A Mother, Faithfully Restored | Jamie Heard
In this episode, Mike Glenn sits down with Jamie Heard, founder of Faithfully Restored, to explore how profound loss became the foundation for ministry that reaches hundreds of grieving women across the country. Jamie shares her journey through losing her father to suicide and her son William at age two, and how community showed up in ways that revealed what the body of Christ truly looks like.
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Mike Glenn: [00:00:00] Well, well, good morning, Jamie. Heard. Good morning. Thank you for being part of our podcast, and we are eager to hear, uh, your story and, uh, uh, the, uh, the Ministry of Faithfully Restored.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Uh, I believe, uh, is, is the official name of it is, you know, the, the thing that bothers me about that, the title of that ministry is something has been restored.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: It has been broken.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Lost.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Uh, like I said before we started taping. I'm not sure I want to be mm-hmm. In your club because, uh, this is a hard journey. So how did Jamie,
Jamie Heard: mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Get into faithfully restored.
Jamie Heard: You know, it's funny you say that about being broken because when the four founders got together on our first night, on my back porch, it was pouring down rain.
[00:01:00] And we were thinking about what this could be named. And we first thought beautifully broken.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: Because that's, that's what we were, we had just walked through such valleys. And for me, the first thing that I kind of walked through was I was raised with my dad. Um, primarily my parents got divorced in fifth grade and I stayed with my dad.
My two sisters went and lived with my mom. They were half sisters. And so, um, raised in a very loving home. Um, my dad had his own issues that he never dealt with, kind of childhood things that were never dealt with. That kind of started to come to light more and more, the less I needed him. The more he just kind of had an issue and put on me.
Um, and so when I, I wanted to go away for college and so after high school, I grew up in Pennsylvania, went down south to the Uni University of Tennessee for college and just kind of wanted [00:02:00] out of there and met my husband my sophomore year. And as I kind of gain independence, it really bothered my dad and um, the more Daniel and I got close.
And then after college I moved to Atlanta for a couple years where Daniel finished law school and that's when it really, my dad and I's relationship was really tense. Mm-hmm. And I remember sitting, I was a teacher and I remember sitting at 7:00 AM and my dad had called me and he just went off on me and just belittled me.
Something happened at work and he just went off on me and I'm sitting there and seven and eight year olds. I taught second grade, started walking in the room. And I'm bawling and I thought, I can't handle this. I can't, I can't hold this. Whatever my dad is putting on me, I, I can't hold it. And I was going to Andy Stanley's church in Atlanta and had a great small group of, of women.
And I went there that night and just kind of vented to them. And I was [00:03:00] like, I can't do this. And one of them said, you should go see a counselor. And I was like, oh, you know, I don't know what I would say to a counselor, but I Okay. And one of 'em said, just make sure it's a Christian counselor, which honestly, I, I probably would've done, I don't know if I would've
Mike Glenn: right.
Jamie Heard: You know, necessarily sought that out. But such a gift that those women spoke that into me. And I started going to counseling and I remember going in, his name was Jean. And I sat down the first time and just kind of explained some things and he said, Jamie, I'm gonna get you to a place where whatever your dad says or does, doesn't have such an emotional pull on you.
Mm-hmm. And I really didn't even know that it did. I didn't recognize that. I really kind of recognized it as love. And nine months later. My dad committed suicide and shot himself, and he called me right before he did it. And I was driving, Daniel and I were engaged. I was in Atlanta. I'd come to Nashville for the weekend to look at houses for Daniel and I, [00:04:00] after, it was three months before we got married, and I was headed home and I was around Chattanooga.
And he called me and he said, Jamie, I just want you to know that I love you. And at that moment I knew, I was like, dad, stop. Just stop. Stop what you're doing. And he said, I just want you to know that I love you. And hung up the phone. And I knew, I knew what had happened. And that was the first thing that had kind of rocked my faith.
And I was so angry at God. I thought, okay. I had just, I was kind of wild in college, and then moved to Atlanta, started going to Andy Stanley's church. It, it, it just brought me back to, I grew up in the church mm-hmm. But brought me back to my faith and I had been praying for God's will to be done. And I thought, Lord, if this is what you have for me, my dad taking his life and having me deal with all this stuff three months before I'm getting married.
Mm-hmm. Like I don't, I don't know if I really want this. Like this is not what I meant. And so I [00:05:00] was praying for the Lord's will, but my hands were just kind of half open and I was like, I mean, looking back it was like I kind of, I wanted his will, but really only fit. Fit within my will. Your will? Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. My will actually, yeah. So, okay. If you break it down, it was actually not his will, it was my will. And so we get married. And I'm just deep in grief and it's like supposed to be the happiest time. And, um, you know, we moved to Nashville. I don't get, of
Mike Glenn: course. And everything about the wedding exacerbates the grief.
Jamie Heard: Oh gosh.
Mike Glenn: Yeah. Your dad should have been there. Oh yeah. We walked down the aisle.
Jamie Heard: Yes.
Mike Glenn: Everything compounds
Jamie Heard: all of it. Now, I had, we, we, Daniel and I both had such an amazing group of community. People from my hometown in Pennsylvania came down, like everyone poured into us, which is a really sweet thing to see.
And my first view of community, which you know, is huge in my story of what we've now created with faithfully restored. Yeah. This is what
Mike Glenn: the church looks like,
Jamie Heard: [00:06:00] right? Yeah. Um, exactly. And I experienced that. I didn't, it wasn't this lack of like, man, I wish people were showing up for me. I mean, it makes me wanna cry in every way.
I had people supporting me, loving me. A stable sense of community always pointing me back to Jesus no matter what. And so we move here, we start attending Fellowship Bible Church, and it was over those next couple years, hearing the word of God preached in a way in the, in the Lord's kindness and grace with my really hard, angry heart.
Um, over those next few years began to soften and I slowly started, okay, Lord. What you have for me is good. You do have good plans. This what I saw there. I don't know why that that happened. Mm-hmm. But I am gonna trust you again. And it was over those couple years, we had our daughter, Madeline, she was four.
We have our daughter or our son [00:07:00] William. He was two. And I had gotten back to the place of praying for God's will to be done. And this time I truly meant it. And a day in December, in 2015, I was laying in bed and I just spent extra time praying. And I was like, okay, Lord, whatever it is do you have for me?
I'm here. Just give me the strength to get through it. Mm-hmm. I trust you with it. And I just sat in that for a little bit longer that morning. And I went to work. Daniel went to work, two coworkers came to my door and they said something happened with William and he's not breathing. He choked at lunch.
And in that moment. It took me, flashed me back to being in the car.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: When my dad called me and my reaction was so different. I was so, I, I literally threw the phone across my car. When that happened with my dad, I was so mad. And this time when they said that to me, I was like, okay, Lord, I'm gonna trust [00:08:00] you.
