BY JEN WOOLDRIDGE
Photo from emilycolson . com .
Reaching Lives Disrupted by War
The COVID lockdowns were difficult for most of us , but for Max , who has Autism , the disruption in routine proved especially challenging . His mother , Emily Colson , shares how a simple activity that began in quarantine grew into a ministry .
Emily shared , “ Max began to hand-paint colorful heart yard signs and deliver them around our community . Max wasn ’ t an artist : Autism had made fine motor [ skills ] a lifelong challenge . God often uses the most unlikely individuals to accomplish His purposes so that the story is unmistakably His .” 1
A painting activity born from the simple prayer , “ How can we be a blessing to others ?” still brings hope to others more than two years later , even in war zones in Ukraine .
Max ’ s hearts have been printed on more than 36,000 note cards , with all proceeds going to charity . One thousand t-shirts have been delivered to Ukraine , with each including a message of God ’ s hope and love translated into Ukrainian .
When Emily received a picture of a little boy wearing a t-shirt with Max ’ s hearts , she cried for days . Tragically , the boy ’ s parents were killed in the war . God used Max ’ s hearts to bring a message of hope : “ He aches for the brokenness of this world . He is close to this little boy , just as He is close to Max . God was even leaning over Max ’ s shoulder as he began to paint , knowing He would carry these hearts — and His hope — around the world .”
Read more about the mission of Max ’ s hearts at heartby max . com . ■
1 . John Stonestreet and Emily Colson , “ Max ’ s Hearts Reach Ukraine ,” Breakpoint , August 26 , 2022 , https :// breakpoint . org / maxs-hearts-reach-ukraine .
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