The Hughes Go To Houston
For 3.5 weeks, a community and people from across the country came together to help create something so special it could only be ordained by God.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey I had a conversation with my longtime friend Landi Spearman. Landi resides in Houston and was wanting to do something to make a difference in the lives of people directly impacted by Hurricane Harvey. She wanted to do something but did not know what to do.
While John and I were having a conversation over dinner one night I “casually” mentioned to him that I would like to load a 15ft. Uhaul with supplies and drive it to Houston. I am still not sure how I arrived at a 15ft truck, but that was what we went with. What I love about John is he “usually” goes along with whatever I suggest, but I was not sure about this one. I don’t know why I was surprised but he was on board and the plan went into action.
Landi would work to find the recipients and we worked to collect the goods. We would drop the items off in a community that was directly affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Through the social media campaign #thehughesgotohouston donations began to come in. In those few weeks we were able to collect:
100 cases of water
40 cases of diapers
60 bottles of detergent
50 prepackaged food boxes
40 household supply boxes
Cleaning supplies, toiletries, and clothes.
On Saturday, September 30 at 10:00am with the help of many neighbors young and old, as well as the Boyscout Troop and members from our church, we were able to get the Uhaul loaded.
At 9:00pm we left Atlanta/Johns Creek headed to Houston 800 miles and 12 hours away.
We arrived in Houston at 10am the next morning after making a few stops along the way including a stop in Beaumont, TX one of Texas hardest hit areas. Let’s just say John was not too thrilled about traveling with four women (we had friends trail behind us), but he has memories to last a lifetime.
The recipients of the items collected were children and teens from Cherish Our Children International (COCI).
These teens and young adults have been forced to become adults due to either one or both of their parents being incarcerated. After the storm many of them lost everything. To see the smiles on their faces and expressions of love once we arrived is something I will NEVER forget.
We are so Thankful to all that donated items, money, their time in helping us pack boxes, pack the truck, separate clothes, or just prayed for us along the way. We are especially Thankful to The Spearman Family for being a part of this and to our friends Cynthia, Sheila, our niece Nya for traveling along with us on this journey. Thank You to our friend Lucy for creating the “Spread Love and Love Will Spread” t-shirts and Thank You to Redemptive Life Christian Fellowship Church for your love and generosity.
Our hearts are full. We are thankful to have been able to be the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus. We all need to Spread More Love!
John and Kenya Hughes