Saturday, October 31, 2020

THANKFUL!

As we enter the month of November, a month more focused on thankfulness, we want to share some of our blessings and of our ministries. We are learning more about what it means to have / take a sabbath - to rest and intentionally focus the day on the Lord.                                            
Turn off, unplug & focus on Him! Thankful! 

“No matter what our circumstances, we can find a reason to be thankful.” -Dr. David Jeremiah.

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that, I still possess.” - Corrie ten Boom

Our hearts are filled up with such thankfulness for where God has us. Is everyday easy? NO. Is every situation perfect? That’s a BIG NO! Where we are in our journey with God, our ministry work, our marriage—we just can’t put into words. We are humbled by your generous gifts to our ministries, your generous financial support, your love, friendship and prayers.

Blessings definition - God’s favor and protection

A blessing is a Redeemed resident graduating our program, getting a new job, given a car, furniture and so much more. The biggest blessing for me (Karen) in this is seeing her love God and give Him ALL the credit. She is grateful.

A blessing is being part of a team of women who daily give of their time, resources and heart to pour into the lives of the women we serve.

 A blessing is watching a new resident start to trust.

 A blessing is having donations from Bible study books, toilet paper, MP3 players, meals, clothes given to our ministry.

 A blessing is celebrating 37 years of marriage.

 A blessing is watching the men who come out of jail and get jobs and thrive.

 A blessing is, although a struggle, knowing my parents are protected from the world and its chaos during this time.

 A blessing is having a resident hug you and tell you she loves you.

 A blessing is having a team of supporters around us making sure our needs are met.

 A blessing is a national prison ministry event and 11 people made a commitment to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and 5 re-committed their lives.

 A blessing is having laser surgery and feeling no pain or have any restrictions right after.

 A blessing is being able to give 6 more guys a place to live while starting their new journey in recovery.

 A blessing is God’s continued provision for us & you!

 A blessing is our health, ourselves, kids and grandkids.

NAME SOME OF YOUR BLESSINGS!  WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Leave us a comment below and subscribe to this blog!

 

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Redeemed Home update from Karen...

On November 3, we are welcoming a new resident. Her name is Tiffany. When Redeemed program gets a new resident, several things happen.  The current residents are very welcoming, but it breaks up the normal flow of what they are used to. There is now a new person to learn to trust, open hearts to, learn to live with. This will make the house having    residents. Transitions are not always easy, yet we welcome them.  Pray for Tiffany as she joins the home, for her to let go of her past hurts and actions and be still so that God can begin His work in her. We are excited! A ‘sisterhood’ is build with the women.

November will bring Katie Riley moving out into her first ever apartment. Date TBD on the completion of the renovation of the apartment.  It is a BLOC owned apartment, where Katie will have reduced rent, continued accountability which includes random drug testing. Graduates are always welcome to join us for our weekly dinner and Bible study as well as a class we offer called After Care. After Care is a continued class on things like mindfulness, conflict resolution etc. That continues for our ladies in phase 2, 3 and graduates, our effort to keep them present in their recovery.  Katie graduated on 10/23. She was offered a job with Aruna—which is a ministry that employs women in India coming out of sex-trafficking.  Katie is their first US employee that has been rescued. SO COOL!  If you didn’t read my facebook post from Aruna about her, let me know, I’d love to share it with you. BLOC loves partnering with other ministries that will help our women thrive. Katie’s dream is simple. She wants to share her story and travel. With Aruna—both of those will likely happen. She will also be part of any shows they have a booth at to sell the items these ladies in India make. Want to know more or shop visit arunaproject.com

Continued needs for Redeemed: Volunteers! Weekend volunteers are needed. Usually 4 hour shifts. If you would be interested in spending time with our ladies, just reach out to me! Want a tour? Let us know!

Physical ongoing needs are toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products,  personal hygiene product (tampons), ladies underwear, gloves and scarves for winter. As new ladies come, and if they need anything specific, I’ll update on facebook on the Redeemed page. Follow us to stay updated!

https://www.facebook.com/redeemedhomebloc

Some bigger wants/needs: outdoor chairs, plastic bins with lids for storage.

