The Journey Home Quarterly Newsletter July 2019

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

When God gave the vision for The Journey Home (TJH), we knew He would make it happen. This was not based on who we are or what we could do, but based on who God is. He has been faithful in what He has done in the past to have TJH becoming a reality and we trust Him to continue to be faithful in all He will continue to do in the future through TJH.

Today, a group of people who have been praying for TJH for years will gather at the building to write Bible verses on the floors and walls of the building before the drywall and flooring go in. The building will literally be “covered in God’s Word”. Those who enter will feel the sacredness of the building and the love of God. Our hope and prayer is that their lives will be rebuilt with hope, help, and healing. We desire that they will be another story, such as scripture tells us, of a faithless person being rescued and redeemed by a faithful God.

We are so thankful for and impressed by the skills of Howard and Kevin Loudin plus the subcontractors that are working for them. Their hard work and excellence are truly reflecting the real Builder of the home. Please continue to pray with us for the workers and the timely completion of the building…perhaps in December. Praise God!

That means we are working hard on the many tasks needed to make the building operational. We especially need your prayers as we seek an office manager, a live-in overseer couple, a team to help discern the best match of individuals and families (who will complete a 14 page application and be interviewed) to live in the home, and lots of administrative work on roles, policies, procedures, expectations, etc.

Meanwhile, much is going on behind the scenes with many decisions being made for the interior and exterior of the home. Ed is diligently applying for grants (he recently received $1000 from Crutchfield towards audio visual needs in the multi-purpose room). Ben is working hard on the daunting job of disassembling the donated modular home and reassembling it on land already purchased near TJH (let us know if you can help!) for the Next Step Program. Debby is meeting with people and plugging away at the long to-do list. And, our many volunteers are helping in crucial ways. We are so grateful for the team God has assembled to bring His vision to fruition. Many have given their time, their talent, their prayers and their financial gifts. TJH surely needs all of these to continue to be all that God intends for TJH to be.

Please let us know (if you have not already signed up) what area you would like to serve in as a volunteer. Opportunities include: Praying for the Journey Home and the Guests, Providing Transportation, After School Tutoring, Mentoring/Discipling Individuals, Teaching Reading Skills, Assisting with Job Applications, Instructing in Money Management Skills, Teaching Parenting Classes, Teaching Cooking Skills/Meal Preparation, Maintenance of the Building, Decorating of the Rooms, and Locating/Renovating Affordable Permanent Housing. We anticipate our first guests moving into the home in January of 2020, so we want to have everything in place soon. If you have already signed up to volunteer, thank you! You will be hearing from us soon concerning your role.

Our monthly update and planning meetings (next one is tonight, Thursday, July 11, at 7pm at Mineral Baptist Church, and the following one is Saturday, August 17, 9-11 am at MBC) have included training for our volunteers using the excellent book Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence. Handouts are available for sessions you may have missed.

We are also currently planning for the Annual Yard Sale to be held October 4 and 5, at Louisa Baptist Church (8-5 Friday and 7-3 Saturday). Please plan to clean out your basement and garage before then. Donated items and help with the event are much appreciated!

Thank you for the blessing of serving our faithful God with you, His faithful people, at our side. It is a joy to work together in the privilege of joining God in His work.

Blessings,
Debby for TJH Board of Directors