Serving together in love.

It’s a special thing to see a couple serve together in ministry, serving not only out of their individual love for Christ, but also together in their love for one another. So, we wanted to highlight 4 couples that have been volunteering with our ministry here at FFM on a regular basis…together!

To make a bit more fun, we gave them a short questionnaire to give us insight into their story as a couple and as FFM volunteers. Don’t miss out on these fun stories and details! Enjoy the read and consider serving together with your spouse, kids, and others in your life that you love. Click here to sign up: https://fullyfurnishedministries.org/volunteer.

Amira & Jason

1.) How long have you been married?
- We are going on 3 years of marriage.

2.) What’s your favorite date night?
- Our favorite date night is trying out a new restaurant in the Atlanta area.

3.) How long have you been serving together at Fully Furnished and in what area?
- We’ve been serving at FFM for 3 years and serve the moving department of the ministry. 

4.) How did you start serving together?
- After taking pre-married life and during pre-married counseling, we realized serving together is something we felt was important to incorporate in our future marriage. We found FFM and decided to try it out. After our first time serving at FFM we loved purpose of the ministry and the rest is history.

5.) Why do you like to serve together?
- We like to serve together because it is a way for us to be together the whole day. During the week day we are both busy working and we don’t see each other until the evening. It is also a way for the both of us to look outside of ourselves, beyond our own problems, and make a positive difference on someone else life through FFM and ultimately through Christ. 

6.) Share your favorite story/memory from serving together.
- We were at a delivery and the smiles on the family’s face was amazing! The family was recovering from a house fire and they were just so thankful to receive the furniture from FFM. 

Mary & Merrill

1) How long have we been married?
- We recently celebrated 30 years.

2) What is your favorite date night?
- We love being outside, so going biking or hiking and then out for a casual dinner is a perfect evening. 

3) How long have you been serving together at FFM and in which area do you serve?
- We’ve both been “around” the ministry for maybe 10+ years, as donors and on random volunteer projects with various groups.  However, in the fall of 2019, while doing some furniture restoration work with Glenn Mahoney (board member and friend of Merrill) it came up that they needed better connections with current and new social service agencies (where furniture requests originate). Mary has a master’s in social work, so this was right up her alley and she jumped in connecting and surveying agencies on ways we could work better together. Shortly after Merrill was recruited to focus on the technical side of things. Since then, Jeff and Mary (Myers) keep finding new assignments (website, reporting, automation, flowcharts, videos) for us to tackle, and we keep accepting. Almost always we work on these together with each of us focusing on the part of the project that matches our skill set, and/or bouncing ideas off each other.  We like it because we are always working on something new, we can do it together, and we get to see the impact of our work!

4) Why do you like to serve together and in this in ministry?
- First of all, this ministry is such a blessing to those experiencing furniture poverty. How can you make a home without furniture? The people receiving furniture feel blessed to receive and the people giving are blessed knowing their furniture is helping someone else. We have owned a few businesses so have learned to work well together. Merrill loves the technology side, which is not Mary’s strong suite. Mary prefers the people, organizing, creating, and communication side, we are Yin and Yang and almost every project needs some of both!

5) Do you have a favorite memory from serving together at FFM?
- Most of our work is “back of the house” but when we do get to go on a delivery, which is where we get recharged and get refocused on the “why” we volunteer. Most people do not realize that FFM clients are the working poor and if one thing goes wrong, they are living out of a motel, or on the street. One family we met was in a motel for over 2 years. They worked hard while caring for their child. Finally, after saving enough an agency was able to help them move back into an apartment. They were so thankful when the truck from FFM rolled up and we prayed together before leaving and you could see the joy and excitement, they felt for getting a new chance. That certainly energized us!

6) Any else to share?
- Praise God for the growth of the ministry. It has been one thing that has truly blossomed during this pandemic as FFM is serving so many more families that are moving typically from motels to apartments. 

Luke & Emily

1) How long have you been married?
- 4+ years

2) What’s your favorite date night?
- Eating subs at home, but we have more fun during the day.

3) How long have you been serving together at FFM and in which area do you serve?
- Luke: 3 years, furniture delivery/pickup
- Emily: 7 months, furniture delivery/pickup (formerly furniture restoration)

3) How did you start serving together at FFM?
- Luke found FFM through Victory Church and loved it so much that eventually Emily decided to stop working on Saturdays and go with. 

4) Why do you like to serve together in ministry?
- It’s fun and we get to meet new people together. It’s fun when different people ride in the truck with us.

