09/23/2025
Hi Everyone!😍
This past Sunday, we had a "Mission" Table set up at Park Meadows Baptist Church, Lethbridge.
Thank you, Park Meadows, for supporting us with this opportunity!☺ Thank you, also, to everyone who visited us at our table.😀
Pic 1 is of Greg, Melody, and me at our table.
Many people ask me WHY I do the charity. To provide clarity for all, here’s my three-fold answer:
1. Because it was a Christian Ministry that I was invited to join almost 20 years ago by two very special Christian ladies, the founder, Kay Baines, and our mutual very dear friend, Christine Pocha.
This Ministry served people in the community, nationally and internationally, and IT RESONATED WITH MY SPIRIT:
Proverbs 19:17 : Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done."
After Kay’s passing, I felt God prompting me to take on the mantle. I have continued that role now for just over 15 years, and still feel that God wants me to continue!
Over the years, the charity evolved. We moved from B.C. to Alberta. Our focus shifted primarily to supporting LOCAL charities, and we are strong supporters of OCC Operation Christmas Child.
2. I HAVE A HEART FOR PEOPLE IN NEED, and want to support helping however we can.
Christians are called to be Good Samaritans:
Galatians 6:2: Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
3. I BELIEVE IN HELPING PEOPLE FIND PURPOSE, JOY, FULFILLMENT AND, ULTIMATELY, GOD:
“The Collectors” also brings together people of all ages and walks of life, facilitating conversation about our Faith, finding “common ground,” and promoting fellowship. We create and deepen relationships and connections, where there might otherwise be none.
The Collectors shines a Christian “light” and perspective into places that might otherwise be unreachable. We have SEEN people's hearts towards God changed by our mission:
Matthew 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
During COVID-19, many people were isolated and depressed. Even before that, some people, especially seniors, struggled with lacking hobbies or purpose.
This charity work is not hard, but it does give women, men and even children a productive outlet to contribute, in a way that makes them also feel valued and a needed part of society.
This is why we happily supply folks with the raw materials and projects to help them not only feel productive but also to give back to their communities! Thank you to every individual who contributes to our cause, whether financially, in donating supplies, creating, or transporting our items.
In reviewing my “WHYs,” I still find ALL of them to be Valid reasons to continue the Ministry, until I feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to do otherwise!
For further clarity, some people understandably wondered what making Cat Beds last week had to do with “Christian” ministry:
We are called to be good stewards of what God has entrusted us with:
"1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
The Cat Beds we made utilized all the SCRAP material from our Other projects, which would otherwise have wound up in a landfill!
We try not to waste Anything! Because of that mandate, we were able to help a worthy Local cause. After all, even Cats are God’s creation, and the local Feral Cat issue is a legitimate problem. The Last Chance Cat Ranch, Lethbridge has wonderfully compassionate, generous people, who do what they can to help these creatures.
Separately, Pic 2 shows 367 dishcloths, which we sent to OCC, via Park Meadows Baptist Church, Lethbridge. Since we have met our quota for OCC at Park Meadows, some of those may be forwarded to OCC, Calgary.
We also sent another 30 hygiene cloths, not shown.
Blessings,💖
Denise Chouhan
