Dear Friends,
I love Christmas; I always have. The joy, the snow, family coming together, presents, Christmas carols, great food—I love it all! Most importantly, I love the reason for the season— celebrating the birth of the Savior of the world! Christmas is a time where hope seems real and possible again.
What breaks my heart is knowing that so many people and families do not experience these things. They are living in extreme poverty, unhoused, living in shelters or the back seats of cars, wondering how this happened and how to get out.
Jesus knew about these feelings. He was born in a barn because there was no room for him and his family in any homes. His family had to flee their home country for their safety and go to a foreign land. Jesus knows how we feel and how those experiencing homelessness feel.
I am honored to be a part of a ministry that serves these individuals. Because of your support, men are finding joy again and reuniting with their families. Because of you, they will have presents, great food, carols, and laughter this Christmas.
While we are still working through the challenges of the kitchen fire we had in our building back in August and how much to invest in that while working on our new homeless resolution center, many of our guests still have a place that is clean to lie down at night. But our capacity is limited while we still navigate the solutions for the winter months. And yet, we are hopeful!
Life change happens every single day in and through FCRM. Because of you, men who seemingly have so little will celebrate Christmas with the hope that next year they truly will be home, their own home, for Christmas!
Grace and Peace,
Dennis Van Kampen
President/CEO
This post is part of December’s Changing Lives Newsletter. This month, we’re sharing Eddie’s story of finding stability and a new beginning in: Color in the Darkness.
