Greater Palatine
Our Inside Out Team was greatly inspired by the messages to take Christ's love into the community and serve others in need. Our prayer was, "Oh, Lord, the need is everywhere. Send us to the place 
where we can contribute something needed."
To help support Home of the Sparrow, a shelter for battered women and their children, we served at their Thrift Shop in Palatine. We organized boxes of donated shoes, sorted Christmas decorations, handled donations dropped off and we even polished silver.
One team member commented that serving at Sparrow's Nest gave her a chance to see clearly how much extra "stuff" she had. Knowing that the proceeds from sales at Sparrow’s Nest Thrift Shop benefited families in need many of us decided to de-clutter our own homes to help raise even more money.
When the manager told us how much she needed volunteers and that our presence was a gift from God, we knew we were serving in the right place.
As for the team, we felt fortunate and blessed to have served abused women through Willow's community outreach efforts.
Cathy Risberg
