(I was recently encouraged by a friend to share the following letter I wrote in March thanking our donors for their support; they thought that it captured well the joyful reality of the stories of men like Vince, Robert and George.)

Dear Friend of the Mission,

I remember as a boy my father taking me to Pennypack Park in Northeast Philadelphia. One of the things I enjoyed doing was throwing and skipping stones in the creek. When the stone would hit the water, it would always create a ripple effect. The ripple would always be far greater than the size of the stone.

That is a good way to describe the effect of your gift upon the lives and families of our men. When you send a gift to the Mission, your gift will certainly benefit and bless the homeless men living at the Mission. But your gift will also ripple out and benefit and bless many others. For example, one of our graduates, Ed, who used to be a drug addict, is now living a good and godly life as a loving father and husband. His beautiful little girl Eden is being raised in a loving and caring home with a good mom and a good dad. Your support has touched not just Ed’s life, but it is also touching the lives of his wife and his precious daughter. And as a family, their lives are touching the lives of others in their immediate families, in their church and in society at large.

Several of our current residents who have struggled with drug addiction and who used to steal to support their addiction are now working full-time. No longer are they a liability to society, stealing from others, but they are now working at good jobs, paying taxes, and being a productive part of society. Many of them are also actively involved in a church serving the Lord and giving powerful testimony to the Lord’s redeeming and transforming grace. Your investment in their lives through your gifts is rippling out and touching the lives of hundreds and even thousands of people. Your kind and generous support is making a big splash!

As we move into the spring and summer months, we are running a bit behind financially. We have even delayed hiring a new part-time teacher in part because of our financial challenges. This is not a new staff position, but rather it is a much needed replacement for one of our teachers who left. Please keep us in prayer, and please consider how you might help our income catch up to our bills. Thanks so much for your prayers and help!

Working together with you,

Robert A. Emberger, D.Min.
Executive Director