This is not gonna be good. But I felt such a peace of knowing that the Lord was in that with me. And all I had to do in that moment was surrender to Lord, your plans are good. And that's what I've prayed. I, I truly do want them.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And I went to, I left work and went to the hospital. I called friends along the way and just said, please pray for me.
William is not breathing. And I never, this sounds weird. I never. Prayed for a miracle. Like I got to Williamson Medical Center, met him there, and they took him down, the ambulance pulled in, they took his little two and a half year old perfect body down from a stretcher. And I saw his eyes and I was like, he's gone.
He, I knew he was in the arms of Jesus from that moment, and I had such a peace. Now I heartbroken peace, but I wasn't angry. [00:09:00] I I, yeah.
Mike Glenn: Peace is not the absence of pain.
Jamie Heard: Exactly. And I, and I have to explain that because I had this peace, but, but yet the pain was so deep in pain and, you know, it's chaos in the hospital.
And the doctor came to us and said, this is the last round of medicine we're gonna give him to get his heart to start beating. And I, when I say the Holy Spirit was just. Alive and well and you know, which always is there. I had this sense of calm and the spirit's like, okay, you're, I'm like, all these people are gonna watch my son die.
All these doctors and nurses, this chaos, they're gonna watch my son die. And I don't want for a second for my son's death to be a reason that they doubt God. Mm-hmm. And so I'm rehearsing a prayer. I thought whenever they say for the last time, like they're, whenever they pronounce him dead, [00:10:00] I'm gonna say a prayer and I'm gonna raise my hands and say, God is still good in this moment.
Because I didn't want my son's death to cause anyone them to leave that hospital that day and think, why would a loving God let this happen to this boy? And so this is what's going on in my, my mind at that point. And then the doctor came over and he said his heart started beating. And so I'm kind of confused.
And they said, we're gonna transfer him to Vanderbilt. So I get in the ambulance, I ride in the ambulance, and I'm just kind of looking back and I just see him back there and I ask the ambulance driver, I was like, do you think I should post on Facebook to ask people to pray for me? And he looked 12 and he was like, I think whatever you wanna do in this moment is fine.
And so I just put a post out and say, you know, this is what happened and I need prayer. And [00:11:00] again, that sense of community in the church coming around us from, I taught at Innsworth from the Innsworth community, from the fellowship community, from friends that we had invested in our small group. Uh, one of the first people at the hospital was.
The husband of the couple that had led our small group when we started a couple years ago, the sense of community that came around us when we got to Vanderbilt, there was a Friday afternoon people just started pouring into Vanderbilt. Mm-hmm. Like the waiting room was full of strangers praying together.
And it was, it was amazing to see and we were so well cared for. And so that night, you know, I'm kind of confused 'cause I never, he never had any sign of brain activity. Mm-hmm. Which looking back all these things were a gift to me because I didn't wrestle with like, is he gonna make it? Is he not gonna make it?
He never had any sign of brain activity. And the Lord gave me such a peace that he [00:12:00] was gone. But now it's like, what? Now? I had this, I remember sitting in the waiting room surrounded by friends and family, literally strangers that came and I thought. What now? Like how do, are we gonna have to decide to pull the plug on our two and a half year old?
Like how do, how does this end? And so that night, um, it's around 11 o'clock, midnight. Everyone had kind of gone home and in walks my pediatrician and she said, I just heard the news and I had to come to you guys. And, um, she said, you know, I tell my kids all the time, they're borrowed from above.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And I thought, what a gift that our pediatrician is speaking such truth to us mm-hmm.
In that moment. So when I say we had a sense of community, we had community that showed up and didn't just sit there but spoke. Truth to us in such a hard, dark [00:13:00] situation. And so we get back, Daniel and I, back into the room that night, and my fear that I talked earlier about the first fear that I had was, okay, our son is, is dying.
And my first fear went to losing my marriage. Mm-hmm. I said, Daniel, I know the statistics on divorce after a loss of child,
Mike Glenn: it's way over 50%.
Jamie Heard: Oh yes.
Mike Glenn: It's like 80%
Jamie Heard: or
Mike Glenn: something. Yes,
Jamie Heard: it's high.
Mike Glenn: Yeah. It's, it's a, it's a really,
Jamie Heard: and that's immediately what I went to. And I said, I think we can get through this, but you can't leave me.
And he's kind of confused, like, I dunno. I'm sure he's thinking like, our son is back there on a ventilator. Like, why? And, and he's like, of course not. And um, but that was the first I immediately went to the next fear of what was gonna happen. Um, and then we wake up Saturday morning and we meet with. Tony, he was called the What's next guy?
I kind of thought he was gonna [00:14:00] plan the funeral and he was from Tennessee Donor Services and he presented the gift of organ donation to us. And Daniel and I just looked at each other and he was kind of explaining it. And it was an answer to the prayer of, Lord, what now? What happens now? Mm-hmm. You, you had his heart start beating.
Why? Why is this? And that was such an answered prayer. And we went through the list and he kind of, I didn't know much of, I was an organ donor. I didn't know much about it though. Mm-hmm. And he kind of went through the list and he said, you know, we'll keep him on the ventilator all weekend to get as much opportunity for him to be matched as many organs as possible.
And I thought, if we can give someone sitting in our seats three minutes, three days, 30 years mm-hmm. With their child or loved one. Absolutely. Like it gave such purpose to William's life in that really dark moment [00:15:00] of thinking his life is lost. So we said yes, and that's what happened over the weekend. He looked perfect.
He looked, he looked like he was sleeping.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And so we kinda walked through, do we, you know, we have Madeline at home, who is four, and we kind of sought some wisdom on that and opinions of like, do we bring her up there? She didn't witness him choking. Mm-hmm. She was up in her room. Another gift, um, was up in her room.
And so she didn't witness that. And um, so we brought her up there and she sits, the child life specialist at Vanderbilt were incredible with us. We partner with them, I'll tell you later, our project that we do with them and, um, for Mother's Day, but they were absolutely incredible to us. And so we brought her up there and she's sitting on the edge of William's bed and holding his sweet little hand.
And she looks over and then looks at me and she's like, mom, she said, I wish William didn't [00:16:00] die. And I was like, I know I do too. And she said, you know, he's alive in heaven. I was like, I know. And so to have our 4-year-old reminding us of those truths, it, it was such a reminder of, Lord, you have us in this moment.
You have our 4-year-old in this moment. Mm-hmm. Um, and just really gave me peace of peace of she's, she's gonna be okay. Yeah, she is. She's gonna be okay. And she decided to come back even the next day and be with him. And that weekend in the hospital, as crazy as it sounds, was so peaceful and holy. Um, the nurse at Vanderbilt, Jillian, who is with us, when we arrived on Friday, we kind of said goodbye to her Friday night.
And then she came back and the next morning and she said, I just couldn't leave him. And she came every day until Monday morning when he got wheeled back for the heart transplant and um, or organ donation [00:17:00] transplant. And so it was just. It was a really sweet time. Anyone who wanted to come and say goodbye did.
