It's Operation Over the Rainbow time again! As always, I am so overwhelmed by your love and support in these efforts to ensure foster children and families in our local community know just how much they are loved and treasured. So many of you participated last year in filling Journey Bags, bags that are stuffed with clothes, toiletries, toys and more and given to foster children when they enter care. Without these bags, many children would have nothing to bring to their new home, and the "lucky" ones might only have a trash bag with a few belongings they were able to gather.
A lot of you already know Ryan and my story. For those that are new to Operation Over the Rainbow though, I thought I'd share our story again with a few more details that I couldn't share before.
Operation Over the Rainbow began in December 2015 as an idea to remember my firstborn son, Morris Keith Rankin, on his first still birthday. We had recently helped out a friend who had been entrusted with a 5 week old foster child. That sweet baby had arrived with very little notice, and no time for the family to really gather the clothes or other necessities they needed. As we selected some of Morris' clothes, toys, and other items to gift to her, the idea for Operation Over the Rainbow was born. The community overwhelmed us with support last year, and we were able to collect over 175 Journey Bags to donate to our local DSS offices.
Early in our efforts to collect Journey Bags, I reached out to TV3 to see if they would share our event on their community calendar. I had no intention of speaking to a reporter or becoming a story. However, a reporter reached out to me and asked if we would consider speaking on camera. I told her that I would really have to think about it. It seems these days, people can find a reason to be negative about just about anything. Because I didn't want anything to tarnish something I was doing in Morris' memory, and because it was important to me that the focus be on the real cause, I struggled with whether or not to do the story. A few friends and family members finally convinced me to move forward.
The day that I met with the reporter, I knew without a doubt that God had orchestrated our meeting. Christina had recently lost two close friends and was on her own grief journey, so our connection was instant. She was so compassionate as she listened to me tell my story and let me show her my Morris treasures. She went out of her way to make sure that I was comfortable with what she planned to say during the segment.
As we wrapped up the meeting, and Christina was packing stuff up to take to her car, she suddenly stopped. "I want to ask you something, but I'm not sure I should. I could probably get fired for it," she said. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I replied, "Sure, go ahead." She then told me that she had never done anything like this before, but that she felt God tugging on her heart to pray with me before she left. We stood in my living room, with camera equipment on the floor, Christina's arms wrapped around me, and tears streaming down both our faces as she said the most beautiful prayer for me.
The next day, I learned that I was pregnant. The simultaneous joy and terror I felt in that moment was incredible. I instantly thought of my new friend's prayer, and I knew why God had put me so strongly on her heart in that moment a day before. I am so grateful that Christina listened to the Holy Spirit, because her prayer will always be an important part of our story.
Just a few days before our Operation Over the Rainbow Celebration Day, we learned that the rainbow baby I was carrying was actually a double rainbow...that's right, twins! Our 2016 was an incredible year, and I gave birth to our precious miracles in August. They have kept us incredibly busy ever since, and for that reason and several others, I wasn't sure that we would do an Operation Over the Rainbow this year. But just before Christmas, I felt God clearly tugging on my heart to organize the event once more. I am tired, stressed and overwhelmed with work and home life right now, but I am trusting God to provide everything needed to make this a success once again.
While this event started in memory of Morris, it is about so much more than just him. It is about innocent children that live all around us feeling God's love and presence in their lives. It is about the unsung heroes, like my friend, who welcome these children into their homes with open arms and show some of them the only real love they've ever known. It's about people like Jenny-Rose Eccles, foster mom extraordinaire and founder of Foster Love Ministries, a community support group for foster families. From what I know about Jenny, she won't be pleased about any type of recognition or praise, but I want to wrap up my letter to you with one more story about my Operation Over the Rainbow experience with her last year.
After all the Journey Bags were stuffed, double-checked, and tagged last year, Jenny invited me to drop them off to the local DSS offices with her. We loaded her van and my SUV with bags. On our way to the Augusta office, Jenny asked me if I minded if we ran through the drive-thru for some lunch for her two little ones in the back seat. As we waited for the food, her little boy asked about playing on the playground. Jenny's reply went something like this, "Today is our day to help other people, remember? I know you want to play, and I promise that we will another day. But on Tuesdays, we spend our day doing things for others. We are going to deliver these bags to boys and girls that can use them."
In that moment, I have never felt more respect for someone, and I knew that I wanted to be a mother like Jenny. A mother who teaches her kids the joy and meaning in serving others. One who dedicates what precious little time she has after working as a PICU nurse, taking classes, and taking care of her sweet family to helping those who are less fortunate. A woman who is passionate about a cause and who works tirelessly to fighting for it. Jenny is a real-life hero.
Your love and support of Operation Over the Rainbow means more to me than you will ever know. I am so grateful that we have a God who expects nothing more in return for His mercy and blessings than our praises and thanksgiving, because I could never in my lifetime repay Him for His grace in my life. Thank you for helping me give back in some small way for all the blessings I've received.
Love,
Keri
Jenny and I delivering Journey Bags last year
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