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Equipping Baby's Future
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To most people, it’s just a piece of furniture, but to new parents overwhelmed with bills, it is much more. One Iowa church calls it their “dresser ministry.” And as Kim Riemland reports, what starts out as an empty chest of drawers becomes a very special delivery. |
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SCRIPT:
(Locator: Le
Mars, Iowa)
Brad and Melody Wheeler wondered how they would make ends meet with two new additions to the family.
Brad Wheeler/Twins’ Father: “We had a rough go of it in the beginning, because I’m 20 and she’s going to be 18, you know. But we got through it, and we’re still getting through it.”
Twins Gracie and Colton were born prematurely and spent several weeks in intensive care.
Melody
Wheeler/Twins’ Mother: “It was really scary, yeah. Any parent who goes
through that with just one kid. But having two of them in there, yeah,
that was extra hard.”
Brad works two jobs to support his family. But they've also found
support from people they’ve never met. Members of the United Methodist
Church of Le Mars, Iowa spent weeks filling up a dresser with just about
everything a new baby could need - blankets, toiletries and diapers.
Church member: “We’ve got a Bible for you, and we've got different clothes.”
Church members are hoping the dresser ministry will help young families get a good start.
Christi Bauerly/Church Member: “Diapers and formula and that kind of thing alone, without even putting clothes on children, is very costly. And it can be very overwhelming for people.”
Deb Sypersma (PRONOUNCED SIGH-PURS-MUH) runs a pregnancy counseling center that brought the family and the church together, and says this kind of help can make a difference.
Deb Sypersma/The Alpha Center: “We get calls on a daily basis from moms who don’t have any diapers. They don’t have formula. It’s just heartbreaking.”
This dresser represents more than a material gift…it shows them people care.
Brad Wheeler/Twins’ Father: “Heaven sent from God. I think it’s the biggest blessing we’ve had so far. I really appreciate everything they’ve done for us.”
TAG:
The first dresser ministry was started in Michigan by Ann McNitt. And churches across the country have taken up the cause. Members of the Iowa church hope to fill and donate four dressers every year.