"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you will overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13
"You are our refuge and our shield, Your word is our very source of hope."
Psalm 119:114
"Your unfailing love surrounds us Lord, for our hope is in You alone."
Jeremiah 33:22
"You turn our mourning into gladness and You give us comfort and joy instead of sorrow."
Jeremiah 31:13
Representation of necklace.
"He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds."
Psalm 147:3
"Your hope will not dissapoint."
Romans 5:5
Our ministry began with the birth our little bundle of joy, Elliana Grace Smith. Even though she only lived 5 hours she has forever left a mark on our hearts. While in the NICU someone noticed a heart on the crown of her head. I could hardly believe it when I saw that it was true! At first I thought it was a broken heart because that's exactly what I had felt. But someone quickly responded that it wasn't a broken heart at all but an open one!
Immediately I knew this was true. God does show up and speak to us in mysterious ways! We had already felt His unspeakable peace and presence in the room but this was just a confirmation of Him being with us. Even in the midst of our sadness and grieving He was there to bring us comfort and peace. God was showing us what we needed to have to be able to receive His healing - an open heart. And indeed He has been so faithful and has healed our deepest wounds!
After knowing the broken heart that mothers feel after losing a child I knew this symbol of the open heart had to be shared to other mothers who have lost a child as a reminder of God's promises to them. So we decided to make a necklace which seemed like a perfect gift so mothers could wear it and always be reminded of His promises to heal the broken hearted and to give us hope and joy where there seems to be none. The child's birthstone will be in the center of the heart to make it more personal for each mother. And with each necklace a bookmark will be given which will explain the story and purpose of the necklace.
After having gone through the loss of a child we can't imagine going through this without the hope God promises us. We can see how such a loss can be so detrimental to families. That is why we want to be able to share this hope and promise by donating these necklaces to mothers all around the world so they might receive their healing that is promised to them and that they will know that there is great hope in Christ! This has forever changed our lives. God has shown us so much and has brought us closer to Him through all of this and for that we are truly and forever grateful. He has walked with us every step of the way and I can actually say has He carried us because that's exactly how it has felt. He has turned our mourning into gladness and has truly given us comfort and joy when many would think there couldn't be any.
A child can never be replaced but God can fill the emptiness and heal the wounds with His love, peace, and hope; all these things He has promised us.
"Elliana means "my God has answered me." We knew giving her this name with this meaning was important but we just didn't know to what extent. He has shown us that He does answer us no matter the circumstances! His plans are much bigger than our own if we just let Him lead us.
He longs for us to have our heart open to receive all that He has for us. We know now how easy it would've been to have hardened our hearts after something like this, but God showed us another way."
Heart of Promise
P.O. Box 190309
Mobile, AL 36691
sarah@heartofpromise.com | www.rockofmobile.org
