Memorial Bench Delivery

We are a local ministry with a nationwide mission. And only God could put together what was just accomplished- the return trip from Tennessee with a 1000 mile first day, a nasty head cold, a negative covid test, the bench completed and picked up on time and a 2900 mile trek to Cambridge, Maryland- look at the map, it’s almost all the way across this great land!! On that 1000 mile day from Tennessee I asked God to enable me to do more than I am capable of- and He did!!

The delivery was incredible! It helps when you know the family. It helps when you love the family. That’s what I like about our mission- it’s personal. Whether it’s coming alongside a family that has lost a military loved one to suicide or answering the phone for my vets daily- it’s personal and even if it’s across the country!! We have two benches ready to deliver! Charlotte Oakes in Oregon cried a river of tears when we met in Clackamas Oregon a few years back. If you remember the story, my son Joseph was with me on this trip and I had instructed him to be polite and to not sit there and look at his phone……

And after an hour and a half you could tell that Charlotte felt better, she looked over at my quiet son and said, “can I ask you a favor?” He said “yes” and she said, “Can I have a son-hug, it’s been a while.” My son stood up and hugged that woman- it is possibly the most beautiful sight that I’ve ever seen! This delivery like every single one of them is special…..

The next bench goes to a mom in Idaho. Her son was active duty Air Force stationed in Alaska. This mom knows Gary & Christi Barton who received a bench earlier this year for their son Zach. She is also an ER Nurse and dealing with the stresses of health care workers across the nation. We had a big delivery planned with all the fanfare and the timing for that is not good- I told her that the delivery is most important and we will do it privately,

We are not looking for press- sometimes it happens, but it’s not our goal. We are looking for help in this much needed mission. These families are hurting. They will always be hurting. When you do something for them that is “above and beyond”, it touches their hearts. It lets them know that they are loved and their sacrifice is not for nothing. We are working on our website- at OperationCreekside.org there is a link to donate for Memorial Bench Delivery…

And I’m old school- a check to Operation Creekside memo “memorial bench delivery” works fine. Call me and I will come pick up any donation amount- this is something that we must do!

Best, Ed