This story is about “It’s My Very Own-Bags of Love”, but it can not be told without first telling you about a special gift we received from friends in September 2007.Our pastor wanted to know who would be willing to be a host home for meetings via satellite. If you didn’t have a dish, you could let him know, and he could tell you how to get one. There were some members that would be willing to install a dish. We talked to the pastor. The next thing we knew a young couple said that they had a dish we could have. They not only gave us the dish, but installed it!!
In February 2008, I saw an interview on 3ABN (Three Angels Broadcasting Network) that changed my life. Shelly Quinn was interviewing Barbara Nahar. She, her daughter and husband started “It’s My Very Own-Bags of Love”.
This ministry’s objective is to lessen the stress on the children who have been taken during a drug raid. The transition process from being involved in a drug raid, and being picked up by a CPS worker to waiting for placement into a foster care home is very traumatic, and can require that the child or children wait many hours.
When a drug raid is made, it is the children that are left with no mom, dad, family or personal belongings, like a favorite teddy bear, blanket, photos, books, personal care items, etc. All these items are held for evidence. Also, if their home was being used for a meth. lab, they are taken to a clinic or hospital and bathed and given clean clothes. They can’t even keep their own clothes.
It is the intend of “Bags of Love” to bring some comfort to these precious children by giving them something that is “My Very Own.”
We make duffle bags with a big pocket on the outside, and a big drawstring around the top to close it. In the pocket goes age and gender appropriate personal care items, ie, combs, brushes, ponytail holders, shampoo, lotions, baby bottles, sippy cups, etc. Inside goes a big soft cuddly stuffed animal. Age and gender appropriate toys, pens, pencils, journals, coloring books, etc. At the very bottom is a homemade quilt 48”x 60”. All ages receive the same size quilt. The ages range from infants to 18 years old. The following is a story of one child’s comment after he received his “Bag of Love”.
After a 9 year-old boy had received his “Bag of Love,” he was told that he had to wait to look inside. Apparently the wait was very long and he could not resist seeing what was in the big pocket. When he pulled out a new toothbrush he said, “Wow, my very own toothbrush, now I don’t have to share!!” What a heart reaching statement!! (We do indeed take so much for granted).On May 1, 2008, we delivered our first “Bags of Love”. By the end of the year we had delivered 45 “Bags of Love”.
We praise God for His blessings upon this ministry. We could not have done it without the Lord putting His love into the hearts of our community and our Conroe Seventh-day Adventist church family.
Some of the volunteers in the community are the Presbyterian Church Ladies Sewing Circle, and an 84 year-old lady that square dances every Thursday night!! Also, another lady in Conroe is making quilts for us. Some of the ladies in our church have made quilts as well as a 15 year-old girl that has committed to making 2 infant blankets a month, and a 15 year-old boy that not only picked out the material, but designed and made a quilt that looked like a checker board. Our first duffle bags were made by the seventh and eighth graders from our church school. 
Some of the donations that go into the bags are given to us by the receptionist at our DDS office who gives us a large trash bag full of new stuffed animals every other month, toothpaste and toothbrushes from DDS offices, handmade stuffed animals by a Methodist lady, material, coloring books, crayons and money have come from everywhere. It truly is a blessing to see everybody coming together to help these precious children.
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