Happy Easter

We have been "on tour" with two Kenyan Team members at Made in the Streets. We have taken a break for Easter weekend. We had our "family Christian seder" Thursday evening with 28 people over! On Easter morning we were singing in church, and our grandchildren were singing the hymns -- lovely sounds to a grandfather. Then came time for the offering. One grandchild had a 2-dollar bill in hand, and it was not one handed over by the Mom. Then a small hand reached into the child's own wallet and pulled out another 2-dollar bill and put both in the plate as it came by. Then a smile for the Grandad.

I love everything in my life. I love seeing children do good things out of the heart. I love helping street kids get off the streets and into our family. I love being married. I love all the advances of modern technology and knowledge of the world. I love the ever-present Spirit.

Planning the Future for Street Ministry

I may have mentioned before that I am on Medicare and Social Security now!  A real transition point in life, and I get 10% off at buffets and would get in cheaper at movies if I went.  So we are now in the process of setting up advanced health care directives and wills and powers of attorney.   It will make it easier for other people when we all of a sudden can't make the decisions we need to make.  

   In the past three years we have had five families make special gifts to Made in the Streets when a loved one died.  In each case they were people who already had an interest in street ministry and in MITS.  That has caused us to make a decision to do something similar.  

   We have talked with our heirs about using part of what is left in our estate for Made in the Streets.  We are thinking that somewhere around 25% would be great -- that still leaves something for the family but provides a future for the street ministry.  

    And doing it this way will not place constrictions on our heirs.  They can give whatever amount they want to for a few years in order to get the best tax benefits possible until the whole amount is given.  

   We are hopeful that some of you will do the same thing.  Decide an amount or a percentage you'd like to go to Made in the Streets. Talk to your kids, executor, whoever, and express your desire, then let them follow through when the time is right.  

   The 5 gifts have done great things for MITS -- we set up a visitors' quarters, we built a skills training building, we are preparing to build a new boys' dorm, we bought a piece of land that has been invaluable, and we were able to do a  refurbishing of our Eastleigh Center, which gets a lot of wear.  

   So...please give it some thought.  We want to provide the infrastructure and funding for Made in the Streets, since we have wonderful Kenyan Team members who can run this ministry themselves and who plan to stay long-term and serve street kids.