Monday, May 7, 2012

Inspirational Monday- Kim Osborne and Hope For Savannah

 

This post has been a long time coming. I interviewed Kim right before I started dealing with some health issues. I have to apologize to Kim for it taking me a few months to get this up. But I am so thrilled I have the opportunity to share with my readers such an inspiring lady and her organization!

First I’d like to tell you that I got to know Kim through a dear friend of mine. Before I became friends with her on FB I had heard amazing stories about her from our mutual friend. I ended up buying some homeschool curriculum from her and friending her on Facebook. What a gift it was. I’m able to keep up with all she does, especially Hope for Savannah, the organization that helps not only cancer patients, but their entire family. Their mission is:

“ to provide hope and comfort to cancer patients and their families through an intentional outreach driven by our web site and support programs”.

When Kim and I talked one of the first things she said was, “This organization is not about me. It’s about what we can do as Christians.” She went on to say that she didn’t set out to start this organization but that “God ignited a passion in her heart. And when He does that, it changes everything.” Kim will be the first to tell you she has no prior experience with a non-profit organization, no business training. But, as I've watched this organization grow and have seen all the outreach programs they have established it is hard to believe Kim has never done this before. One of the reason she inspires me is that it is easy to see that she is doing what God intended for her to do. She has followed her passion faithfully.

That passion was born from her best friend who was diagnosed with, and eventually died from ovarian cancer. As she watched her friend suffer she wanted to help, but had no idea what to do. She credits this experience with bringing her to Christ. Years later her young son would be diagnosed with cancer. She describes this time as “horrific”, but was amazed by the ways God was constantly speaking to her and her family.

As I speak with Kim I am touched and inspired by her strong faith. She works everyday with families that are suffering terrific burdens, she sees children suffer and die from a terrible disease, and yet her faith remains strong. She hopes others will see God reflected in the work that Hope For Savannah does, and I have no doubt that as you learn all they do you will see His amazing grace at work.

I could go on and on about everything this organization accomplishes, but instead I’d like for you to go to their website and see for yourself. I can not do it justice.

I asked Kim what someone  can do to help, even if they are not in the Savannah area. She told me one of her passions is to create pages on Hope’s website where people with all different kinds of cancers can go for resources. So if you or a loved one  has been diagnosed with cancer she would love for you to share any resources you have gathered about the disease and treatment. Also, if you can share the YouTube videos they have created. They, in themselves, are inspiring and fill you with hope.

I’m going to leave you with one of those videos. Thank you Kim for having the courage to follow God’s plan for you. Hope for Savannah is making a difference in so many peoples lives!

6 comments:

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

This post was worth the wait, Kara. Kim Osborne is, indeed, inspiring.

Glad you're easing back into blogging.

Coleen Patrick said...

Kara, this is a very inspiring post. Thank you for sharing.
Hope you are feeling better!

Kara said...

Thank you Pat and Coleen! I am feeling better every day, thank goodness:) Thank you for stopping by!

Karen McFarland said...

This was an inspiring post Kara!

How could we get through this life without God and his direction in our life?

Ovarian cancer is a silent killer. It's scary to think about as a woman.

I wrote a post this week about breast cancer and our environment. And it is our environment that is playing a huge role with cancer today. It's a sobering thought.

Thank you for sharing this with us. I do hope you're feeling better Kara! :)

Anonymous said...

The circumstances that motivated Kim are sad, but how inspiring that she allowed God to work in her to help others. Great post.

And I hope your health issues are improving. wb

Kara said...

Thank you so much Karen and Warren for stopping by. I can't wait to go read your post Karen. It is a scary thing when thinking about our enironment and cancer!
Warren, I agree it was very inspiring that Kim allowed God to work in her life!
And I'm starting to feel much better, thank you:)