5) Do you have a favorite memory from serving together at FFM?
- Just last weekend we delivered furniture to a couple with four children who expressed so much gratitude for everything we gave them – from their new sofa, to the new beds for their kids, and even to food and toilet paper. It was an extra stop after a long day, but it made us appreciate how lucky we are to be a small part of this ministry.

We also enjoyed the time James West had his FFM shirt on backwards and didn’t know it.

Sherry & Terrance

1) How long have you been married?
- 16 Years

2) What’s your favorite date night? 
- Dinner & Movie

3) How long have you been serving together at FFM and in which area do you serve? 
- 2 years – Hearts Team

4) How did you start serving together at FFM?
- Terrance started in 2017 when it was Movers & Shakers.  If I remember correctly, John reached out to me (Sherry) since I am bilingual and my first-time volunteering, I was with Rosa, 2 years ago.  

5) Why do you like to serve together in ministry?
- It’s a fun way to serve as a couple and serve our community together. There is such a wide range of emotions felt such as happiness when you see a child’s joy to have a bed, heart wrenching when a mom can’t open her door for her child’s safety, and we leave everything on the porch and pray outside her door. We experience laughter as well with FFM recipients and donors.

6) Do you have a favorite memory from serving together at FFM? 
- Our favorite memory was when we went to a FFM recipient who had basically just arrived in US.  They were so happy when the truck pulled up. They came out with smiles and helped unload.  After all was in the home, they prayed for us and wanted to know how they can pay it forward and serve.  

He served, then received.

A man names Jesus (pronounced “hay-sus”) showed up one Saturday morning to serve. We were thrilled to have a Spanish speaker with us and thankful for another volunteer willing to give up time to help others. As he served, we managed to communicate in broken English and broken Spanish with one another and we found out he was from Lugo Alto Church and on the list to receive furniture for his empty apartment. But before receiving his furniture, he wanted to serve other families.

So for two Saturdays in a row, he lifted, loaded, unloaded and delivered furnishings to other families in need and helped pick up furniture donations. On the third Saturday it was his turn to receive. We showed up at his empty apartment where he and a friend were waiting to help, once again. The team unloaded an apartment’s worth of furnishings including 3 bedrooms, a living room and a dining room, with lamps, linens and kitchen items. He was beyond excited and wore a smile on his face the whole time!

As we spoke together in our two languages and some translation throgh another volunteer, we found out that he was coming from Venezuela and had made his way to Atlanta through Miami. He came alone, leaving his wife, siblings and parents behind, in hopes to bring them to join him. They were in dire conditions in Venezuela, where a month of wages will get you $3 and simple medicines can cost you $100—the country is a very difficult place to live.

After he received his papers and found a job, he was able to arrange for his wife, brother and mentally-disabled sister to join him in this apartment he secured. But it had no furnishings and they have little money. So, we were able to jump in and provide for them, just days before his family arrived! He was so grateful.

We are so inspired by people who are willing to serve and volunteer, even when they have nothing. They are willing to give even before they receive! Please continue to pray for him and his family and that his parents will also be able to immigrate.

An Empty Apartment [impact with every interaction]

[Names changed for privacy.]

Meet Anthony and Kiara. They have twin 2-year-old boys and a 4 year-old-boy…that’s a handful. They recently moved to the Atlanta area from New York, via Colorado. They found themselves with only the few belongings they had that fit in the car when they arrived. Through our partner, Frontline Housing (United Way), their needs came to us.

Candace, one of our Needs Assessor volunteers, was assigned this need and gave Kiara a call, as is the usual process. After a few tries with no answer and no space in voicemail, plus unanswered texts, Candace all but gave up on being able to help fulfill this need for this family. Then a few days later while driving, she got an unexpected call back from Kiara. She pulled over and listened.

After hearing about the children, their needs and the difficulties they’ve had, she wrote down the furnishings they needed and asked Kiara if she could pray with her. Over the phone, right then and there, they prayed. The next time Candace came to the warehouse and Kiara was on the list for delivery, she began walking the space to pick out the pieces so needed by this family and these small children: a sofa, coffee table, beds for everyone, chairs, linens…it seemed they had nothing but clothes and car seats.