And um, so Monday morning he's wheeled back into surgery. I overhear a nurse say that his heart was going to Chicago, his liver was going to Texas, and his kidneys were going as a block to North Carolina. Normally you don't know that, right? I just overheard a nurse say that. And so we get back to the house and it's not completely silent, but it's a lot quieter.
We have a 4-year-old, the absence of a two and a half year old boy. Oh yeah. Felt.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And um, the first thing I saw when I got back to our house on Monday was a basket for my group of friends that will come into play later when I talk about faithful restored. But that's the first thing I saw were all these notes for my friends.
And I thought, okay, this is, this is my [00:18:00] turn for my community to love on me. And the next day some friends were over there, we were planning for the memorial, and someone asked about if they had, I had heard about Ava and through Facebook, me sharing my story and Amy Martin sharing her story about her 18 and a half, 18 month old little girl, Ava, who had waited 111 days for a heart.
We had mutual friends. And so here we are saying about William mm-hmm. Passing away and they are saying about. Ava getting a heart and people connected it. And so the day after surgery we figure it out and I watch a news. Ava was covered by the Chicago News, so we pull up a news video of Amy and Brian being interviewed and they said, you know, in, we are so grateful for a family in their darkest hour that they chose to give life to our little girl and we will honor their life, the rest of [00:19:00] hers.
And I was like, I love them. I love them, and. We were able to watch a cooler being wheeled into the surgery room from the day before and the surgeon taking William's heart out of a cooler and being placed in Ava and saying, welcome to your new home. And I reached out that night. They had a whole Facebook page set up for Ava, and I reached out and I said, I don't know if this is it, but regardless, here's what happened to us.
And I'm praying for Ava and I'm so grateful that Ava got a heart. And within 20 minutes, Amy wrote me back and said, Ava's was the only pediatric heart transplant at Lori's the day before. And so we instantly knew we had an instant connection. Start talking about, you know, we have Madeline, who's four.
They have Ella, who's older than Ava, and. We are now. They're some of our best friends. We just did a ski ski trip with them a couple weeks ago. Mm. We do vacations, we do holidays. We now have another [00:20:00] little girl, Annie. So they have the four sisters. They call themselves the Heart Sisters. They named us the hearts putting her and Martin together.
Amy and I were like, why didn't we think of that? That's really cool. Um, it's just been the biggest gift that I felt like is not, of course, our story is pretty unique with organ donation. Mm-hmm. Not everyone gets that. I realize that. But what a gift organ donation has been and what a story that we get to share that undeniably shows God's goodness.
Hmm. I mean, it just, you just can't deny the Lord's hand in all of it. Mm-hmm. And so, um, I don't even remember what your original question was, but the way I have seen the Lord through the deep valleys. And his kindness and goodness. And I'll tell you when that happened with William, thinking about that happening with my dad, you know, I would say that William [00:21:00] losing a child was a greater loss.
But what was different was my faith.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: In my trust in Jesus, which happened and was cultivated by the church. And so being in the church and hearing the sermons and really, and really diving in and getting to a place, do, do we believe the word of God is true?
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And if we do, then our lives should reflect that.
And whether, you know, I almost every day listen to the song, good plans. 'cause I want, want it to wash over me. Whether my situation is good, whether my situation is terrible, whether it's like I'm just stressed about something I don't care about. Do I believe the Lord's plans for me are good? Mm-hmm. And if I do.
Then yes, it will be painful and hard, but our hope looks different and our response looks different as a believer in Christ. And so, I'm so grateful for the [00:22:00] way that the Lord brought me from anger and distrust to honestly, the only thing it is, is surrender of.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: I can't do this without you. I truly believe what you have for me is good, even if I don't understand it.
And I'm to the point now, you know, some people might say, all of our questions get answered in heaven. I, it doesn't even matter to me. I won't, no. I'm not really gonna go there with a list of questions. Yeah. Like, it just won't matter. And I believe a place with no more tears and no more pain, and that's what I live for.
Mm-hmm. And that's what to have that eternal perspective on. Like you were talking about a club you don't wanna be in. I'm so grateful for those deep valleys because. It has allowed me to get to a place with such hope and internal promise, and that's, that is what I care about and that's what I live for.
And do I still mess up? Yes. Do I still deal with fear yet that I have to [00:23:00] lay down? Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Every December is still hard for me. I kind of go back to that place. I, I go on a trip over the anniversary every year and it helped me go back to that place of deep pain. I watch videos and it helps me get back to that place 10 years later of, Lord, I am, I am walking and breathing and a contributing member of society through this grief 10 years later because of your goodness to me.
I
Mike Glenn: often, often say that our God is so good, so creative, so, um. Imaginative.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: And, uh, in his dealings with us that he can take the worst moment of your life and make it the first line of your testimony.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
Mike Glenn: And, uh, you know, people come to me all the time and say, don't tell anybody this.
Mm-hmm. In fact, if anybody hears this, I'll die.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: And then they'll say, Hey, I'm giving a testimony of a small group or whatever, want you to come and dad burn. Yeah. They don't stay the very thing. [00:24:00] Right. They told me not say Uhhuh. Now, um, your journey through, through this is, is, is, is profoundly moving, but, but, but Jamie, take me to that moment mm-hmm.
Where you were in your home where the boat load of hurt.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: What, what, what do you do with all that hurt?
Jamie Heard: It was, it was really hard. I feel like those early days after William died, it was survival mode. Mm-hmm. Just. Moment to moment. I mean, it wasn't even day by day, it was hour by hour. That's right. Moment by moment of just getting through this and even early on I wasn't praying, you know, I wasn't consciously praying.
I honestly, prayer was even overwhelming.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: Worship was overwhelming. Mm-hmm. I mean, I still cried [00:25:00] during worship in church, but those early years, it was just overwhelming. It, I was just surviving. Mm-hmm. I wasn't this like, I wasn't able to say, yes, God is still good in this moment of, you know, that's 10 years later.
Mike Glenn: Right.
Jamie Heard: I was truly just surviving and a month after, so middle of January, 2016, Madeline comes to my, I'm laying in bed and Madeline at four comes to my bedside and she was like, mom, at least I didn't die. She was like, I'm still here. And I thought. I, I've gotta get outta here. I can't. Mm-hmm. I can't, I can't parent in such grief.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: My showing up obviously to her didn't, wasn't enough. Wasn't enough. And I recognize that, and I'm so grateful for, for that gift of her saying that, because it kind of pulled me out of like, okay. Mm-hmm. I, I'm, I need to get outta here. And I went to my husband and I was like, I need to go away. I can't honestly, like, I can't function.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: [00:26:00] And so I flew out to this wellness place in Arizona, and it was the first time that I felt like I could take a deep breath. No one knew what was going on. No one knew my story. Mm-hmm. No one was, had looked at me with these, like, sympathetic eyes of like, how is she, he, you know, we had to mm-hmm. You have to go on with life.
Mike Glenn: Right.
