The Van Challenge

Well, it has been a few weeks since our van went up in smoke. We are thankful for John who has made his van available for us on Mondays for the food bank, and will continue to do so, as long as he can. We have had several people offer us free vehicles, however they are either to small or way to huge. We do thank these people for their generosity and desire to help.

We have at present raised about $1700 in pledges toward the van. We are hoping to raise $10,000, in order to buy something fairly new and be able to put it on the road. If you can help in any way, please do, it is very much appreciated and needed.

Peace,

K

WOW!

So, here is the final result. What used to be a great vehicle is reduced to scrap metal. The smell gets on you. After checking out the truck yesterday, I could not get rid of the smell in my nostrils. It was a little eerie.
We have $1000 pledged so far for another truck. We are hoping to raise $10,000. In the mean time, a friend has offered us the use of his van on Mondays for food pick-up and delivery.

Peace,

K

WE NEED A VAN!

On Saturday morning, I lent my van to a local church youth group. At 8:30 am I was woken up by a phone call, telling me my van was on fire on the side of highway 40. Nobody was hurt, but as you can see from the picture, it is finished.

On Rock has been using my van for our community assistance programs. This was our vehicle for delivering food to 80+ families every week and picking up food and equipment from suppliers. As you can imagine we desperately need another van.

We are setting a goal to raise $10,000 to purchase a van for the ministry. Please consider what you can do in helping us reach this goal. The van is not a "wishlist" item, we really need to have one in order to continue effectively feeding our clientele.

Donations can be made to On Rock Ministries. Please write "Van Challenge" on your correspondence.

Together, we can make a difference.

K

Christmas

Like it or not Christmas is on the horizon. Our thoughts turn to our Christmas baskets for our 80 families. We are asking people to adopt one of our families for Christmas. This involves buying Christmas presents for the kids in the family. We have families with one to 9 kids. This ensures that the kids get something for Christmas this year.

If you would like to adopt a family just send me an email at kim@onrock.org and we will give you details as to age and gender of the kids. This is a great way to celebrate Christmas.

In the food department, we are planning on providing each family with a full Christmas dinner. Turkey, potatoes, vegetables and all the fixins'. We are in the process of collecting turkeys and chickens. If you would like to help, we would greatly appreciate it.

There it is. Two ways that you can help us serve our friends that are in need.

We Need to Move

I am increasingly feeling the need to move. To move into the neighborhood where many of our clientele come from. We need to be "in" the community in a more present way. Where there is a need for food, there are many other needs that can only be met by "presence". For example, companionship. People to talk to. A place to go and not be stuck in your own spiraling world.

If we are to love the poor, we need to spend more time with them. They need to become an integral part of "us".

We need a building in Amabay. We need about $1,000,000. The investment, although huge, would be overshadowed by the difference we could make. I believe that with all that I am. The question is, are we up to the sacrifice?

Peace,

K

Principal feedback

Yesterday as Don was doing the lunch deliveries to the various schools, he ran into one of the principals. The principal shared with Don how much the lunch program was appreciated. He explained that the behavior and attitude of the kids who were receiving lunches had changed significantly with a full stomach. The kids are more attentive and have a better attitude toward school and those around them.

We are thrilled to hear these stories and want to pass them on, so that we can be encouraged by the evidence that we are making a difference in our community.

On another note, I just spoke with Marcy from Christian Week publication and they are doing a story on our work in the community. It should be out in the next few weeks.

Peace,

K

We did it!

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. Ours was busy, but fun. Last week I put out the meat slicer challenge. When Syl suggested this I thought it was a good idea, but, I wasn't sure how well it would go. To my pleasant surprise, we had the money raised by supper the same night. I found a 2nd hand slicer in a little hole in the wall restaurant equipment store on Notre Dame east. We picked it up for $400. The owner dropped the price when I told him what we were doing with it. We used it for the first time this week and it was awesome. He also fixed our coffee maker, which is a very important part of our ministry.

Thank you to those who contributed to this challenge. You have made a difference.