The following Saturday, our Hearts Team joined the Hands Team on the delivery to Kiara and Anthony. Together, the furnishings were delivered and the personal connection was made. We found out their story and heard some more of their needs that have yet to be filled. We heard about how they had been in this apartment they got through Frontline Housing for 2 weeks but their kids had been staying with family because they had no beds for them (they were coming to the apartment that day to live again with their parents). We talked with them about finding a church and gave them contacts for continued help and connection in the community. We asked them what they needed prayer for and they shared and we prayed. And impact was made at every interaction.

This is one reason we always say, “It’s more than furniture.” Furniture is the temporary need and we fulfill it. But the ultimate need is the gospel…and we live and share it through the furniture. Please join us in praying for this couple and their children.

If you’d like to donate furniture or give financially to help make moments like these possible, visit our homepage. Thank you for being a part of our ministry.

More than a simple basket

Welcome Home Baskets are a small but significant part of every delivery we make to a family in need. These simple laundry baskets or cleaning buckets are filled with basic home cleaning items and paper products. But they are so much more than a simple basket.

This small gesture is one of love. It says to the family that they are not just a recipient of some needed furniture for their apartment or rental home, but they are LOVED! Though it fills such a great need, as cleaning and paper products are quite costly and any help in that is huge…it shows these families that we don’t want them to just sleep and eat in a more fitting environment, but we want them to feel at home. Completely at home.

We were blessed recently to have Perimeter School contribute 12 baskets from 10 families as part of the PCS Serve Day that they do every year. Families in their school sign up to participate in serving or giving to an organization in the community and once again, they rose to the occasion. We also love that these Welcome Home Baskets give children and families a way to serve together and create conversations between parents and children about giving to others who are not as fortunate as they may be at this point in their lives.

Thank you Perimeter School and all the families that helped out with these baskets. We know that as they go out to families in need on our delivery days, they will be so much more than simple baskets — they will be showing the love of Christ in a real tangible way.

We’d love to invite you to get a group together and make Welcome Home Baskets to donate to FFM! Some ideas of items to include in your basket are: paper towels, toilet paper, kitchen sponge, dishwasher pods, dish soap, disinfectant spray or wipes, all-purpose cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, toilet bowl brush, laundry pods, & can opener (you could also include some personal hygiene items: bar soap, toothpaste, shampoo).

Baskets can be dropped off at the FFM warehouse in Norcross, Tuesday - 10:00 am and 12:00 noon, or Friday and Saturday - 10:00 am and 1:00pm. Please contact John Dance to make arrangements for either day. THANK YOU!

Starting all over

Oftentimes, we have people wonder and ask, “How does someone need a whole apartment of furniture?” or “How is it that someone has a child or children sleeping on the floor?”

Though the answer is rarely the same, and every person we serve has a different story, there is hardship in every single one. And for some, the answer is simply “I’m starting all over.” There are differing circumstances for why they are having to start all over — off the top of my head, I can name a few, like house fires, domestic abuse, homelessness, job loss, the domino effect that leads to the loss of a storage unit, and more. And nearly all of these cases of needs come through our incredible community partners who are addressing other areas of need for those families and we can step in to fill in the “furnishings” piece of the puzzle.

For this single mom of 5 pictured below, she was thrilled to have us step in and help in the process of starting over in her life. We delivered a bunk bed, dresser and sofa to fill in a bit of her starting over puzzle. In the same day, we delivered to another single mom who had suffered domestic abuse and was starting over with her 3 kids. They received 2 twin beds, 2 dressers and 2 night stands to give her children a “real room” in which to live.

Pray for these families in our communities that are starting over. They’ve been through a lot of hurts and are finally in a place where they can start fresh and make a new life for themselves and their children. And if you’re interested in getting involved through your time, talent and treasure, click around our website and find the area where you can give!

Click here to donate your time and talent as a volunteer, either moving furniture or refurbishing it.

Click here to donate your treasure of furnishings. Click here to donate your treasure of finances.

Bringing faith into a moment

This family of 4 couldn’t have been more happy to see us at the front door of their apartment one Saturday morning. The mom with two little boys had recently secured an apartment and then found herself welcoming her mom into the home as well, after her father’s passing. She has a steady job, but definitely struggles as a single parent providing for two children. Her mom had sat by her father’s side as he fought cancer and then passed away. They decided it was best to move in with one another.

When we arrived, the kids had big smiles as they opened the door and saw us bringing down furniture to their door. The two boys had been sleeping in a cot and travel pop-up crib and were ready for a real bed. The grandmother had been sleeping in her single bed in the living room. Her bed had become the hangout spot in front of the tv. The three of them were more than excited to bunk together in a room after getting a whole set of living room furniture. The mom couldn’t believe the full dining set we could squeeze into their small apartment eat-in kitchen.