Jamie Heard: So like a week later. Madeline had a Christmas program that I, we went to, and I remember people were in town for the memorial. So we have all these people and I remember people looking at me and I could tell, they're like, I can't believe she's here. And it's like, what do you ex expect? Mm-hmm. I'm either here or like in a hole and so I'm choosing to be here.
But I flew out there and it was such a, a respite from my actual life and it wasn't you, you can't escape that grief, but I just was able to sit by myself. I wasn't caring for [00:27:00] anyone else in that moment but me. And so that was really helpful. Um, and a cool story about that. I'm sitting in a hot tub in this wellness.
Uh, thing in wellness center. And this girl starts talking to me and she's from Chicago, and we start talking and, you know, I'd say kind of, she asked why I'm here and I'd say why I'm here and stuff. And she said, oh my goodness. She said, I saw you on the Chicago news because the news had followed Ava.
Right. And so Christmas Eve, they interviewed us and stuff, and it was a, it was, the Lord was saying to me, no matter where you go, I'm here, you can't escape.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: Anything that you're walking through like, I am here no matter where you go. Um, but it was the first, it's what I needed to take a deep breath.
I cried on the plane coming home. I honestly didn't even wanna come home, but I came back with just a [00:28:00] sense of like, okay, I can, I can do this. I've had some time to kind of recharge and I can do this. And so. Early on it was truly survival. Um, and Daniel and I immediately went into counseling and Fellowship was so great and said, as long as you need counseling, we will pay for counseling.
And so that was a lifesaver for me because of my fear of now what happens to my marriage. And I see why the divorce rate is so high. Men and women grieve so diff differently.
Mike Glenn: They grieve very d every time I mm-hmm. I look at my spouse, I see
Jamie Heard: mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: The child. Mm-hmm. And remember it. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It's, it is,
Jamie Heard: there's a lot there.
Yeah. Yeah. And I get it. And you don't want to talk about things. And so I remember one specifically, the counselor said, you know, what's a rabbit hole? You don't really wanna go down. And I said, the day that it happened. And I had never heard Daniel's [00:29:00] experience with that day, we never would've sat around and said, you know, take me back to, what was it like the day that William died?
Take me back to, to, what was that like?
Mike Glenn: Yeah.
Jamie Heard: And
Mike Glenn: because you can't hear their grief without getting into your own
Jamie Heard: grief.
Mike Glenn: No. Yeah,
Jamie Heard: no. And it's so different and there becomes, there can become a bitterness there of, without the communic, without the forced communication. I feel like that counseling helped us with of like, he went back to work, he dove into work.
I couldn't go back to work. I was a teacher. I didn't wanna go back to work. They gave me time off, but that was hard too, not working. So there I am with a lot of time on my hands. Parenting. Luckily Madeline was in Mother's Day Out two days a week that I had. But, um, you know, I'm kind of like, you get to go to work and kind of escape all this.
Mm-hmm. I'm not working, I'm here and then I have to parent our child. You know, there's all this stuff that I feel like counseling really helped with the communication and we talked through that day and I was [00:30:00] able to appreciate his, he had a very different experience that day. Did not have that peace. He got back to our house.
He was closer than I was to our house, so he got back to the house when they were working on William and even a paramedic said to him, I've seen kids come back from this. And so he kind of, he had this hope, had
Mike Glenn: a strong hope.
Jamie Heard: And so we had very different experiences and, um, so, so counseling really helped us.
And it
Mike Glenn: was a father and a son.
Jamie Heard: Yes. And I'll tell you the difference also of losing a child at two and a half, you know, at I'm grieving what was like that I was. The mom Right. Then, you know,
Mike Glenn: and he's reaving all the dreams. Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: Yeah. Which is very different. I mean, you were gonna
Mike Glenn: go to a ball game.
Mm-hmm. I was going to get him UT hat. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: All of that, all of coaches' baseball game. Mm-hmm. Take him fishing with my dad and all, all of that. And so even understanding that was really important. [00:31:00] Mm-hmm. Because that's very different. And, um, so yeah. Counseling was very helpful for us.
Mike Glenn: And in fact, at two and a half, he was just becoming
Jamie Heard: mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: My little buddy
Jamie Heard: Yes.
Mike Glenn: Who goes everywhere with me. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. He, even that morning, was putting on his shoes and asked to go to work with Daniel, and, and he's like, you can't come to work with me buddy. You know, like, oh. And so, yeah, counseling was very helpful for us to communicate our grief together.
Mike Glenn: So when did you and your friends realize. Gosh, we're all on this journey together.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Yeah. So as you know, we're early thirties and before William passed away, one of our friends had a late term miscarriage. One of my best friends found out as we were all having kids, they found out that they couldn't have biological children.
And so they start through the adoption journey. So we walk through adoption, which none of us had had ever walked through. And so it was like, we don't know what [00:32:00] to do, but we're gonna show up. So we're gonna all write notes. And so we're gonna give her 30 to 40 notes to read for the next, just whenever she's having a day, we want her to know that she's loved, she's not alone, and point her to Jesus.
And so we did that. Whenever Jamie walked through infertility, whenever she, um, adopted Jack in Florida, she got back and had all these notes. And just as things had happened that had kind of become, we don't know what to do, but we know you have to show up. Mm-hmm. In a way. And so we had a really tight friend group.
That did that. And then earlier in 2015, Heather had just turned 30 and she was actually at my house and got a call that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And so we're like, okay, now we're walking through this. Don't know what to do. And so we're pouring into her just showing up, writing her notes. And then in December, that happened to me.
And the first thing I saw when I got home was my friend [00:33:00] showing up in a way of reminding me, I am seen, I'm loved, I'm not alone in this. And there's hope in Jesus. Mm-hmm. And so, you know, as we were walking through that, that happened to William in December and. You know, from then I became the person that if anyone had heard of anyone losing a child, it was like, Jamie, have you heard about this?
Or would you talk to this person? So six months after William died, a friend called and said, you know, have you heard of Jenny or Rebecca Springer? She, we live a couple miles from each other. Mm-hmm. She lives in Brentwood. And she said she just lost her 8-year-old son in a car accident. And so I wrote her a note and sent her a book.
And in that note, I just said, I'm only six months ahead of you. This is really hard, but you are gonna get through it. And I'm here if you need anything. And the way the Lord used that friendship, having both of us surrounded by community, but there was such power [00:34:00] in both experiencing the loss of a child.
Yeah. Yeah. And the loss of a son and the weight of it's, it's. It's really sweet. Her anniversary, like she lost Hayes in June. I lost William in December. So over these years, the way in June, I'm doing fine. Mm-hmm. And I'm able to pour into her mm-hmm. And be like, you know, this is gonna get better. This is really hard right now, but you know, this is gonna get better.
And you know, we don't let each other, especially early on, we're not gonna let each other like, sit in bed for days. Mm-hmm. It's like, no, you're gonna get outta bed. And the weight of the words that we can speak to each other just hold. And come across differently than someone that has not experienced that.
