My Father’s House Blog

From as early as I can remember, summer camp has been a essential part of my life.  I would count down the days on my calendar every year, waiting in excited anticipation until it was finally time to pack up and head out for a week of campfires, singing, swimming and fellowship with God. 

 As an adult, camp continued to play major role in my life, as I worked as a volunteer counselor, on staff and even as a speaker at various camps.  Few things give me more joy than watching kids share that same enthusiasm that I had as a child at camp and watching them learn about themselves and grow in their relationship with Christ.  There is something about being in the outdoors, surrounded by the constant energy of kids that makes the experience none less than magical.

The experience of camp, however, is expensive.  Not all families can afford to send their children, so summer camp often remains a middle to upper class luxury.  At My Father’s House, sending a child to camp is usually last on a parent’s mind, as they struggle to find employment, housing, and the provide the basic essentials for their family.  Very few of our children have had the opportunity- camp remains as yet another thing that they will not be able to experience because of the challenges of poverty.  Sadly, these are the kids that could benefit the most from going. 

Last summer, several camps stepped up and offered full scholarships for the children at MFH to go to camp.  The kids were ecstatic- I had the opportunity of driving them out to Eagle Fern Camp, (which just so happens to be the camp of my childhood) and they could hardly contain their excitement.  They all wanted to know what the cabins looked like, who was going to be their counselors and when they could go swimming.  When we picked them up once the week was over, the excitement had really just increased.  They wanted to sing us the songs they learned, tell us about about the friends they had made and the adventures they had had.  But most amazing of all, many of these kids had developed a relationship with Christ and they couldn’t help but spill over with the way it had changed them.  Truly, for those children who had so little and had been disappointed so many times in their short lives, it was an experience of a lifetime.

 This summer, thanks to scholarships from several camps and generous donations from Gresham Ford and the Gresham Rotary Club, we have the opportunity to send even more kids to camp.  We are even able to send some of the children who were living here last summer.  Many of those families now have apartments and jobs, but still cannot afford the extra expense of camp.  One 10-year-old boy has already started marking down the days on his calendar to when he can return to Eagle Fern.  His excitement is wonderfully contagious and strangely familiar.  We can’t wait to see this same excitement on the faces of the kids currently living in our shelter.  We have truly been blessed by the opportunity to send these kids to summer camp, an experience that they surely won’t forget. 

Blessings,
Heather Wiese

Volunteer Manager

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Easter was upon us last weekend, coming seemingly out of nowhere…earlier in the year than usual. Its message of redemption and resurrection was a welcome interruption. In pondering its significance, I was struck by how deeply these rhythms of birth, death and rebirth play out in the experience of life.

These last few weeks, it seems rebirth has been happening all around us. I’ve noticed once barren trees sprouting life, grass is starting to grow, and daffodils are exploding out of the ground in every yard. Even the sun is re-emerging after months of wet Oregon grayness, announcing the coming of spring longer and longer each passing day.

Here at the shelter, our families have seen their own rebirth, finding jobs and housing and preparing to move on…all within a two week period, eerily in rhythm with the changing season. For them, having walked in the darkness of despair and hopelessness for months, this new season is a rebirth…from homeless to home, from despair to hopefulness, from lost to found.

Death, through barren winter, through despair and loss, through the Cross of Christ, is not the end of the story. The first rays of spring sun shine through the clouds, on an empty tomb, on landscapes and lives awakening to new hope: the warmth of life resurrected and renewed. This is grace.

Sam

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I love my job. Today I had the honor of sitting and praying with a former resident of My Father’s House who has been experiencing real renewal and healing in his life. It’s been years since he was in shelter, but he’s still very much a part of our lives here…a part of our family. There have been many struggles and tender moments over the years. He’s come so far, and we’ve been blessed to be a part of his story of redemption.

This is what sets My Father’s House apart. We meet the immediate needs of our residents, we motivate and hold them accountable, and we teach them life skills: parenting, budgeting, communication, and much, much more. But, most importantly, we share the experience of life with them. We work tirelessly to build healthy, deep relationships with every family who stays with us. And in this context of true community, grace is free to enter the story of each individual who passes through here.

I’m absolutely convinced that real change: the kind of change every person who comes to stay here needs, the kind of change I’ve needed, inevitably takes place through relationships…in community. It can be difficult to face those things in life that cause us shame or despair. Facing our weaknesses and struggles, and sharing them with others takes great courage and faith. Yet, this is what happens here, time and time again. And what a gift to be a part of it!

It’s not just me, either. There are countless others involved in changing lives through My Father’s House. From office help to mentoring, from modest monthly pledges to earth-shaking financial gifts, from the giving of food or clothing to faithful prayers offered in churches and living rooms across the city and state. Every beautiful thing that happens in the life of a family here is a shared joy.

I love watching it happen, day in and day out, in the lives of the moms, dads and children who live here. And through it all, I’ve been changed as well. The stories of these families have entered my story, their journeys have become a part of my journey…and I will never be the same. So, to you the reader: consider how your life might impact the life of another… how your journey may be enriched through touching the life of someone in need. For each of us has something to give, and in giving ourselves away, we have very much to gain.

Peace be with you,

Sam Pierce

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We are so thankful for how far My Father’s House has progressed since opening our doors just seven years ago. It hardly feels like it has been that long, but since opening we have helped 170 families. 2008 seemed like an eternity away, and now here it is. This year will certainly be a mile-stone year for us. In April we plan on moving into our new home. Even though we have been working towards opening a new facility to shelter thirty families, it’s a little scary too. Imagine doubling your household expenses in the next year. What would you do differently? How would you plan on meeting such a huge need? Of course, if it were our personal lives, we would be devastated at such a huge financial obligation. We would be looking for a second or third job. And yet, that is what many homeless families have staring them in the face. No job, and even if they were able to land a job in the next month, they could not earn enough money to dig themselves out of a hole before they lost everything. When a family finds a job, it usually doesn’t quite meet their needs. They have to continually choose, electricity or water? Heat or rent? Some may have to choose between their utilities or food this month?

Helping families transform their lives is what My Father’s House is all about, giving families the opportunity to become successful. Zig Ziggler puts it this way, “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is in the doing, not the getting-in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard-reaching for the highest that is in us-becoming all that we can be.” Helping someone ‘be all they can be’ is one of the greatest rewards you can experience. Recently we received an email from a single father, Galen who left our shelter in September. He writes, “The streets hold no hope for the homeless and when you’re down and out the thought of a normal life, really doesn’t exist. With just a prayer and our loving friends at My Father’s House, Sadie and I have found new hope and trust in God. I want to thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts for being so kind and for giving us this gift.”

The challenge of success for My Father’s House, in doing the best we can with what we have, lies in 2008. Increasing from helping five families at a time to thirty will stretch and grow our entire organization. Our goal hasn’t changed, just expanded. Thankfully, our facility will be paid in full when we move in. No mortgage for us! But operating a huge 27,000 square foot building will still increase our expenses. From the very beginning, our financial goal was to have 10,000 people giving just $10 per month. But we are not quite there yet. We can’t house, teach, support, encourage and love on people without being able to pay the electric bill, gas bill, water, garbage and…well, you get the picture. We need you to partner with us in helping families transform their lives. So, if you’re wondering just how you can support My Father’s House, may I suggest helping one family at a time, by making a commitment this year of $25.00 a month. You will be glad that you have helped make a difference in transforming a family’s life forever!  Visit our website for more information!

Cathe

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Please check back here periodically for updates, building progress, stories about our families and shelter life…

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