The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3

We love this passage that describes well the need for The Journey Home. The poor need the good news, the brokenhearted need hope, and the captives to darkness need release. With your partnership, we believe God will make this home a place that will bring hope and healing to broken lives. Our prayer is that many lives will be joyfully restored, be filled with praise instead of despair, and live lives that display His splendor.

Many of you are aware of the devastating fire that destroyed the Old Mineral School building that we had hoped to purchase and renovate. God has clearly closed that door, but we are pursuing other options, as He leads, including the purchase of the land that the building was on. God has a plan and has given a vision that He will accomplish in His perfect timing. Thank you for standing with us as we seek His will. We are whole-heartedly trusting Him to bring “beauty from the ashes”.

While we wait to hear about available land, we have been meeting with similar ministries to learn from them. What an encouragement it has been to hear the testimonies from people whose lives have been changed by our Lord! We have also been working on a website (journeyhomemineral.org), and a brochure, as well as meeting with many people and organizations. God has confirmed the vision as He continues to send believers who see the need, want to be a part of the project, and possess the God-given skills needed for the Journey Home. We marvel as He has provided a builder, an architect, a lawyer, a real estate agent, a fundraiser, a web-designer, and people with a heart to help others that want to be involved in this project. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for your involvement, your prayers and your encouragement as we wait on God for each step in this incredible journey. Thank you to those who have made donations. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. (For those of you who feel led to be more involved please email or contact us at The Journey Home – at our address, 305 Edgewood Dr., Mineral, VA 23117 – to make donations or ask questions.)

Proclaiming His Good News,

Ed and Debby