Going Through the Clothing...

By Michael Q. Pink

Last week, I thought it would be appropriate to go through our bedroom closet and pack up my wife’s clothes and give them to Goodwill. I didn’t know what else to do with them. My dear friend Gerry from Canada was staying with me and offered to help. I declined his warm offer and suggested he stay in the next room and read or whatever he wanted to do. I would be fine. (I thought.)

When I began the task, the first thing I noticed was how many very nice things she had in the closet and it seemed like a shame to just throw them in a trash bag and haul them off to Goodwill, so I decided to start with some of her less fancy clothing. As I began laying clothes on the bed to be sorted, folded and packed in a bag, I was beginning to feel the emotional pull that I was hoping would not happen so I called Gerry into the room to help with the folding and packing. (Just for a moment, I thought we had enough of the Chico’s brand to open an outlet store!)

Returning to the closet, I decided the T-shirts would be easier. The first shirt I grabbed was one I bought her in April in the Amazon region in Ecuador. It stirred a powerful memory, but I pressed on. The second one I grabbed was from the Gamboa Resort in Panama that I bought her in February when we were there together. I began to feel my emotions really pulling on me but I pressed on. The next T-shirt was from an anniversary trip to the island of Kona, Hawaii. That’s when I lost it. So many memories. A life filled with love and adventure. How could I pack all this up and seemingly throw it in the trash?!?!

That’s when I remembered a precious caregiver from our church named Karise. She had mentioned her desire for some memento of Brenda’s to treasure such as a T-shirt. I called her on the phone and described what was going on in my closet and how even though things were being packed up to go to Goodwill, it still felt like I was throwing everything away and I felt terrible.

That’s when Karise saved the day for me… She reminded me that our church has been doing mission work in Haiti for 26 years and that we were (as a body) getting ready to take many supplies back down to the mission we work so closely with there and that perhaps we could pack up Brenda’s clothes and take them along. Some of the more expensive items could be sent to a consignment shop, sold and the money taken to Haiti.

Instantly, the heaviness left me and I knew that Brenda would be thrilled to know her clothes were going as an extension of our beloved fellowship in Sarasota to the hurting people of Haiti. It no longer felt like her things were going in the trash, but that they were going as a love offering from my wife to the hurting in Haiti.

I shared this story with you for two reasons… First of all, because as you know by now, I feel called to live this experience out in front of you all. A sort of painful object lesson that we hopefully all can learn and benefit from. But secondly, I wanted to invite as many of you as feel inclined to join me in Brenda’s memory by sending Haiti a big love gift by donating whatever of value you choose to the ministry that our local church is birthed out of, called Hand to the Plow.

They have set up an Earthquake Restoration fund. These funds will go directly to the mission in Haiti that oversees 300 plus churches and will immediately be applied to where the suffering is greatest. Just click this link to help in this way. You may want to hold your own yard sale and clean out your closets or perhaps hold a church garage sale and send them the proceeds.

Whatever you feel to do will go a long way to helping in this great time of need. Have a blessed weekend my dear brothers and sisters and I look forward to seeing many of you in Denver next week!