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Men’s & Jail Ministry with Jim...

People prayed to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior!
People prayed to receive Christ!

On October 31, I was honored to help organize and facilitate an awesome event hosted by Bill Glass Prison Ministries, Behind the Walls,  and Ride 4 Life.  They gave us a show of motorcycle stunts and presented the gospel.     It was a beautiful day in Price Hill. 11 people made a decision to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior and 5  re-committed their lives. They offered free food and posters signed by the stunt men. It was a great day!

Our 2 men’s houses are FULL!  The Hamilton house location is due to open in the next 30 days.  As bad as addictions are, we could easily fill 4-5 houses within a week or two. The need is so huge!  Men are seeking a new life and a chance at their recovery. Our program isn’t easy, there are rules they have to follow, but most are willing. 

Visiting the Justice Center has been such a blessing being able to visit men.  I feel like I give them hope. It’s so hard since clergy are the only ones allowed in—no family at all. One after another I’m asked to visit with someone’s cell mate or friend. I am humbled by this experience.

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We are so thankful for each and every one of you who are praying for us, for our ministries, for the men and women in our programs. We would love to give you a tour of BLOC - just reach out and let's make plans! Jim will buy you a coffee! 👨

Have a very blessed Thanksgiving!  

Jim & Karen


 

 

Thursday, October 8, 2020

GOD MAKES A WAY.

OCTOBER UPDATE FROM JIM & KAREN...

We are rested and home to continue God's work. We feel extremely blessed to have had that week away to just simply be. To rest in His Creation of the ocean, the beaches, the coves, the sand. Creation is simply magnificent and gives us just peace being able to rest in it, physically. 

Many of you read on Facebook the details of our trip to California, but for those who didn't, here's a brief overview.  Our main reason we chose California for our trip was to visit Homeboys Industries. We received an email on Friday, the day before we left stating no visitors or tours allowed. Although disappointed, when we reached out to explain why we were coming, the answer was still no, sorry. 

We flew into Los Angeles on Saturday, spent an awesome day on Sunday with great friends, Gene and Carol Wood. 30 years ago, Gene was our pastor here in Cincinnati and was influential in bringing Jim to know Jesus. Thru many racquetball dates and conversations, lives were changed. Carol was our church's MOPS leader (Mother's of Preschoolers), which I (Karen) attended.  Thru her leadership, I began to reconnect with God and made life-long friends. We went to their son Tony's church, where he know Pastors, toured around Orange County, CA, and had a fabulous lunch. It was SO good to see them after 30+ years. They were influential in literally saving our marriage. GO GOD! 

Monday - our day to tour Homeboys. We decided to just take a drive in LA and just see the building, take pictures to be able to say "we were here". God had other plans. The Homegirl café window was open (not the inside), so we stopped for coffee and tea and a pastry. Homegirl Café is: "At the heart of Homegirl Café is the goal to a safe space for our clients, particularly females, many of whom have experienced domestic violence and the challenges of single parenthood, in addition to the usual obstacles created by gang involvement and incarceration. Homegirl Café provides a supportive environment for clients to receive on-the-job training in conjunction with Homeboy Industries. Empowering individuals to undertake what is often their first 'real job'. This successful program has developed into a pipeline, creating strong female leaders who in turn, mentor others and can confidently proclaim, "I've been where you are, and I know you can do it." 

We had a great conversation with the staff there who explained about their shut-down to visitors.  Still disappointed, but grateful to have that conversation, he told us to go around the corner where the main entrance was, maybe we could talk to someone there.  Homeboys was open for gang members and staff coming for their Monday morning start for the week.  We chatted with a security staff who listened and told us to wait here. He returned with news that YES, we'll give you a tour AND founder Father Greg Boyle was here and asked us, "would you like to see him?" WOW! We were humbled and honored and overwhelmed by God's goodness and provision. So in we go, told we are the first tour in 6 months! 

