Once Again – A Light Shining

For the past year, there has been a new light shining in the Woodstock Community! Our Once Again Upscale, Resale Store opened its doors last March, providing a place for people to come buy good, used clothing, housewares, books, tools, furniture and much more for their homes. The donations from the WCS community have been overwhelming and our staff (Ina Sanders, Sue DeBoer & Marion Schelhaas) along with the volunteers have worked hard to make this a place where the light of Jesus shines each day! The purpose for the store is to generate funds to make tuition for our families more affordable; however as we lived through our first year, God has worked another purpose for the store as well! We have been called to provide a place where people can donate items they no longer use or need, and a place where people can come to buy items they need at great, affordable prices. We have been called to be Christ's hands and feet in our community in ways that we had never dreamed about! When you visit or volunteer in the store, you feel that love of Christ, and are blessed!

The morning after the fire that caused extensive smoke damage in the store (see article on the next page in Parent Link), I stood outside the store beside the staff and members of the Once Again Board of Directors. They were sad and quiet- there were some tears as the reality of what had happened took hold. But not despair… instead a sense of God's comforting presence enveloped us all, and in the quiet, a sense of determination and strength took root. Later that evening as I sat with the group in their meeting, we read 2 Corinthians 4 "….God hasn't left our side, we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken….. So we're not giving up. How could we? Even though on the outside it often looks like we're falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace." (The Message). In that assurance, we go on…..

We are rolling up our sleeves, ready to clean up the mess so the store will be ready to open again very soon. And then, we pray, there will be a party to celebrate and thank God for the first year of this special light in the Woodstock community!

Mrs. Bernice Huinink-Buiter

DONATE A TOTE PROJECT:  How can we help? We can donate a tote!!! When the items from the store have been cleaned, we'd like to store them in totes, rather than in cardboard boxes). You are invited to donate an empty tote (any size/colour- new/used)… just bring it to school and we'll forward it to the store! How many totes can we collect? If each student brings in one tote, we'll have almost 200 totes to donate!!!