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Joli's Journal

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How am I inspired? By you. You are incredible people.
19:54 Feb 07 2013
Times Read: 654

I had to log in...no, I really HAD to. Someone on this site did something so amazing that I had to slow myself down, log on, and express my amazement and my gratitude.

I cannot explain how little time I have these days. I miss you all so much and I have a grillion questions about what's new in your lives and those that you love and care about. It's a good sign that I'm so busy. Our ministry is helping more people than ever, and more and more folks are discovering who we are and what we do!

Home Depot has adopted us as a community project and given us a small grant and a team of 15 people to come out in 2 weeks to begin building one of my long-time dreams - a Community Garden! We will be able to give fresh food to families in addition to non-perishables! For people whose emergencies so often correlate with health problems, this is tremendous.

Other people are sharing dreams that have lived in my head for years. It's so exciting and humbling. So...what did this VR member do? Well, this person has made donations to us before. Generous donations. But business has been affected in our economy, as you know, and they were unable to do so for a while. Today, they sent us $1,000.00! They did it humbly, with no letter...no expectation of media attention, etc.

What this person doesn't know, and what I'm going to share with all of you right now is the timing of this gift. Most of you know I am a person of faith, trusting in and waiting on God's timing (not easy when you're as eager as I can be).

We recently had a change of Officers at our January Board meeting. I'm pretty excited to work with these folks. But most especially with our new Moderator. For the first time ever, a Moderator walked into my office and sat down and asked, "What new programs would you like to see at the Center?" He knows me and knows very well what has been tearing at my heart for 5 years. I answered, 'You know what I want. Transitional Housing for working families.'

He was grinning and said, "Then write a proposal." My heart leapt! We had a good year last year. I had submitted a balanced budget last January and we ended up well in the black. For a non-profit, that can mean expanding services to more people...or...a NEW PROGRAM!

I'm crying as I write this and my hands are shaky. In my community, we have no true shelters. We put people in tents in state parks or pay for few nights in motels to buy them a little time. But worst of all, working families who are struggling can get trapped in motels or sharing expenses in crowded homes instead of saving for deposits, rent, and utilities to live in their own home.

With these funds, I'm going to propose a temporary home (apartment, house, condo where we have a deal with a landlord, or which we purchase eventually) where we cover all their expenses, while requiring them to turn over the lion's share of their earnings. In 3-4 months, we use their wages and any that we have to add in order to cover deposits, first month rent, and utilities. We support them while helping them to save their OWN money to get a home for their family!

You may not know this, but I do...your donation was the perfect answer to prayers. It will easily cover a month of expenses for a family in this program. It will make a REAL difference in lives. It won't be a bandaid. It will walk people toward self-sufficiency and sustainability. You inspire me. You make me grateful. You amaze me.

I wish that those all of you who donate in small and big ways, or those who pray, or those who offer their creative, artistic gifts and time knew how beautiful you all look to me. I see how it all fits perfectly into a plan we are priviledged to be a part of, if we choose to be. I love you all. To those who choose to pitch in, I thank you deeply. My words will never, ever be able to express how very much I thank you.

COMMENTS

GiovaniAddonus
20:31 Feb 07 2013

I almost beg to differ. You did a very thorough job expressing gratitude, and beyond that made it evidently clear just how incredibly far that donation will go. I am so very glad I got to read it all. Thanx for posting, and thank you for applying yourself!