Getting Involved
ONCE UPON A TIME...there was a family that loved each other, although, like all families, there were occasional fights and disagreements. They all had incredible gifts. Dad was an amazing chef. He could’ve probably gotten a job at the fanciest restaurant in town if he wanted. His shrimp and chicken was to die for. He wasn’t that great at cleaning and organizing, though. But that’s where Mom came in. She was amazing at that- and loved it, too. So she would organize all Dad’s ingredients and dishes. Brother Jake was one of the best guitar players ever. He could make some of the best runs ever heard; quick mind and fingers. Sister wasn’t quite as talented with the guitar, but she sure was good on that piano. And boy, could she sing. When she closed her eyes and sang, it seemed like everything stopped and just listened. You know, Brother Jake tried cooking once. He thought, ‘Well, Dad’s a cook, and I’m his son. Maybe he could teach me and his skills will pass on to me.’ It was disastrous though. He ruined two of Dad’s best pots, and also brought the fire truck speeding up. The neighbours thought the house was on fire when they saw smoke pouring out the kitchen window. They laughed about it for a long time afterwards. Brother stayed out of the kitchen after that! Mother loved music- she loved listening to it and also singing sometimes. The problem was, Mom was also a little tone deaf, so when she sang...well, not everyone stopped to listen. Some people- the rude ones- even cringed sometimes. Mom knew she wasn’t the best, but she still sang joyfully. She loved and appreciated sister’s gift and made her sing often. This family loved each other, and through recognizing each others’ gifts, became one of the strongest families ever. They realized and accepted that each person had different talents, and lived their lives helping each other do the most they could with their gift- using it to its fullest. Because of that they lived an amazing life of love, joy and fulfillment. This is the story that I picture when I read the story written by Paul in First Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Paul talks about us as Christians and our different gifts. How we must work together and help each other make the most of our gifts and callings. I need your help. I can’t keep living my gift and calling anymore without your help. Would you please help me? I’ve told you about our move to Blackfalds and how our base and life is changing. We won’t be together as a ‘base’ anymore- where all we do and where we live stems out of one place. Instead we’ll be a little more separated, though still together as a community as much as possible. All our staff couples are purchasing houses here, and all the single staff will be moving in with them. That way, we hope to still be connected at some level out of scheduled school times. Because of these big changes our cost of living is changing dramatically as well. Houses are incredibly expensive here, and all the single staff will be responsible for their part as well. We’re not all living and eating out of the same place anymore, so each of us is responsible to pay for all our food costs. Whereas before, we paid $100 per months to cover food, room, utilities, we now need to raise up to $1000 per month to cover all our expenses. So I need to raise $900 more per month. We don’t have all the details worked out yet, but for us single staff, our expenses will look similar to this:
I appreciate any gift you send me, but I would like to ask you to consider sending monthly gifts. It’s so much easier to plan and budget when I know what to expect each month and when I have income each month. I’ve included a form for automatic withdrawals from the Project Funding Office in Vancouver. They can automatically withdraw funds from your account to mine every month. You can also send post-dated cheques to them and they will cash them each month, or you can personally send them, too. At the end of the year or month- as you wish- they will send you a tax receipt. Please send all your donations to them if you wish to receive a tax receipt. Their address is: If you have any questions, thoughts or anything, please feel free to call or email. My phone number is (403) 885-4191. My email address is: jlhofer@gmail.com. If you want to mail something directly to me, my address is: Youth With A Mission Thank-you so much for what you’ve given me already- and still continue to give. I wouldn’t be where I am now without you, and I couldn’t imagine that. You’ve helped me live my dream- God’s dream for me. |