A Heart Connection

The doors on the family home swung a little wider than most when Nancy Brink was growing up. As a result, her idea of “family” spans multiple generations, a couple of continents and people who have nothing else in common but each other’s care. Theirs is a heart connection, Nancy says.

Sharing life — including whatever resources are available — with those who presented with a need meant Nancy learned at a young age there is always enough to share.

Her spouse, Maria “Cuca” Perez says “we grew up poor, poor, poor, but the family always shared whatever they had.” Together they model the same big-heartedness that shaped them.

These days the “family” extends to Disciples Church Extension Fund, where Nancy and Cuca’s gifts support everything from interest-free loans to services that help congregations seeking transformation.

“I’ve been studying that text where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Nancy says. “Usually, we talk the other way around … Where your heart is, your treasure will be. But this text flips it. If you don’t feel a heart connection to something, then try giving to it.”

Not surprisingly, they intend for their giving to continue long after they are gone, through a bequest in their will. After all, theirs is a heart connection.