For the Stewart Cell. . .

The Stewart Cell of course is now the Hunt Cell but at the time when they came into our lives and changed our lives for the better they were the Stewart Cell. I cannot express how thankful I am that they did enter into our lives because had they not I'm not sure where we would be or where my family would be. They first entered our lives in the summer of 2007, when they started coming to our home in Aurora to help us out with the lawn. At the point that they came to our house I had become housebound. I rarely went outside and rarely interacted with anyone but Gil and the kids. The kids had been in Church but rarely. They too rarely interacted with anyone outside of the house. I was in a very dark place at that point in my life. This cell started to come and work in the yard and the kids would get so excited when it was the day they were coming. They became affectionately called the lawn people and it was a good motivation for everyone to eat their dinner so that they could go out and chat with the lawn people. I was wary of this group coming but also aware that we needed to do something and that my family needed help so I allowed it however reluctantly. To be honest I was ashamed of where we were in our lives. I was ashamed that I was too scared to go outside, and ashamed that I had fallen away from God. I was sure I would be met with judgement and so although the kids loved going outside to see the lawn people, I hid in my room. The way they interacted with my kids eventually gave me enough courage to venture outside to meet them. They were not judgmental at all, and their love and acceptance began to give me a hope in the Church again. I had been away for so long and suddenly I had courage to go back to Church. I saw a love being poured into my kids and I really wanted them to have that community. Not only did they clean up our yard they gave us a play set that the kids loved so very much and played with until we had to move. Because of what the Stewart cell poured into my family I have four kids who have accepted Christ, two who have been baptized, they are part of an amazing Church family that looks out for them, because of them I now not only go to Church but also am a cell leader, and because of the acceptance of this cell I have been able to find my faith again and find hope, and more than that start to put the pain of the past behind me. So tonight I am thankful and grateful for the blessing of this cell. I am blessed because I have a cell that was willing to help out someone they didn't even know and invest in them and that has now allowed me to try to invest that in others. I am thankful they took the chance on my family and my family is blessed because of that.