Dear Friends,
Psalm 127 tells us that children are a gift from the Lord. There are many verses in scripture that help us see God’s heart for children. Another passage is Mark 9:36-37: “Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’”
Whoever welcomes a child in Jesus’ name welcomes Jesus! I am so humbled by the work our team does with children experiencing homelessness. In this newsletter you will read the story of Curtis, a single father who found support, help and hope here at the Mission. You will learn how our Youth Center helped his children.
Our staff understand that when we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, and welcome the children, it is as if we are doing this for Jesus. In fact, that is our why at the Mission. We are called to serve everyone who comes through our doors asking for help. I want to thank you for supporting the Mission. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your volunteer hours. Thank you for prayerfully sharing your finances with us.
With your generosity in mind, I wanted to report back to you about our financial situation. I’m pleased to report that we ended our fiscal year in the black at the end of June because you, our generous supporters, helped us completely fund the shortfall!
There is still so much to do. I am confident that we serve a God who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask, think or imagine!
May God bless you and keep you,
Dennis Van Kampen
President/CEO
This post is part of August’s Changing Lives Newsletter. This month, we’re sharing Curtis’ story of how the Mission’s Youth Center has provided him with support as a single dad and is changing his kids’ lives in the process: A Brighter Future.
