Holiday 2023
Thanks to you…
JOHN has HOPE this
Christmas!
DON’T MISS...
the 2 Celebrating HOPE of Christmas
alive is 3 “Being a blessing...”
Hearts Day 4 Giving is coming up!
1902 3RD AVE N, FARGO, ND 58102 | (701) 235-4453 | FARGONLC.ORG
A Message from ROB SWIERS
Celebrating the HOPE of Christmas
How comforting it is to know that our Lord, Jesus Christ, has shared in our humanity. He knows our struggles and the struggles of our neighbors who are homeless too! On the eve of his birth, Jesus and his earthly parents Joseph and Mary experienced being turned away and told there was “no room at the inn.” It reminds me that Christ understands the pain and fear of our guests who also have nowhere else to turn. Here at New Life Center, we will always do everything in our ability to welcome and support a neighbor who is hurting. Even so, many of our guests have faced years of homelessness… poverty…and other challenges that have left them feeling unloved and unwelcome. During the holidays, caring friends like you help remind them they are not forgotten. Your gifts to provide hot meals, safe shelter and recovery are meaningful expressions to them of the Lord’s kindness and care in their life. This Christmas, I invite you to extend Christ’s love and grace to our neighbors – like John (whose story is on the next page). Your generosity will surround them with hope this holiday season! Thank you, and may God bless you now and into the New Year.
Rob Swiers Executive Director
2
Share Hope AND A Christmas Meal... It’s hard to have hope when you’re struggling with hunger or homelessness. YOU can make this Christmas a time of celebration for our neighbors in need with your gift to help them today!
CAN GIVE SOMEONE
$2.97
for 1 hot meal
$50.00
for 1 night of safe shelter
Hope for a New Life!
Please Send Your Christmas Gift Today!
Give Before the Year Ends! $50,000 GOAL This holiday season, weary neighbors are desperate for a helping hand before they lose hope completely. Your year-end gift gives them a chance to transform their lives. Your tax-deductible donation before December 31 will help meet our $50,000 goal, offering even more people help now…and hope for the new year! Add your special year-end gift to the reply card and send it today.
Give online at fargonlc.org.
“Being alive is a
blessing to be shared!”
A
s the oldest of four children, while growing up without a father, John felt the need to be strong and self-reliant from a very young age. “It was hard sometimes, focusing on my own needs and also helping my brothers and sister.” He married young, and shortly after high school, joined the military. That drive toward self-reliance turned toxic, though. “I struggled internally, there were things I couldn’t share with my wife or family…I picked up drinking to drown things out that I couldn’t express to anyone else.” Isolation became his defense mechanism. He finished his time in the military, but his marriage was strained, and his wife had developed an addiction of her own. “My marriage was in trouble. I spent a lot of time alone, hiding away from people and running from God.” When his wife’s addiction cost her her life, John’s world fell apart. “I turned to alcohol and other things, trying to cope.” That was when a friend of his invited him to come to New Life Center. The hardest part for John was overcoming his urge to stay isolated. “I was expecting not to be welcomed, but as soon as I got here, I was
greeted with a hug and open doors.” He found that admitting he was hurting didn’t drive others away, it drew them closer to help him.
“I wasn’t where I wanted to be… I was struggling and broken.” In the Genesis Recovery Program, John began to heal. “The classes gave me practical skills for not just dealing with struggles on my own.” In community, he worked to overcome addiction, learned healthier ways to face challenges, and he’s begun planning his future. “I’m learning life and job skills…next is just working on a resume and finding a job.” John has hope this Christmas – and he wants to thank YOU for supporting his journey toward a new life. “I’m healing and I have a testimony to share now. I want to encourage other people who are struggling, to let them know they don’t have to face it alone.” 3
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
2024 Support New Life Center on Giving Hearts Day! Join us on February 8, 2024, for an incredible 24-hour day of generosity for nonprofits across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.
As one of longest running, most successful giving days in the country, Giving Hearts Day invites donors to show a lot of love to the charities they believe in and experience the joy of giving together! For more information visit: GivingHeartsDay.org and search “New Life Center.”
You make Christmas at the Mission special! Christmas Morning: Thanks to local donation drives and the generosity of people like you, our Mission guests experience the joy of waking up to Christmas gifts.
Holiday Feast: Your gifts help provide a delicious Christmas meal for our residents – for many, the first holiday feast they’ve enjoyed in years. The Miracle of Jesus: Worship, prayer, fellowship and a message of God’s love – our guests gather in the chapel to celebrate the hope of Christmas together.
Thanks to you, our neighbors don’t have to spend this Christmas on the streets. Your support provides gifts, hot meals and a reminder of the true reason for the season!