Dear friends,
Thank you for your generous commitment to join with us in building safe, affordable, and healing community for people who struggle against the ravages of poverty.
Can I ask you to consider a generous year-end gift, in any amount, to support our beautiful resident families?
I’d love to tell you about just one example of generosity, to spark your imagination. Your giving will be different, but what might be possible for you?
Laura* volunteered in the earliest years of the Christmas Store some thirty years ago, helping organize the volunteers in the hospitality area. After Laura and her family moved overseas, she kept tabs on MHM by reading our newsletters.
After all this time, I was delighted to hear from Laura earlier this year. She had received an unexpected inheritance. A lifetime of following Jesus and serving others had cultivated habits of generosity in her family and she decided to give the money away. Reflecting the priorities of the relative who left the inheritance, Laura wanted to help vulnerable women pursue higher education.
Laura reached out to Mile High Ministries, and together we created the Joshua Station Scholarship Fund. The timing felt God-ordained. Far more Joshua Station residents than ever are making a commitment to go to college.
What lit the fire here for higher education? Nothing we programmed. On pandemic Zoom calls—the only way our Joshua Station community could gather—weary residents spoke encouraging words. Locked down with kids in tiny rooms with their kids, every hopeful thought mattered. On one call Ashley, mom of twin toddlers, celebrated her straight As after completing a remote semester in college.
“Hey everyone,” Ashley practically shouted from the screen. “You know who I am and the messes I’ve been through. If I can do this, you can do it too!” Her enthusiasm was contagious, inspiring others to sign up for classes.
Their commitment to get an education to help support their families came together with Laura’s commitment to use her resources on behalf of others. This fall, seven women received $5,000 awards to help them attend college or trade school. Laura is committed to continuing that generosity into the future, which means a lot more women will be going to school!
When generosity, creativity, and resilience all come together, great things happen! I hope reading this guide might help each of us consider how to use a portion of what we have on behalf of others. Thank you for your generosity!
Blessings and peace,
Jeff Johnsen
Executive Director
*At her request, Laura’s name has been changed.