Mike Glenn: One of my, um, formative moments in my early in my ministry, uh, we had a senior adult pass away and uh, the doctor called me from the little bitty town. So it makes me call me. Yeah. Said Miss Cloudy's husband's passed away. You need to get us. I was over there early in the morning [00:35:00] and there was a knock at the door and it was one of her neighbors, another widow
Came in.
Didn't say a whole lot, just sat down, made coffee.
Started her knitting. Another one brought cross stitch and I looked and there were six or seven widows
Jamie Heard: Sitting
Mike Glenn: in an there with, with cloudy, uh, not talking about the weather and stuff Right. But just by sitting there, let her know.
You're gonna be okay. Yeah. We got through this. You're gonna get through this. But there has to be that ministry of of
You know, don't just say something, sit there
Kind of thing.
Of uh, and, and this and this bond that happens when Yeah. I know what you're going through.
And you don't have to tell me.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Have long conversations mm-hmm. And use no words.
Jamie Heard: Yeah, absolutely. That truly it, there is such power in that. Mm-hmm. And, um, so we just kind of, we became experts on and just kind of magnets for stories of child loss and [00:36:00] early cancer diagnosis and infertility.
Jamie and Chris have probably met with, you know, over a dozen couples that are experiencing infertility mm-hmm. And exploring adoption. And so we were hearing about all these things happening and we'd constantly be like, can you pray for this person? Can you pray for this person? And. We had in early 2019, we decided, okay, we're gonna meet once a month and get together.
And these women that we hear about, we're gonna write them notes, we're gonna pray for them by name because that was also something, you know, people might say that they're praying for you all the time. I felt, I knew people were praying for me, I knew it and I felt it. Mm-hmm. And I felt, and I truly believe in the power of prayer.
And so that is like the foundation of what we do, of our ministry is we are praying for these women. Because I knew what it felt like. We all, the four of us did know what it felt like to be prayed for. And so we're like, we're gonna meet once a month. And have an action step [00:37:00] to these women that we're hearing about.
We're gonna write them a note and just send them something. Mm-hmm. And our whole goal, we want them to know whatever it is they're walking through. It doesn't have to be child loss, it doesn't have to be cancer, whatever it is they're walking through because their valley is their valley.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And I think the enemy, a lot of times if we speak somewhere, you know, I always say the enemy wants you to sit here and think, well at least I didn't lose a child or Right.
Or at least I don't have cancer. Mm-hmm. And it's like that is from the enemy. And so we wanted from the beginning, a woman across the country, no matter what you're walking through, to know you're loved, not alone. And there's hope in Jesus. So we started meeting once a month at my house and intentionally doing that, praying for women.
And 2019 at Fellowship, three of us went to fellowship and we started walking through the book of James. And I remember sitting there each week and it was it, the SE sermon series was active faith. And I was remember sitting there each week and I was like, okay, Lord, like. You're calling us to do an action with this.
Mm-hmm. This is [00:38:00] bigger than us getting together once a month. And so over those next couple months, we were like, I think this can turn into something. And so we googled how to start a nonprofit. It turns out, I mean, people ask us like, what attorney did you use? And I was like, well, technically you don't need an attorney right now.
I would recommend getting an attorney because it didn't, you know, we, we have an attorney now, but um, we just followed the steps online truly out of like, okay, Lord, you are calling us to this. Mm-hmm. And at the same time that spring, I had my dream job. I love teaching at Innsworth and the Lord. Clearly took that desire away from me.
And I felt, I was like sitting in a meeting, they were talking about new spelling curriculum and I was like, no, I don't, I don't really care about what they're saying, which is not like me. And I think that had to happen because yeah, I loved my job. Mm-hmm. And I thought it was my, I mean, it was my dream job and I needed the Lord to call me away from it [00:39:00] because I, and they had been so good to me through having kids, losing kids.
Like, it just, that community showed up so well for us. Like I loved everything about it. And, um, so just removed that desire. And so I remember I go, I went to Daniel and I was like, I don't think I'm meant to go back. And he was like, well, what do you wanna do? And I was like, I wanna. Get faithful restored off the ground and promote organ donation.
He's like, that's not really a job. And I was like, I know. And I was like, but that's, that's what I think I wanna do. And so, um, I remember sitting around a board, board meeting the four of us. 'cause that was one of the things you have to do is have board meetings. Mm-hmm. And I was like, does anyone else feel like they wanna leave their job to do this?
And everyone's like, no. I don't even think two of them had jobs. And they were like, no. And I was like, okay Lord. So I, that summer I look back, it was such a sweet time because I wanted what the Lord had for me. Mm-hmm. And so my prayer life of just diving in of Lord, [00:40:00] make it clear what you want from me. Am I meant to go back?
'cause that's what kind of Daniel's like, I think you should go back and teach for a year and find out what you really wanna do. And I was like, I just don't really think I can be half in and half out of a job like that. And so as the week before school started, I'd already gotten my class list. And I was like, I, I know I'm not meant to go back.
Mm-hmm. I know I'm not and I have to like, it would, it was so clear, but it wasn't clear of what was next. So that's why I always encourage people, Jesus never
Mike Glenn: cares you the second thing.
Jamie Heard: Right. Till you
Mike Glenn: do the first thing.
Jamie Heard: You don't need to know what's next man. And I look back of like, what would I have missed out on?
Okay. Not because it was so clear to me. It was very clear. Now what next was not clear, but I knew it would be in direct disobedience of what the spirit was telling me. If I did not leave my job.
Mike Glenn: You have to let
Jamie Heard: go
Mike Glenn: of what you have for the Lord to put new things in your hands. Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And I waited till the last [00:41:00] second to do that and I walked in.
Are you
Mike Glenn: really sure? Yeah.
Jamie Heard: Are you
Mike Glenn: really, really, really sure.
Jamie Heard: Really sure. Because here's a list of kids in my class and that think that they're in my class. And I went to my headmaster and I was like. I know this is, I know this is kind of late. Yeah. And what, what kind of pushed me to it is I was at gymnastics with Annie and I mean, it's crazy who the Lord uses.
And the, I was just, you know, said to the, you know, she was probably 20 years old and I said to the gymnastics instructor, I said, I think I'm gonna quit my job. And she said, Jamie, you never know who's praying for that job. And I was like, I actually do. They had hired someone else that, like, we had another job opening and they hired someone else.
I knew there was someone else waiting for that job. Mm-hmm. I was like, I actually do know exactly who they're gonna hire. Mm-hmm. And that gave me the freedom. And I was like, okay, this is, this is all gonna be okay. So I went into my headmaster's [00:42:00] office and said, I'm leaving. And um, he said. You know, he is kind of disappointed at the timing of it.
But, um, we kind of talked through it and I go to leave his office and, you know, I probably cried three times during it and he looked at me and he said, Jamie and I turned around and he's like, you did it. And he's like it and it's okay. And I was like, thanks. Okay, thanks. Yeah, thanks. And uh, 'cause I also didn't wanna, they'd been so good to us.
