By Heidi Nelson, Grants Pass Adventurer Club director

“Why isn’t anyone coming!?” I chuckled at the question. It was approximately 1:02 PM and my little Adventurer, full of the Christmas spirit, was anxious to serve hot cocoa. I assured him they would be there any moment.

Through the window I could see we already had customers, but they were not walking into the building where my impatient Little Lamb was waiting. Not yet. They were making their way to a white van in the parking lot, carefully carrying bags of kitchen knives. One of our church members had volunteered to join our fund raiser by offering to sharpen kitchen knives. Once the knives had been dropped off at his work van to be sharpened, they made their way into the warm glow of the hot cocoa stand. There where small eager hands and bright smiles served the best hot cocoa in town.

For 3 hours people came, bringing donations to raise money for our Rescue Campus mission project. But they didn’t just leave. They stayed, they lingered, they visited. The Christmas music, the decoration, the tables with chairs invited folks to stay and visit, to catch up with family and friends. It never got crowded, but it didn’t feel empty either. It was a friendly atmosphere of togetherness.

Through the generous donations that came from the hot cocoa and knife sharpening, $3,000 was sent to Child Impact and PAMAS to build missionary housing for a child rescue campus in the Philippines! The goal of the rescue campus is to protect 100+ vulnerable kids from abuse, neglect, and child marriage. I’m so thankful for everyone who came to support the kids and the mission.

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