The woman and her mom shared with us how faith had been a part of their family many years ago. But after some hurtful treatment from others, they had put it to the side. The grandmother wore a cross and shared how her church was in her heart. The mom was touched by our group prayer together outside her door at the end of our time there, saying they hadn’t prayed in that way since her grandfather (a pastor) had passed away.

Meeting families in need and being able to not only fulfill a practical need, but bring faith back into their lives, even just in that moment, is such an incredible gift and opportunity for us as a ministry—to ultimately show them that love from God is what motivates us to help others and God is ready and waiting for them to answer his knock on the door.

Please join us in praying for this family and other families we serve. Pray that we would have more conversations of faith with those that need to hear and that the love of Christ will be what they see.

If you would like to join our Hearts Team and go out on deliveries to speak with and pray with recipient families, click here and we’ll get you scheduled for a serve day: Hearts Team.

A Christmas Eve delivery gone right!

On Dec 21, we were contacted by one of our new partners, Furnished With Love, asking if we could partner with them in a need they couldn’t fulfill. They were working with a single mom and her daughter in securing an apartment after living for several years in hotels. This family was in need of all essentials because they lost their storage unit about a year ago where they had been storing their furniture.

Our answer? Yes! This is what we do!

It took a lot of communication and coordinating, but on Christmas Eve, at 4:30 PM, through the hands, feet, and hearts of a amazing volunteers, Jesus came to this house.

Partnering with other organizations, mobilizing volunteers, and having donated furnishings ready to go is what makes our ministry reach those most in need. And now, with having our own truck, we can answer these needs in their most desperate moments.

If you’d like to learn more about volunteering in a variety of ways throughout the week and weekend, click here: https://fullyfurnishedministries.org/volunteer

Keeping families safe & together [The Drake House: Partner Highlight]

“More than 10,000 people in the Atlanta area experience homelessness on an given night. Over 40% of Atlanta’s homeless population are women and children.”

In order to help combat this, Fully Furnished Ministries works closely with The Drake House, a non-profit in Roswell, GA that provides a lifeline of supportive housing and enrichment programs for single mothers and their children experiencing homelessness in north metro Atlanta.

Fully Furnished Ministries has been in partnership with The Drake House since 2010. To date, we have provided furnishings to more than 100 families through them! In fact, in September, we had the opportunity to help one woman and her children in The Drake House by providing a sofa, love seat, coffee table, two end tables, a dining table with four chairs, two computer desks w/chairs and a dresser.

Dianne Berry from The Drake House shares with us, "We involve members of our community in the effort to keep single mothers and their children united under one roof as they work toward self-sufficiency. We are the only agency in the region offering a private crisis-housing program. Every year, our private housing serves two apartment buildings with 50 families and 100 children, and whenever we have a need for furnishings for these women and children, FFM is there and ready to help!"

Dianne Berry

Operations Manager, The Drake House

Find out more about The Drake House and the amazing programs they have and ways you can help here on their website: https://thedrakehouse.org/.

Two families whose lives changed on a Saturday.

5 beds, 9 night stands, 5 dressers, 8 lamps, a sofa, loveseat, 2 side chairs, a coffee table, 2 end tables, a dining table with chairs, a rug and lamps.

It was a full truck that everyone stood amazed at. How did those guys fit all that in there? But the really amazing part was where those pieces of furniture would be at the end of the day, and how those two families’ lives would completely change.

The Brookover Family. This single mom with 6 kids under her roof was facing incredible hardship after flooding and mold forced her family out of their home.

The Chen Family. This mom and dad with 3 kids faced an unbelievable turn of events one night in their apartment complex. After a man under the influence of drugs set his apartment on fire and left (which quickly spread to the other units), he then returned with his car and hit this woman and her daughter who were waiting on the sidewalk to escape the fire. After recovering, they were left with nothing. Read the story here on WSBTV.

Through our partnership with Unite - Norcross/Peachtree Corners, we found out about these two families and were thrilled to be able to help them and provide the furniture that they so desperately needed.

Whether you gave one of these pieces of furniture, gave money donations for the truck, restored one of these pieces, or used your hands to move them around to get to these families — you made this happen! It’s takes the pieces working together as a whole to make it happen. THANK YOU!

Pray for these two families as they settle into their homes and continue to heal physically and emotionally.