Let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

Don’t you love spring? All of a sudden there is color and beauty once again after months of the earth looking lifeless. Yet, we know that beneath the surface, much was going on to bring forth the beauty of this season. We feel that way about what is happening with The Journey Home. It seems like we have been busy with many details behind the scenes and all of a sudden, God is bringing a vision into vibrant realization.

The last few months have been filled with meetings with Lindsay, our gifted architect, who has been drawing and redrawing plans. She has spent much time and effort – all donated because of her desire to use her gifts for the Lord’s work. We are now on scheme three as the needs of the home, land topography (the surveyor also did all his work for free!), and financial constraints have required much scratching of our heads! We are just about there and so excited! The beautiful piece of land, offered at a great price, by Mike and Michele, friends in our Sunday school class, is about to have a signed contract (with the lawyer also doing his work pro bono!) and to one day become a temporary home to many in need. We are so grateful to God for His provision and we are so excited!

During the past month, we have had three presentations to church groups with a very encouraging response. God is laying the ministry on many hearts to be involved through prayer, volunteering, and financial giving. We are so encouraged and excited to see others “catch the vision” to serve those in need. Please pray with us for the presentations (join us for the next one on May 7, 9-11 am at Mineral Baptist Church) and fundraising meetings the next few months. Pray for God to move in the hearts of those He wants engaged.

God continues to awe and amaze us! After much prayer over many years, our son-in-law, Ben, has felt led to move to Virginia to join us in the ministry. God has been drawing his heart, through his home renovations with the Good Works ministry, to want to do this full time. Ben, Kristi, Megan and Lauren are taking a step of faith to join us in the outreach of The Journey Home to help find and renovate homes for people to move into when they are ready to leave the Journey Home. We could not be more thrilled or more amazed at God’s plan. They will move here in August and live 3 minutes from our daughter, Kim, and her family. All 5 grandkids close to each other and close to us – what a gift from our Lord!

Please continue to pray with us for the many details of the building process, which we hope will begin very soon. The Journey Home is in the gifted hands of Howard, an excellent builder, godly man and friend. It has seemed a long time coming, but we can see in hindsight how the time has been used by God for us to learn many things through visiting six similar ministries, networking with churches and organizations in our county, reading several very helpful books and working on the many details involved. We can’t wait to see the building begin to go up. Did we mention that we are excited?!

God continues to confirm the vision and provide and guide as only He can. We are so very grateful to Him and to you for your interest. If you are looking for an opportunity to be involved, check us out on our website www.journeyhomemineral.org, on our Facebook page (coming soon) or email us at [email protected]. Is God moving in your heart to make a tax-deductible contribution (we are an official 501c3 non-profit) towards our building and furnishing expenses? You can make a check out to The Journey Home and send it to PO Box 482, Mineral, VA, 23117. What an encouragement and blessing it is to partner with you as together we join God in serving people in need! Please pray in advance for both those who will serve and those whose needs we hope to meet as we come alongside of them in Jesus’ name. Thank you!

Spurring one another on,

Ed and Debby