant and going for her first ultrasound the following day. She was excited and nervous, and kept saying she will do whatever necessary to raise the baby in a loving way. She had a very difficult childhood and her mother died when she was 13. She works two jobs to pay her rent with her boyfriend. She told us she gets her meals half price at the restaurant when she works and eats a lot of Spaghettios because they are cheap. But since she’s pregnant they don’t taste as good. She also shared it’s hard to keep gas in her car and sometimes puts just a few dollars in to get by. While she was sharing her story with us, she was proud of how far she had grown, and was happy about the baby even though it wasn’t planned. She was embracing and showing us her small baby bump and didn’t complain about how hard she had to work to have a different life for her baby than how she was raised.

After talking about 15 to 20 minutes, [Bonnie called me] to see [my] thoughts on giving the money to her. [I] totally agreed and drove the card and money to [Bonnie] at the restaurant. [Bonnie] gave her the card, along with a gentle hug. She then spoke another 15 to 20 minutes to us before she was going to eat her meal and go home for the evening. We all tried to encourage her as a new mommy-to-be. She was happy to be welcoming a new life into the world.

Please pray for her as she is in the first trimester of her pregnancy.

Thank you for giving this money in order to help someone. We appreciate the opportunity to give it to someone.

 


All included names have been changed to maintain anonymity. “Share the Blessing” is not part of LifeGuide Financial Advisors’ advisory services but a campaign where participation and sharing of stories are voluntary. For information about LifeGuide’s advisory services, please refer to our ADV-Disclosure Brochure.

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