Dear friends,
I would like to take this time to thank you for your involvement and support in this new adventure, and give you a brief update what is happening with Restoration Now. It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year since we became an official organization. It's been amazing to see this ministry grow and how God shapes and molds it. We would not be where we are had you not been so generous with your time and efforts, thoughts and prayers, encouragement and finances.
I last updated many of you after this summer's City Project. It was our third City Project with Grace Church, and our first without the help and support of our friends in the South. We had over a hundred people from our community come out and work on five different homes in the same neighborhood. The youth group at Grace Church ran a vacation bible school in the morning and day camp in the afternoon. As a church and organization we developed new relationships both with the people we were able to serve and the work crew. It was truly a beautiful time together, and encouraged us for the work that lay ahead of us this fall and winter.
While spending three months after City Project doing work " for profit" and spending time planning for the fall, I was able to "stock pile" enough funds to give me a solid month's worth of money to live on, do projects in the community and continue to plan for Restoration Now's future. As I set out into this month I had full funding for, I began to receive unexpected donations and new monthly supporters through our Dollar-A-Day program, which has snowballed my one month into three. Our hope and prayer is that this momentum continues into full funding.
This fall and winter has proved full and rich, continuing to confirm the need for this organization in the community. The volunteer support has grown; we have a couple of guys committed to give their time one day every week. These guys along with many other devoted volunteers have made it possible to accomplish the work the agencies have set out before us. The work this fall has consisted of winterizing homes, building wheel chair ramps, further development of our advisory board, building new relationships with agencies in town, and multiple trips/speaking engagements. In October Nicole, Ollie and I were given the honor to spend a weekend in Olive Branch, Mississippi, to speak and be ministered to at a Fall Missions Festival at Christ Presbyterian Church. This church supports Restoration Now not just financially, but through a desire to reach the Olive Branch/Memphis area modeling Restoration Now's plan. Our good friends there, Randy and Lynn Greenslade, were very involved with the first City Project three years ago here in Ft. Collins. They have spear headed, with the missions board, their first City Project this past summer. Pray as they process through what it looks like for there church to make this one week project into a year round ministry. As an organization, we have been greatly encouraged by this church community in Olive Branch.
Nicole and I made another trip to the South this last weekend. We were invited to visit Lagniappe, a church and massive home/city restoration organization, in Bay St.Louis, MS. This city on the Gulf Coast saw the eye of Hurricane Katrina, leaving not much behind but devastated homes and lives. Nicole and I were overwhelmed by the destruction, however we were more mesmerized by the grace and mercy of God's people at Lagniappe. Jean Larroux, originally from Bay St. Louis, moved his family back after seeing the hurricane destroy his hometown and take the lives of some of his family members. With no business plan or funding, God made it apparent that Jean was to start this organization and lead it into "participating in the restoration," as they call it. While their ministry is similar to ours, but on a huge scale and in a much different environment, they have taken an interest in Restoration Now. They have blessed us with generous support financially and also by offering their time and help showing us the bones of the organization, the processes, paperwork and all the necessary business details, we are truly blessed with this new partnership. Keep the Larrouxs, the Lagniappe Church family and this restoration effort in your thoughts and prayers.
We have also had the opportunity to speak with churches in our neighboring communities here on the Front Range. Many are interested in implementing a Restoration Now model in their city and we are willing and eager to offer help as we grow and learn with them.
Restoration Now is excited to be partnering with Project Self-Sufficiency, a Loveland/Ft. Collins based organization that serves single mothers. I met the director this fall and have committed to them that we will assist in their new office building renovation. They have been operating out of the Housing Authority's office here in Ft. Collins up until this time, but will be getting their own space soon. In addition to helping them make this new space fit their needs, we will be helping their clients with home repairs, and other housing solutions. A future goal of Restoration Now is to help provide more permanent housing solutions through building or restoring homes and developing a rent to own program. Pray for us as we begin to see what this would entail for our organization.
I realize this is a lot of information! Thank you for making it to this portion of the letter. I want to thank you for your support and being a part of what has gone on this past year. Please pray for the organization, the people as we serve them in their housing needs and that we may minister to them in a holistic way. We have been richly blessed by your sacrifices and choice to be involved in Restoration Now. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as you consider your future relationship with us. May God bless you this Christmas season.
Peace,
Josh, Nicole and Ollie
Please take a moment to check out these web sites. They are some of the agencies/organizations/churches, we have partnered with. Why check them out? Because they are doing some really cool things here in Northern Colorado and other parts of the country.
Christ Pres Church-Olive Branch, MS (go to their home missions page)
http://www.cpcms.org/Lagniappe
http://www.lagniappechurch.com/Project Self Sufficiency
http://www.ps-s.org/Volunteers of America
http://www.voacolorado.org/Northern Colorado AIDS Project
http://www.ncaids.org/First Call-United Way-211
http://www.uwaylc.org/
