Qusai Mahmud has saved them all, every single one of the handwritten notes he received when Southern Baptists across the country sent boxes of ministry supplies through the Woman’s Missionary Union’s (WMU) Christmas in August project.
Fishing one out of his stack, he finds a note written in red and green markers and the squiggly letters of an elementary schooler. “Dear Qusai,” the note reads, “Keep up the good work.”
“I was once a church planter, so I understand the loneliness of ministry,” shares Qusai, who now serves as director for Send Relief’s Chicago Ministry Center. “To receive these notes and know there are people that we haven’t met, but they believe in the mission, and they’re praying for us, it’s heartbreaking, in a good way.”
Boxes of Blessings
Send Relief’s Ministry Center in Chicago serves one of the city’s lowest-income areas, so when the team received word that WMU had chosen to feature them for the Christmas in August campaign, they put together a list of items like diapers, hygiene products, socks, and school supplies they could use to bless their community. Then, churches and groups responded to the need by hosting Christmas-themed events and gathering and shipping boxes full of supplies.
“The boxes started coming, and it was never-ending. There were times when I was bringing in 20, 30 boxes of stuff,” Qusai shares. “We were just blown away at how generous everyone was.”
Thanks to the generosity of Southern Baptists, these supplies fueled the ministry center’s work for months, allowing them to care for single moms, at-risk children, the unhoused community, and schools in underserved areas.
“When ministry teams visited, we would have them go and take hygiene kits, and we would go to the areas where the unhoused were, and we would hand them out,” Qusai shares. “It led to developing relationships that allow for a meaningful gospel conversation.”
“I had teachers that would reach out and say, we have zero budget for paper, folders, pens, and none of these kids are going to bring them in,” he continues. “So, we had relationships with probably about a half dozen schools where we dropped off supplies and got to meet teachers and just start that process of building a relationship.”
Diapers that Made a Difference
“Our team has a big heart for widows, orphans, at-risk children, and single moms,” shares Qusai.
So when the team started receiving boxes upon boxes of diapers, they knew exactly who could use them.
“There’s a low-income daycare right across the street from our ministry center, and we were able to bless them with probably 50 boxes of diapers—I’m talking cases.”
Qusai won’t forget showing up at their door to make the delivery.
“They just couldn’t believe it. They just didn’t understand why someone would even consider giving this to them.”
It’s a gesture that could have only been made possible through the generosity of others—kids, families, and individuals that Qusai and his team had never even met.
“Thank you again for all your generosity and all the resources you send that are going to enable us to accomplish our mission here in Chicago to share the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he says.
Published August 14, 2025