A Young Girl Answered God’s Call and Kept Going

Christmas; it’s a time for celebrating God’s gift of Jesus, gathering with family; a time for traditions. Natalie Talley and her mom Angela have a very special tradition during the Christmas season – giving blessing bags to the homeless. Angela says It all started one rainy night while driving home from a showing of the nutcracker. “It was like down pouring actually. And we passed a gentleman who appeared to be homeless, pushing a cart full of literally what he owned. And Natalie noticed him and wanted to know lots of questions and answers. And trying to explain homeless to a six-year-old is hard.”

Natalie remembers, “It made me sad, and I was like, that's not right. Why? Why do we get a house? And they don't. So it really just pushed me like, ‘mom, we need to do something. We need to do something.’”

“We came home and Natalie said, mom, can you get on Facebook and post something that like, we wanna help these people. And I said, ‘well, of course.’” Angela recalls. 

“We sat on the couch and just made a post like, ‘hey, can we get umbrellas, ponchos, tarps, to keep them dry.’” Says Natalie. 

Over the next week, they were amazed at the response from friends and relatives across the country. Angela says, “And we would come home to packages upon packages on our porch. It was so overwhelming. All the love from everybody wanting to support a six-year old's little dream.”
Then, on Christmas eve, the Salvation Army provided a space for Natalie to distribute all the donations she had received. Angela says, “Early afternoon when a lot of families are starting to gather for holiday feasts and gifts. Instead, we were sitting in Chattanooga and serving those less fortunate than us.”

“and they just came. the Salvation Army let them in, and they took whatever they needed.” Says Natalie

“Natalie had little stations of tables like this station was hygiene and toiletry, and this was gloves and blankets, beanies.” Says Angela, “And, they fed them a hot meal and had lovely Christmas music playing. And Natalie was actually able to mingle and talk with them and there was one lady that just, I feel like God really spoke to her through Natalie. and she asked us to pray, and she prayed.”

Natalie remembers the feeling that night, “It felt really good. It kind of warmed my heart that I could do that. I was able to do that that night.”

Angela says of Natalie, “Her heart of compassion at six, I mean, children at six years old are worried about what they're gonna get under the Christmas tree, not what they're wanting to spend money on for other people, but she's always had that heart.”

Natalie says that heart of compassion comes from the love she’s received through her own health struggles. Born with a ten-pound tumor, Natalie is fortunate to be alive and healthy. She says, “I had a lot of medical issues growing up and I still do. And I wanted to give people who didn't have a home, didn't have anything to help them, a chance.”

“I knew very early on she, was here for a special purpose.” Says Angela, “I felt like that's when God was like, this is what I have for her and I'm calling you to help make it happen.”

Since that first Christmas eve, Natalie’s mission has become a year-round operation, raising money and supplies for the homeless community in Chattanooga and beyond through Nat’s blossoms of hope and bakery. 

Natalie says, “I have this brownie recipe that's like everyone's favorite. and it also would take special requests and things like that. And then I have a flower garden outside and the stuff, the flowers I put in vases that people have donated.”

She delivers care packages in places others avoid, directly to people living on the streets and homeless camps. Angela says, “We know that God's led Natalie there, and we know that He is protecting her. We pray before we go. We pray with those that we meet and they're so receptive.”

Natalie says, “People ask us if they can pray with them and we do and it makes their day.”

Natalie’s enthusiasm is infectious; encouraging others to follow her example at Christmas time and through the year. “If you can't have anything to give, give a smile, it makes someone's day so much better.” She says. 

“God is bigger than anything I can imagine.” Says Angela, “And I'm excited to see what he does for her. I tell her every day I wanna be more like her. And I do, I think more people need to be like her. And for a child to set an example for the world, it's incredible.”

“Like Jesus did, he gave his life to save us.” Says Natalie, “I wanna dedicate part of mine to help the homeless.”