Yeah. I didn't wanna let anyone down. And anyway, so we, so we had a launch event that was early August. We had a launch event planned for Faithful Restored at the end of August just to share our dreams and hopes of what Faithful Restored would become. Mm-hmm. So we sat on stage, there was probably 150 people in the audience and we just said, we want women no matter what they're walking through, to know that it's gonna be okay.
And not everyone has the community. This is out of not a lack of like, man, I wish we had these things we were so well cared for. I knew I had [00:43:00] strangers. Right. Actually just found it the other day. One in particular, a stranger wrote me a note with a Cane Prime gift card, and she said, you don't know me, but I have been praying for your family over these last several months.
She said, your story deeply impacted me and I just wanted you to go on a date with your husband. And I knew what a note that had in prayers felt like and what the Lord does in that. And um, so that's what we wanted to do. We wanted to be that for women because the power of having someone walking through grief of grief of whatever it is, anxiety, depression, divorce.
Mm-hmm. Seeing them and pointing them to Jesus and knowing that it's gonna be okay sometimes is all someone needs.
Mike Glenn: Okay.
Jamie Heard: And
Mike Glenn: so how does that work practically? Mm-hmm. What does, what does faithfully restored?
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Do. Good question. So from the [00:44:00] beginning we were like, we want women across the country no matter what they're walking through.
So on our website, faithfully restored women.com. You submit prayer requests. So most the time it's like, you know, you're sitting here. Mm-hmm. You can probably think of three people that you're like, you know, okay, my aunt just got diagnosed with breast cancer. My neighbor just lost her husband. Or you know, my niece is walking through infertility.
So you go on our website, put in their name, address a little bit about their story. Most of the time I would say someone does not even tell the person they're doing it.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And so you put in a little bit about their story. We have a team of seven now, and Kelly on our team, our outreach coordinator writes you back and just, you know, writes an email back to you.
It's all personalized. We get mm-hmm. Around a hundred a month. Now she's writing each person back and it's very individualized of, you know, for example, with loss, you, that prayer request comes in, she's writing you back, and we kind of have a loss cycle that you [00:45:00] enter. Mm-hmm. And so we wait a couple months with loss because.
I know what it, I know most people are well supported. In the beginning I had hundreds of cards and everybody goes home. Hundreds of cards.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: I didn't even read them 'cause it was too so overwhelming. But I do remember the day that I went to the mailbox and there were no more cards. And I thought, okay, this is my reality and I'm still really hurting.
And for good reason, people are going back doing their own thing. Mm-hmm. So because of what we've been through, we can intentionally, we intentionally do things and so we wait a couple months to serve someone, but every prayer request that comes in gets on our prayer list is prayed for by name. We meet once a month, invite people from the community.
Our team is praying for those women by name. And they get a care package. So we actually just moved offices downtown Franklin. So you come in and we have a store set up. It's all painted pink. It's adorable. And, [00:46:00] which is amazing. And we have volunteers. So now everything is done by volunteers. Hundreds of volunteers volunteer with us.
I always say our volunteers is a ministry within itself. Mm-hmm. Because the sense of community, a lot of our volunteers volunteer outta their own pain. So every care package is made by volunteers. We stay very spirit led in the whole process. So these volunteers come in and they get a piece of paper and it might say, Jamie, loss of Child, Heather, cancer diagnosis.
And they are hand curating the care package for that person. So they're picking different items to put in the care package. They're writing a handwritten note and praying over the package, and then they're sent across the country. Mm-hmm. And then what makes us unique is when that prayer request comes in, Kelly is.
Kind of deciding like what is the course of action for this person? So with loss, you know, we wait a couple months, so it might be that, you know, if it happened in February, you know, she'll put that they need a care package [00:47:00] in April. So that gets on our April. Mm-hmm. We have a huge database that keeps up with all this and so Care package for April.
And then what makes us unique is we continue that care. So I knew what it felt like when people remembered things. Mm-hmm. And continued that care. So that first year of care. So in for Mother's Day, we will have our first Mother's Day. After a loss, over 300 care packages will go out. Those are specific, those will be have specific things in them, specific note, prayed for by name, and those notes will say.
You know, you are being prayed for as you walk through this first mother's day without your child. Mm-hmm. Without your spouse, if they have kids. Because, you know, if you lose your spouse as a mom, that spouse was the one that was coordinating the Mother's Day things. Right? Yeah. Like, it's just, it's so hard.
I know what it feels like to walk through that first Mother's Day I had another child, but especially if you don't have any other children, and now you've lost your only child and you're [00:48:00] walking through Mother's Day without children. Mm-hmm. Um, and then if they lost their own mom, so they're prayed for by name and sent something, acknowledging that.
Mm-hmm. Same thing in November, we'll have hundreds of care packages go out. Anyone that's lost a child, a spouse, or a parent. So as that prayer request come comes in, Kelly is like, okay, they lost their spouse in February, they're gonna get a care package in this month, they're on the first Mother's Day list.
They're on the first holidays list. Mm-hmm. And then next January they're gonna get an anniversary package. Anticipating that anniversary date in February because you know, William died in December. It really is. It's not that day. It is really those weeks leading up to that anniversary. I mean my, my body, you know, the body keeps score.
Your body
Mike Glenn: goes,
Jamie Heard: the
Mike Glenn: body keeps score.
Jamie Heard: Yes. My body mm-hmm is physically I am feeling that grief as that data approaches and really when the data approaches, I'm like a [00:49:00] sense of relief of like. I made it. Mm-hmm. We are here like, and it, it's, it's honestly a sense of relief. And so knowing that we serve women the month before their anniversary, so loss of child, you stay on that list, loss of spouse, loss of parent, you're sent two anniversary care packages.
Mm-hmm. And so all of those are made by volunteers. So we have volunteers speci specifically, that come in twice a month that are just doing those anniversary packages. So you can imagine we're getting a hundred different prayer requests a month. Not all are lost. But those ones that are lost, those numbers are adding each month to those anniversary care packages.
Now say we get a prayer request on cancer diagnosis, you know, it depends on where they are in that cancer diagnosis. So she might, you know. If it's stage four and we're finding out about it towards the end, she'll do follow up care for the next month. So they'll get an initial care package right away and prayed [00:50:00] for by name.
And then, you know, she might put the follow up care for a month. So in a month she's, they're being prayed for, they're being written a note, sent a little scar Starbucks card as follow-up care. Mm. With a little card that has a QR code, like update us on their story. Because you have to assume 80% of the time that person didn't even start the conversation.
Start the conversation. Yeah. And so they, you know, very rarely, a couple times we have heard feedback that I've gotten calls of like, take me off this list. And it's really, I don't take offense to that. It's really where they are.
Mike Glenn: Yeah.
Jamie Heard: And even the person that submitted,
Mike Glenn: everybody wants your
Jamie Heard: own valley. Yes.
