time to celebrate you!
It's Volunteer Appreciation Week
And we have the best volunteers in the world! Stand in the Gap would NOT EXIST without the dedication and prayers of our volunteers. Whether you’ve served in a small group with a woman coming out of prison or young adult from hard places, or helped put Stand in the Gap for Widows into action, we couldn’t do this without you.
We asked Rhonda to honor some of her "Super Volunteers"
Like many of you, these couples have served on multiple Stand in the Gap small groups. They've celebrated holidays and graduations. They've moved boxes and made dinner. And they've had some tough conversations.
RHONDA, INTRODUCE US TO YOUR “SUPER VOLUNTEERS”
I’m declaring Linda and David Biles, Pam and Alger Flood, Jane and Joy Dearman, and Sharon and Jack Moody “super volunteers”!
WHAT MAKES THEM SO SUPER?
They have served consistently and consecutively over 5 years. Between the four couples, they’ve served on teams with Brandy, Chelsea, Cerissa, Tammy, Chandra, Dana, Tarra, Jacque, Whitney, Nikki, Dustie, Rachael, Amber, and Kristal. What a legacy!!
WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THEIR SPIRITUAL FAMILIES?
Over the years, the Biles, Floods, Dearmans, and Moodys have done it all.
All these women love to cook homemade meals. Most of the women we serve would want to open a box of macaroni and cheese for dinner, these women are like, ‘let us teach you how to make a meal’. They know how to take nothing and make the most amazing meal.
They’ve helped their “neighbors” learn to date and learn to parent. They’ve gone to court with women who are trying to get their children back. And they’ve given tons of hugs to their children.
DESCRIBE THE KIND OF RELATIONSHIPS THEY BUILD WITH THEIR “NEIGHBORS”.
Their relationships are like parent would love their child. These volunteers speak truth with firmness, celebrate birthdays, and all the little things. On Brandy’s team, they usually showed up for her son’s football games. They take their neighbors in and treat them like they are part of the family. They’re great at helping establish and keep boundaries.
These men are godly men. They don’t understand the abuse these women have been through. Instead, they love these women like their own daughters. They purposefully live out, in front of these women, what a godly man looks like.
ALL OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE GONE WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND. TELL SOME OF THOSE STORIES…
Well, so many things come to mind.
Women in Transition has a less than 10% recidivism rate. But every one of David and Linda Biles’ neighbors have relapsed. David and Linda don’t quit. Instead, they go visit the ladies in prison. They continue to love them, hoping they’ll get it right the next time. With relapse comes heartbreak, but they keep going. Stand in the Gap isn’t always roses.
The Biles have also hosted two weddings at their house. They walk the women down the aisle.
Brandy’s daughter lived with the Dearmans for a while until Brandy could get back on her feet. Talk about self-sacrifice — taking in a teenage girl!
Sharon Moody not only stood in the gap, she has told everyone in Claremore how great her life as been since she became part of SITG. Because of her testimony, we have probably 40-50 volunteers.
All these volunteers have made a huge difference at She Brews too! They teach our employees how to cook and be clean and consistent.
To each of our
volunteers,
