“Loads Of Love” By Leah Cusker
Loads of Love: Serving In Deed and Truth
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
1 John 3:17-18 (ESV)
Here’s the thing about laundry: it’s never really finished. The Golden Moment, when all the clothes are clean and all the hampers are empty, seems to last only about a minute in my house, but that minute feels terrific; there’s something wonderfully uplifting about being clean!
Many of us have washers and dryers in our homes, but for those who don’t, experiencing that uplifting feeling can be difficult. For those who do not even have homes, the gap between dirty laundry and clean becomes even greater. For five years, Loads of Love, a bright spot in our community, has faithfully stepped into this gap to meet a regular and recurring need with hands, feet, and hearts.
Loads of Love is a group of Christ-followers in Huntsville who wash laundry, free of charge, once a month. Volunteers provide money, laundry supplies, a warm meal, and companionship and fellowship during the laundry process. Loads of Love is operated completely by volunteers, runs completely on donations, and is open to anyone who is struggling financially. The ministry serves clients on a first-come, first-served basis, provides up to three loads per client per month, and serves between 25 and 50 clients per month.
The Loads of Love ministry began in 2010 after the founders returned from a mission trip to Haiti with a resolve to continue to serve the Huntsville community. The founding group rotated leadership several times and has recently brought new leadership on board, but the core mission has never changed, and the faithfulness of the core volunteers has never wavered. Loads of Love operates on the first Saturday of every month. The ministry currently operates out of the Laundry Room II on Sparkman Drive, whose owners have graciously donated meeting space, and has been generously supported not just by the onsite volunteers but by many local businesses, churches, and individual benefactors in our community.
Loads of Love’s explicit mission is to assist people in our community with a simple need - clean clothes - but as the ministry has grown, it has become about much more than just laundry. Loads of Love has become a place where clients can count on listening ears and caring hearts, have confidence that they are seen, and learn that they are loved, not just by the volunteers they meet, but most importantly, by their Father in Heaven.
If you would like to learn more about Loads of Love ministry, how to serve, or how to donate financially, check out the Facebook Page at:
https://www.facebook.com/LaundryProject?fref=ts
or the Loads of Love GoFundMe site at:
Author: Leah Cusker. A Navy daughter, Army veteran, Army wife, and Marine mom, Leah lived in five countries, a dozen states, and twenty-one houses before God called her family to make a home in Huntsville. Married to the amazing Sean and blessed by three incredible kids, Leah came to Christ as an adult after decades of brokenness and has a heart for all women in similar circumstances. She thanks God daily for His gifts of redemption and salvation through Christ and believes passionately in the power of relationship to inspire change. Leah’s prayer is for every person she encounters to see through her and to the Savior. When she isn’t cooking, cleaning, parenting, or teaching, you will most likely find her digging in the yard, walking in the woods, worshiping with her family, or drinking much more coffee than is good for her.
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