Mm-hmm. And even the person, the one time that that happened, the person that submitted their name, I called her and she felt awful. And I said, you never know. What seeds were planted. Mm-hmm. You never know a year from now. Mm-hmm. She finds the scripture card and looks back when she's not in that. 'cause I've been in that anger phase.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: When she looks back and is able to see man, I was loved on. Mm-hmm. Even when [00:51:00] I didn't want it. Yeah. You know, so the Lord's timing and all that, but
Mike Glenn: even if it was a clumsy attempt,
Jamie Heard: it was still a good attack. Yes, exactly. So, um, but it all depends. It's all individualized and then outside of those care packages, you know, now that we're bigger, our budget now is $975,000.
Seven years in. I mean, it's incredible. When we said yes to the Lord is like, okay Lord, we know you're calling us to this. We have no idea what we're doing. But we do know that this is what you have for us. He's like, I've got you, I've got you every step of the way. Every year we've brought in more money than we've needed, and now we're up to, you know, nearly a million dollars.
And so as those prayer requests come in, Kelly's also depending on the access to the person. Mm-hmm. So, uh, we love when people submit prayer requests for themselves because then we have access to be like, Lord, what do, what would you have us do for this person? So outside of the care packages, we've paid mortgages for widows, we've paid for [00:52:00] headstones, for people.
We've sent, you know, like I said, I went away in January. We've done trips for grieving moms, for grieving parents. I mean, we've paid for acupuncture. We've redone parts of a kitchen For a mom that had special, a special needs child is truly is like. We have someone dedicated on staff for continued care. So Kelly will kind of pass 'em on to Courtney.
Mm-hmm. And like, okay, can you do a little more investigating of what you would have us do for this person? And so she's calling them if she has access to them, and truly figuring out what is it Lord that you would have us do for this person that they see you? How can we love on them? And have them see you in this.
And we did something paid for a headstone just yesterday, called the person and said, we're gonna pay the balance of the headstone. And all of us were like, how cool is this? Mm-hmm. This is our job that we get to steward someone's money. You know, as believers we're called to give we just, and from mission increase mm-hmm.
I've learned early on, all [00:53:00] believers are called to give faithful or steward. We just wanna be a place where people feel good to give. And how cool is it that it is our job to take someone's resources that God's given them. And be, be the body of Christ. Yes.
Mike Glenn: That you didn't even know they were praying.
Jamie Heard: Right? Yeah. Yes. For them to see Jesus and see like, Lord, I wasn't even praying bold enough prayers and you, you know, 'cause we've seen that in our own lives. Yeah. We had, we had someone come in early, we money for us, and we would not be where we were today without them. And I wasn't even playing, praying bold enough.
Prayer. So I had people do that for us. We had people as an organization do that for us. So the fact now to be able to do that for other people, I know what that means. I know how it just lights a fire for, Lord, you see me in this way
Mike Glenn: mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: That I didn't even know I need.
Mike Glenn: Yeah.
Jamie Heard: And
Mike Glenn: one of, uh, one of the standard, uh, statements around the engaged [00:54:00] church network is the first Reformation gave the Bible back to the people.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Put
Mike Glenn: it in common language so everybody could read it. The second reformation that we're in now is giving ministry back to the people.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: See. 20 years ago, this would've been something that a pastor
Jamie Heard: Right.
Mike Glenn: Should have done and ordained. Yes. But it was given to you. Mm-hmm. And to your friends to mm-hmm.
To establish that. Mm-hmm. So what, what have you learned about your own, um, design giftings mm-hmm. And all of this
Jamie Heard: mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: That, that, that has caused this ministry to flourish. Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: I think early on, you know, we were not
Mike Glenn: Okay. Just a Okay. You're, you're a nice elementary school teacher mm-hmm. In Williamson County schools. Mm-hmm. Okay. Uh, now you're doing some of the hardest pastoral care things
Jamie Heard: mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: To that, that, that [00:55:00] anybody can do.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: And I can tell you, I've had to deal with a lot of families.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: I will. I, dealing with a loss of a child is the hardest thing I've ever
Jamie Heard: done.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm. Uh, as, as a pastor.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: You're volunteering for that.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: You, you know. Yeah. Okay.
Jamie Heard: You're, yeah, absolutely. I think we weren't equipped to do it. You know, we felt called to do it and we didn't have any experience.
Mm-hmm. Like none of us had any nonprofit experience. And so I think learning early on, I don't have what it takes to do this. I don't, I don't know. I literally don't even know how to start a nonprofit. Mm-hmm. So I think recognizing early on, the only thing I need to do is put trust in the Lord and pray for wisdom and discernment and stay very spirit led in what we're doing.
And I know when I make an impulse decision about [00:56:00] something and I'm like, oh yeah, that sounds good. We should do that. It gets to the end and it's like wrong. It ran our staff down. It caused so much money. Like what? In what now? What? Like,
Mike Glenn: yeah.
Jamie Heard: And it's like, yeah, I didn't really pray about that.
Mike Glenn: Okay. But, but the common theme is the ministry is about showing up.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: The ministry is done.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: By showing up.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Now with having all the answers or anything figured out mm-hmm. We just know that mm-hmm. This is the next step.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Mike Glenn: Okay.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Alright. How is it that people can connect with faithfully restored?
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Good question. You can submit a prayer request online.
That's for you. That's for a friend. You know, if someone's listening, that's like, mm-hmm. Man, I'm really struggling. I'm struggling with addiction, I'm struggling with loneliness, I'm struggling. I'm walking through this divorce. You know, the enemy wants us to feel like we're the only one walking through that.
Mike Glenn: Sure. Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: I can tell you you're not, I can pull up. Stats on
Mike Glenn: Oh, that's what I tell people every Sunday. Yeah. You'd be [00:57:00] amazed at the pain that's sitting on the pew with you.
Jamie Heard: Exactly. Sitting in a coffee shop. Mm-hmm. You'd be amazed at the people. And so that's part of it, of bringing women together. And so by submitting those names, names of friends.
And then I, like I said, our volunteers as a ministry and ourself. You can go to our website, sign up to volunteer and come in our office and you know, we had volunteers in yesterday, five people sitting around a table, what the Lord is doing. With the people sh around that table in our new prayer room, just, it's not pink, but it's so sweet and just, ugh, I love our new office.
They're sitting around that table and the community and growth and faith that is happening from women sharing their stories mm-hmm. And connecting. Mm-hmm. And that's before these care packages even leave our office. Mm-hmm. You know, it is just a whole ministry in itself of the community. And so even if you're, and the volunteering is from the beginning, we've wanted to, to be very simple.
So you go on our website next [00:58:00] Thursday at 11 o'clock, you can come in and make care packages if you wanna come in once and never do anything else, that's, you don't have to sign up for a commitment. Um, you can see exactly what you'll be doing. You're not gonna be asked to pray out loud anything. And a lot of people.