We met Enrique, our tour guide. He served 22 yrs of a possible life sentence, released after petitioning the parole board. He went to Homeboys for help in starting a new life and is now, 2 years later, on staff. He shared with us his life verse. Romans 12:1-2."Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

At this point, 2 days in, our trip had met more of our dreams than every expected. We asked ourselves, why do we doubt God? Why do we E V E R doubt! He always gives us our hearts desires in HIS timing. His timing for us was to be where we were.

We were taken out back to where Father Greg was sitting under a protected tent. Not only because of COVID, but because he has leukemia. He continues to work through that and hasn't and won't quit, he said. He was a delight and we chatted about his visit to Cincinnati.  He spoke a couple of times at Xavier University and remembers Skyline...of course! We prayed with him and of course got a pic!  

Learn more about Homeboys at their website here: https://homeboyindustries.org/

We were truly blessed to be there. There are so many similarities of the work we / BLOC do here in Cincinnati. Thank you for praying for our trip. 

The next leg of our journey was to visit my mom's sister and family. It had been a very long time since I saw my cousins. It was a really nice visit. 

The rest of our trip was rest and relaxation on the beaches and coves and bike trails of Huntington, Seal, Laguna and Sunset beaches along the Pacific coast of CA. Lots of sunshine, perfect weather and time spent together. 

Update on Redeemed Home with Karen

Redeemed Home is flourishing with 3 phase-1, 1 phase-2 and 3 phase-3 residents, who are all doing very well. We welcomed Christine into the fold and she is well on her way to having a great start to a changed life.  We will be having a graduation on October 23rd for Katie. Also joining in the celebration, we will honor Tonya, who graduated in early summer, but because of COVID, we haven't had the opportunity to celebrate with her. So they want to share this day together. We will begin with dinner. We will provide the main dish and drinks and guests are asked to bring a side-dish or a dessert to share. Then we will move to the sanctuary for a time of worship, which both ladies have requested. These two ladies love the Lord so much and have such inspiring stories. If you'd like to join us, just let me know. 
           
Friday, October 23rd - 6 pm @ McPherson Church. 931 McPherson Ave, Cincinnati, OH  45205. 

If you're on Facebook make sure you 'like' https://www.facebook.com/redeemedhomebloc to follow Redeemed Home and sign-up for this celebration. 

Continued needs for Redeemed: Volunteers! Weekend volunteers are needed. Usually 4 hour shifts. If you would be interested in spending time with our ladies, just reach out to me! 

Physical ongoing needs are toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, personal hygiene products. 

Some bigger wants/needs: outdoor chairs, funds to get screens made for the windows, two ring doorbells (one for each house), plastic bins for storage, MP3 players, need 6 - music is healing and in phase 1 the ladies don't have access to their phones. They continually ask for a way to listen to music privately. 

Ladder of Hope / LIT House / Jail Ministry with Jim

The partnership with the LIT Movement has been nothing short of an amazing blessing for me. They already had the programming and the personnel and all the connections I would need to reach out to men in need and if they would be a good fit or not for them and the houses. It is quite an extensive orientation to make sure the potential resident understands all the rules and expectations of a Christ centered recovery program.  The accountability is quite impressive and I love being a small part of it  all.  Since the partnership, it takes the pressure off of me to run or oversee the operations of the houses.  This way I can just focus on the outreach into the Justice Center and prisons when they reopen.  
One of the guys (Toreono) that we've been praying for, entered the LIT House on Monday and he has been hitting the ground running and hitting all the meetings he can.  It's been such a joy to watch him grow! I continue to meet new guys every time I visit the jail, it amazes me how open they are. They are not seeing anyone from their families, only clergy is allowed in, and only through the window.  I will have the privilege to go to court with a new guy next week that I just met this week. Just show up! 

God continues to lead us, protect us, guide us and provide for us. We couldn't do this without the prayers and financial support we receive. We are humbled and thankful.  If you want to hear more, we would love to chat. Contact info in the right column! 

We would love to hear feedback! 

Happy Fall Y'all! 
Jim & Karen


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