When Ashlyn Schaub, then high school senior Ashlyn John, signed up to deliver Thanksgiving baskets five years ago for Blue Ridge Community Church, she had no idea what to expect. She just hoped to do something nice for the holidays.
Instead, God showed her how deep and wide His love is — and what a privilege it is to be a part of sharing it.
Ashlyn, her best friend Kim Vece and their parents delivered baskets. As they came to one of the last houses, Ashlyn noticed how nice it looked. She wondered why they would need a Thanksgiving basket.
"Because the outside looks fine, you think they're doing fine," Ashlyn said. "It's different when you walk in."
The woman who answered the door was the daughter of an elderly woman in the last stages of battling cancer. She had stopped chemotherapy and come to live with her daughter because they could no longer afford her treatments. The daughter had spent all that she had to help her mother. But they had come to a financial end.
Because all of their money had gone for medical bills, they had nothing left for Thanksgiving.
"They cried and cried. It was very emotional," Ashlyn remembered. "They kept saying, 'This is a blessing, this is a miracle.'"
Ashlyn said she felt she received the blessing. She hopes others will discover this special way that God can work in us when we obediently let his love flow through us. It's not about feeling sorry for someone, but about sharing God's love for them.
"Back then I did it because helping others made me feel good, but now God's challenging us to be more intentional about discipleship," she said. "Ask the Holy Spirit to speak through you."
You can still participate in this year’s Thanksgiving basket project, Given to Give, by bringing in food, gift cards, or packing baskets.