Holiday 2024

Holiday 2024

THANK YOU FOR GIVING MICHAEL

a life-changing GIFT THIS

Christmas!

DON’T MISS...

make Christmas 2 You at the Mission special!

a lot 3 “I’m happier.”

a meal.

4 Give Spark a miracle!

1902 3RD AVE N, FARGO, ND 58102 | (701) 235-4453 | FARGONLC.ORG

A Message from ROB SWIERS

You help make

Christmas

miracles possible

Get ready…the busiest time of the year is upon us! I imagine your calendar is filling up quickly. But before the year ends, please save a few moments for our neighbors who are homeless.

I know you agree no one should live in a car…in a tent…or outside in the cold. Certainly not a child. Being homeless means living with constant fear and uncertainty. It’s a terrible way to spend any day…much less Christmas Day. If there’s anyone in need of a miracle, it’s them.

You can make a Christmas miracle possible for a neighbor who is homeless by giving $2.97 to provide a hot meal at New Life Center. It may not seem like much – but each meal you provide can be someone’s first step toward recovery and a new life. Where you see a meal, a hurting neighbor sees a miracle.

With your support, no one in Fargo-Moorhead has to be hungry or homeless this Christmas. People like Michael (whose story is on page 3) can find the miracle of hot meals, safe shelter and Christ-centered care at the Mission this holiday season…and all year round…thanks to you!

Rob Swiers Executive Director

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!

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.

2

“I’m a lot happier.”

M

ichael had a troubled childhood – one filled with loneliness and sadness. He grew up with his parents and half-siblings who were much older than him. “Nobody paid attention to me, and I would sit and play with my cars by myself all the time,” Michael recalls.

At 5 years old, he was already being left alone at home. That sense of isolation still affects him today.

“It takes me a long time to get used to people. I became used to isolation,” he shares.

Michael was only 11 years old when he started using substances. “I knew I’d feel better. That’s when I started self-medicating,” he says. “I used substances to change a lot of the bad feelings I had.”

This dependency affected his turbulent, 12-year relationship with the mother of his son. After it ended, Michael experienced homelessness for the first time.

He started sleeping in an open garage and when police came to remove him, they told him about New Life Center.

“My biggest challenge before coming to the Mission was my rage,” he admits. He struggled to deal with the anger he felt toward people who had hurt him in the past.

Since joining our Genesis Recovery Program, Michael says he is a lot happier. “My mood is a lot better after getting to know people here.” By having a positive environment, Michael is learning how to cope with his emotions in healthy ways.

“Being at the Mission is a good way to meet a lot of positive people and do better.”

“I’m thankful to the Mission because it’s the closest thing I have to family,” Michael says. God and family are important to him, which is why his goal is to find housing so that he can be with his son again.

He says the Mission is helping him achieve that.

This Christmas, Michael is experiencing all the joy this season has to offer – because YOU believed in the power of a fresh start and the promise of God’s unending love. “The Mission is helping me learn and grow mentally stronger because I am around positive, devout people.”

3

Give Relief From Colder Days Falling temperatures will put lives at risk this holiday season.

With average lows of 6º in Fargo-Moorhead – and added factors like snow and wind – our neighbors are at risk of hypothermia and other health challenges this winter.

You can give them relief from the cold at New Life Center: • • •

Safe shelter includes a warm bed and a roof over their heads Hot food offers comfort and nourishment to cold, weary neighbors Winter clothes like coats, warm clothing and shoes are in high demand To see our most urgently needed items, visit fargonlc.org/ currentneeds

Give a meal. Spark a miracle!

It’s hard to find a reason to celebrate Christmas when you’re homeless or hungry. YOU can give JOY and spark a miracle with a gift to lead someone to join our long-term recovery program and experience a new life! It all starts by providing a meal for $2.97…because where you see a meal, they see a miracle.

$2.97

for 1 hot meal

CAN SPARK A MIRACLE

Leads to new life!

Please Send Your Christmas Gift Today!

Save the Date... is on February 13, 2025!

Want a fun way to help neighbors who are experiencing homelessness? Plan to participate in Giving Hearts Day! There are 3 ways to get involved:

Give a Gift

Volunteer

Donate Goods

Save the date for Giving Hearts Day – February 13, 2025 – and watch for our special Giving Hearts Day newsletter in the new year!