Do that to just gain community. Mm-hmm. We have a lot of volunteers that maybe have stayed at home for years and then they have kids that are in college or high school that don't need them as much and they're feel like they're lacking purpose and come in. Um, so that's a way to engage and come in and.
My favorite thing to do is meet with people and figure out, okay, what is it that faithfully, like we have an amazing organization that is able to help people in so many ways. Like is it that you're sitting there telling me, sharing your story that you need loved on by us? Mm-hmm. Like the help will come, you know, people come in, want to wanna help us, and it's like, you, you need loved Dawn right now.
Right now we're loving on you. It might be that they have time, that volunteering is meeting that needs, like they have a gifting. We had [00:59:00] someone recently move from California, didn't know anyone came in to volunteer and she makes her breast best friend out of breast cancer. She makes these little prayer shawls and she was like, I would love to host an evening to invite women in and make these prayer shawls.
Mm-hmm. We have a partnership with Tennessee Oncology to go in the Tennessee oncology bags. And so it's like for that, like I wanna, I wanna. Facilitate that. I wanna take someone's, she has time, she has a passion, she has a purpose that the Lord's given her. She has a gift, you know? Mm-hmm. These people, this group of 10 people that came that night to do that, one of them called me the next day and just said, that was exactly what I needed.
Mm-hmm. That was the sweetest night of exactly what I needed. And so the way to volunteer, gain community, uh, and then I have some people come and sit and they have resources, they have money that they wanna give. Mm-hmm. And so, which like some people feel weird about talking about, and it's like, no, our [01:00:00] biggest donors.
They are an answered prayer for us, but we are an answered prayer for them. Mm-hmm. The Lord's gifted them with resources and they want a place to give it to and know that they can't find that person that needs that headstone paid for. They don't know that mom that is truly in a pit and can't parent and needs to get away for the weekend so she can show up mm-hmm.
To be a mom so she doesn't, you know, you know, have things go sour with her kids and, and be a better wife. So, you know, she's fighting divorce, like all of that. They don't know that, but they know they can give to a place that that's where, where, and you'd
Mike Glenn: be a good steward of
Jamie Heard: the
Mike Glenn: resources. Yes.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Those
Mike Glenn: ways. Ways.
Jamie Heard: And that's faithfully
Mike Glenn: restored.
Jamie Heard: Faithfully restored women.com.
Mike Glenn: Faithfully restored women.com. Alright.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Okay. Tell me what's next for faithfully restored women.
Jamie Heard: Well, it's about to be Mother's Day, and so one of my favorite projects that we do is kind of a passion project of mine. We were, like I said, at Vanderbilt with.
William [01:01:00] and Child Life was so dear to us. And so we have partnered for the last several years, partnered with Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and we actually just had Child Life in a couple weeks ago. And we do Mother's Day packages for every mom and caretaker at Vanderbilt Children's. So we do 450. Wow.
It's our biggest project and we do 450 care packages. We partner with Kendra Scott. They're very, it is a gift for the mom. And so we partner with Ken, Kendra Scott. So there's jewelry in there, a bunch of items that, um, just make a mom feel seen and loved. Mm-hmm. You know, with Vanderbilt, we can't say anything that they're being prayed for.
We can't have Jesus on anything. So it's all, you are loved, you're being thought of, but. All of those packages are prayed over. And we had someone come in our office several months ago and Kelly said, you know, how do you know about Faithful Restored? And she said, I was in the hospital with my son and I received one of the Mother's Day packages.
And she said, I'll tell you, that package brought me so much [01:02:00] closer to the Lord. And it was such confirmation of, we don't have to say that we're praying for them, they can go to our website and see Jesus. But it is a really cool project that we get to do within our community. You know, we serve women across the country, so be able to do something for our local hospital like that Child Life loves to pass 'em out.
And it's just a really cool project that blesses us. And in turn, you know, we've heard stories of those moms just breaking down whenever that package is delivered to them because they just feel. Seen.
Mike Glenn: Well, and sometimes it's the first recognition they get. Mm-hmm. You're a mom now, right? So you got a present.
Jamie Heard: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, they're in there and it's like we say, there's nowhere else they don't wanna be there, but there's nowhere else they'd rather be.
Mike Glenn: Right.
Jamie Heard: You know, they're, yeah. They're sitting at Vanderbilt Children's on Mother's Day. Mm-hmm. You know, so they wouldn't wanna be anywhere else but there with their child.
And you know, like me, if it were [01:03:00] the timing of Mother's Day, some of those moms walk out of the hospital without their child, you know? Mm-hmm. So to be able to have our bags at Vanderbilt, at the disposal of the child life to pass out, we deliver 'em the week ahead of time just to, you know, they might have a mom in their six, six months have resource.
Right. And she leaves two days before Mother's Day. Mm-hmm. And so, um, that's a special project that one of our biggest projects, and that people just love to support and get behind and, and, um, see moms that way.
Mike Glenn: Here is the hard question.
Jamie Heard: Okay.
Mike Glenn: Everything you've done.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Everything that has happened.
Mm-hmm. What is it that you know that you didn't know then? What is it that you know now?
Jamie Heard: Mm.
I [01:04:00] think for a long time I was that kid that would go on a mission trip or something and they'd ask for people to give their life to Christ. And I, and I was like, well, maybe I should do that again. Yes. I'm gonna ask, ask again because maybe I'm not safe. Maybe you know the stuff that I've done.
Surely the Lord can't forgive me. I was always thinking. Just one more time. One more time. And I think looking back, what I would want people to know is truly there is nothing that you can do. That can separate you from God's love. And accepting that and knowing that, and then having that surrender that he is good, I think is, is what I'd want someone to know.
Because you can experience his goodness when you're carrying shame.
Mike Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Heard: And so he's brought me through, separate from the trials, he's brought me [01:05:00] through a place of holding this shame, surrendering that, and then bringing me through the depths of grief so that I could experience his full goodness for me and his unconditional love for me.
Mike Glenn: Yeah. Nothing we've done, nothing that anyone has done to us.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Can separate us mm-hmm. From the love of God that we have. Full stop. Full stop. Full stop.
Jamie Heard: Full
Mike Glenn: stop. Jamie, you have, uh. You know, the, the flippant thing is to say, well, you blessed my life and all that. Mm-hmm. This is, this has been a hard conversation.
Jamie Heard: Mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Uh, but, um, I, I, I'm, I'm sure you have helped a lot of people. I've got a lot of stuff I've gotta process
Jamie Heard: mm-hmm. Out
Mike Glenn: of this. Mm-hmm. Uh, from, from, uh, from story, from times when my
Jamie Heard: mm-hmm.
Mike Glenn: Experience with
Jamie Heard: grief
Mike Glenn: has Yeah. Matched up with yours. But you have honored us by being here. Mm. And, uh, we want to pray God's every success [01:06:00] on you and, and the work of faithfully restored women.
Jamie Heard: Mm. Thank you so much. Thanks for being, for having me. It was an honor.
Mike Glenn: Yeah.
Jamie Heard: Thanks.
