April's Christmas Tree First, some backstory: December 1st and 2nd, H2H picks up its biggest single donation to date, six box truckloads of furniture from AvantStay short term rentals. Flush with furniture, it seemed that the following Saturday’s deliveries would be no problem. Then the bed shipment was backordered. That meant reluctantly postponing, for one week, all the deliveries needing queen beds. We did have full and twin beds, but we typically deliver queen beds to adults. And this time of year, follow-up deliveries are not efficient. Plus, on Saturday, December 7, we were to have a new (potential) truck driving volunteer which meant we wanted to make a good first impression. So, I called a new set of requests. Several phone calls into that process, I spoke with April A. The first thing she said was, “I don’t need a bed, but could I get a full or twin bed for my 18-year-old son?” Happily, I said “Yes. Would you be home tomorrow morning?” To which she replied, “I’m off on Saturdays.” Things sounded promising. Then I mentioned having just received new, artificial Christmas trees, still in the box. And would she be interested? Then she told me her story. I listened as she recounted her journey. Early on she had been trafficked, then came addiction, then came recovery. During Covid she had reached out to other folks in recovery via an Instagram account. Stuck at home, she had 100,000 followers. She felt like she was really making a difference. Then, her mother died, and she relapsed. That hole became a new two-year struggle made worse by the damage to her two kids. Her teenage son started living on his own in a van. From her dark place, she told God that she didn’t believe in Him and, if He wanted her to believe in Him, He would have to give her life back. And as she explained, He did. First came a used car and a job, then came a townhouse apartment with little more than a bed for her and her daughter. And now House2Home was bringing her son a bed and a lot more, including lots of beautiful, formerly short-term rental pieces. Before ending our phone conversation, I mentioned having been given new, artificial Christmas trees, still in the box. She gasped before explaining how just the night before she had prayed to God about not being able to afford a Christmas tree. I felt like the next day’s delivery would go well. And it did. We arrived, brought in the new pieces, and set up her son’s bed in a converted dining room space. The AvantStay dresser and nightstand looked great. As we finished, he started making that room into his own. As we were about to leave for our next stop, April told our volunteers her story. That is when her eyes glazed over, and she began to cry. She said, “I believe in God.” You see, He had given her life back. And because we didn’t have queen beds, House2Home got to be a part of her story this Christmas.