Loving Autumn Woods

Every Friday night, Ella Stuff, a sixteen-year-old with a heart for service, dedicates her time to volunteering at an after-school program in Autumn Woods, one of the most underserved neighborhoods in her city. Serving with World Partners’ missionaries Steve and Sheila Harrigan and other team members from Fellowship Missionary Church, Ella works tirelessly to encourage refugees that come into the city each year. Her commitment is about not just sharing time and resources but creating an atmosphere of love and hope for those in need. We recently sat down with Ella to ask questions about her involvement at Autumn Woods.

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WP: You’re involved in a unique ministry. Can you tell us more about Autumn Woods?

Ella: Autumn Woods is my mission field. I spend Friday nights in the worst and most impoverished neighborhood in my city. Most of the people who live in these apartments are either immigrants or refugees fleeing from their home country. They come from Burma or refugee camps in Thailand. Most are Muslim and go to a mosque, and you see many women dressed up in their full (head covered) Burka.

WP: What are you sharing with them?

Ella: So, every Friday we have a Kids Club where the kids can come after school and we play with them; we give them toys that they just don’t have access to. Then we go inside, or we can present a skit with a puppet, talk about a Bible story, verse of the Bible, or anything that they have questions about. We always offer snacks and try to give them food. Often, we have plastic bags full of conditioner, shampoo, a comb and toothbrush, because most of their families do not speak English, or do not simply have the money for basic hygiene kits. 

WP: What motivates you to be involved in this work?

Ella: Our mission here is simple. It’s not only to spread the gospel, but really, it’s to love these kids, and tell them Jesus loves them.  Most of them do not have very loving parents and have often had social workers involved in their lives. We just want to provide a place where they can feel loved, and they can understand that they are loved. We love because Jesus loved us first; it's not always about converting or slamming the gospel down their throat. It’s more of showing that we can love them even though they’re different. We hope to show them that we’re different too — we may look different, sound different and act different, but that as Christians, we love as Jesus loved and that they would ask questions and want to be like Him one day.

WP: What are some of the needs you have in this ministry?

Ella: I recently applied for a grant to help with the ministry and won! The grant will be such a blessing to us because we need it for our kids. Some kids don’t have families who are employed or at stable jobs. They need school supplies and other necessities for our cooler climate. They don’t have winter coats, sweatpants, or warm shoes and socks — and that is no way to live in the Midwest when it’s cold. We want to spend the money on the families and kids that come here. We will also use this money to restock many of our craft supplies that the kids love so much! We are constantly running out of pencils, coloring books and bracelet supplies. Our goal is to provide these simple things for our kids so that they feel appreciated, loved by the Lord, and they don’t feel alone in America.

We celebrate what Ella and the Autumn Woods team are doing in their community. If you’ve ever asked the question, “What could we do in our neighborhood to show God’s love?” The answer — and mission field — may be right down the street. By dedicating Friday nights to the children and families of Autumn Woods, Ella’s mission goes beyond sharing the gospel — it is showing the unconditional love of Christ and making a lasting impact for these families beginning a new life in America.

Do you have a similar outreach or disciple-making story? Contact us at info@wpartners.org.