FAITH, GIVING & GRATITUDE

Faith, giving, and gratitude are three of the most defining constants in the Rustrum household. It’s hard for them to convey the profound importance of their faith, as it is the foundation upon which their life is built. Without their belief in God and his saving grace, all of the success in the world would be meaningless. Material things fade away on earth, but eternal blessings of sowing into people never do. Although Ann learned her faith from her family values at a young age and saw it play an active role in her home life, it was a process of personal discovery and experience that solidified it deep within her heart. Tye came to a breakthrough in his spiritual walk in college when he had an undeniable conviction that there is more to life than our time in this world.

For the first part of Tye’s childhood and adolescence, blessings in his life were abundant thanks to the love and commitment his parents devoted to providing a life of opportunity for him and his siblings. However, life has its own plans, and when the events in Tye’s life somersaulted and turned his life around, he experienced the reality of struggle and the impact others can have on hurting and hungry hearts.



Most vividly, Tye remembers how a knee injury from his impressive soccer career threatened his future on the field. And because of the sudden turn of events in his family situation, he wasn’t able to receive surgery on his knee and start his recovery process immediately. He spent six long months on crutches, which proved more damaging to himself than just the physical pain from his knee. Tye was hurting as a person and was in need of a helping hand, a beacon of hope, to save him from this state of despair that was so quickly spiraling out of control.

And then someone reached out to him and did just that––a doctor agreed to operate on Tye’s injured knee free of charge. But that surgery was more than just an operation to repair his knee. It was an operation that allowed him to get back on the soccer field and take back control of his life. With a healthy knee, he was able to re-focus his energy on the game and improving himself as a player instead of on the hardships that defined his life at the time. More than anything, that operation was an example of hope and a sign of faith. It was Tye experiencing the service hearts of others reaching out to him when he needed hope the most. It is a small example, but a huge reminder to pay it forward to others; to bless those who are in need in quietness, not for applause, but because it is the right thing to do.

The Rustrums believe that to whom much is given, much is required. They now have a continually growing understanding of the importance of faith in the home and how it affects the work they do to serve and love others. Most important, Tye and Ann find fulfillment in giving back to their community and being a living example to their two kids of the kind of responsibility and gratitude that should come as blessings are poured into our lives.