Footprints Ministry: Happy 1st Birthday Footprints!

I've been really behind on my blogging...At the end of August we celebrated Footprints 1st Birthday! My sister, Robyn Bernier along with many others planned a surprise birthday party for Footprints. I'm not sure how they pulled it off but I was completely surprised! It was a wonderful afternoon. Many friends and family came to show their support for this great ministry the Lord has blessed us with. My sister Robyn shared a few words, which is unusul because we have a lot in common in that we're not public speakers. Thanks Robyn for stepping up there for your sis! Then Laura Mielke, mother of twins Harper and Lilly shared her NICU experience and the impact the Footprints Ministry had on them. Wow, she had such a powerful story! She brought many of us to tears several times. I'm so grateful for the Mielke family and the amazing support they've shown to Footprints! Then I was presented with another surprise-Erin White is the accountant who has been working with me on filing our 501(c)3 to obtain our non-profit status. Erin presented all of the paperwork completed! And yes, I cried again! It was like all of our meetings and hard work were finally complete and soon we'll be "official" with the IRS! Thank you so much to Erin for volunteering many hours to complete this paperwork for FREE! We then ended with the slideshow of our 1st year that my husband Glenn put together. It was a wonderful afternoon! Two of our Footprints babies also attended the party-Brooke Waters and Peyton Barranco. I can't express the joy it brings to my heart when I see our precious miracles growing up! I could just cry right now thinking about all of our families. These babies are truly gifts from God! We received many, many donations, gift cards, blankets and cameras as birthday presents. Thank you to everyone who attended the party and brought gifts. Some gifts did not have who they were from so please forgive me if you didn't receive a thank you note. Thank you to everyone who organized and attended our 1st birthday party!

I'm still amazed at where we started and where we are today. When we started this ministry, we had in mind that we would help one or two local hospitals. Little did we know the Lord had bigger and better plans. I would have laughed if someone told me last year that the Lord wanted this ministry to expand to other cities. I'm still in complete shock that the Lord has grown it so quickly in one year. I shouldn't be in shock as our God is an All Powerful, All Knowing God! This past year has been a very humbling experience. I still feel that I'm inadquete to take on this task of organizing this ministry! I know that it is only through HIM that this ministry continues to grow and thrive. In our 1st year we distributed over 600 bags! So 600 families heard of the love of Christ through this ministry. God is soooo good!

I heard the following verse on the radio today, what a perfect verse to sum up our 1st year! The blessings from the Lord have been running over since Footprints began. Thank you Lord for this incredible ministry! We are excited about what you have planned for our 2nd year! We pray that many families will come to know you through this ministry. Thank you Lord for every person who prays, volunteers and donates to this great ministry!

"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap." Luke 6:38

Below are some pictures from the party-Thank you to Jon Bowman for being our photographer!