Thought for the Day

May the light of His love shine into all areas of your life and may His glory give you the hope that lasts forever.

Gene Christian, Industry Coordinator

Have a blessed Easter

I hope Sunday will be a special Easter for you.  May it be a day of reflection on the price that it cost our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  My prayer is that you have truly experienced Christ’s love and forgiveness.  In Christ we are forgiven and set free from the terrible clutches that sin’s talons had in us.

If you, a friend, or a loved one needs help with addictions, homelessness, or spiritual struggles, please call us or come by and talk to one of our staff at the Mission.  We want to help you.

Have a blessed Easter.

Curtis Pless, Mission Director

Comfort

I enjoy reading the devotions by David Jeremiah and I wanted to share this one with you.  Our experiences in life give us the opportunity to help others.

Turning Point with David Jeremiah

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15

When Mitch Albom heard that his favorite college professor was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease, he visited him for the first time in  over 20 years. He asked Morrie, the professor, why he bothered to follow the news each day since he was not going to be around to see how things turn out: "It's hard to explain, Mitch," Morrie said. "Now that I'm suffering, I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before.... I feel their anguish as if it were my own."*

One of the reasons God lets us suffer in life is so we can understand the suffering of others and be able to comfort them--to do unto them what we would want others to do unto us. Paul lays out the progression of comfort in suffering by saying that God comforts us when we are hurting so we can comfort others with the same comfort by which we were comforted (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). When we suffer, we should receive the comfort of God and remember it so we can replicate that comfort for another.

We don't have to pray for suffering--it will find us easily enough. But we should pray for a spiritually-empathetic heart to feel the anguish of others and be prepared to comfort them as we ourselves would want to be comforted.

*Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lessons (Broadway, 2002), p. 50.

Sandra Vickery

Administrative Assistant

Who we are & what we do

I cannot put into words how very grateful we are for the ongoing support and friendship that we are blessed with!  Daily we have the opportunity to see God’s miracles and His unfailing love.  Many people in our community and surrounding areas do not have a full understanding of what the Haven of Rest includes. 

Some would say that we feed the homeless and provide shelter.  Others would mention that we have a women’s home and a farm of some sorts for men in a recovery program.  Several people know that they can shop at one of our Thrift stores to find a bargain, while others know whom to call when they have things they no longer need. 

The Haven of Rest Ministries is more than what lies on the surface.  Our goal is to see people who are suffering from life-dominating problems come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and in doing so turn everything over to Him.  Our Rescue Mission, Men’s Training Center, and Women’s Ministry are established in order to help change the lives of men and women who enter through our doors.  The Thrift stores we operate exist to help fund the programs provided. 

So many people are in desperate need of help and they come to our Haven for freedom in Christ.  I would like to challenge you to come visit us and see firsthand who we are and what we do!  To schedule a tour or just to ask questions, please contact me at 864-226-6193 ext. 102 or e-mail me at heather.mabe@havenofrest.cc.  Thank you for your willingness to help others.

In Christ,

Heather J. Mabe

Development Coordinator

Caring people enable us to reach people for Christ and meet physical needs.

What an opportunity we have set before us to reach people for Christ and meet physical needs.  Caring people in our community enables us to do this.

It costs an average of $25 a day for us to house and feed one client.  That is pretty cheap when you consider the cost in a motel, or what it costs the taxpayers for someone to be incarcerated (about $77 a night).

One month’s stay at the Haven costs about $750.  Would you consider making a donation, if you are not already doing so, to make it possible for us to be here tomorrow, next month, next year in order that others may receive the help they need.

Sid Stewart, Executive Director