Just a quick post here. I was looking back over our first full year as NeighborLink Porter County again! I am AMAZED! My heart is truly touched by the wonderful people who accomplished so much last year on a budget of less than $5000. Among all of the little projects that were completed last year like grass mowing, taking people to appointments, and shoveling of snow, you also:
* Put a roof on a house for a single mom
* Put plumbing in a trailer for a family that had been without water for 6 MONTHS!
* Painted a house for a gentleman who was in code violation
* Accomplished an enormous amount of tree clean up from the Chesterton tornado
* Built at least two wheel chair ramps
* Did some major parks clean up in Valparaiso
* Completed several moving projects
* Put a brand new furnace and water heater in for a civil servant
Over 80 projects completed in our first full year! Thank you all for your AMAZING generosity! This year is looking to be equally AMAZING with all of the wonderful things you have accomplished already!
In Him,
Larry & Judy Alders
AMAZING Things!
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A New Roof And A Miracle Or Two
|God never ceases to amaze me! Sometimes when we plan our Go Days, we end up with three or four people who are "maybe's" These are in addition to our board members. When we got to the project on Saturday, we had 17 people show up! "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philipians 4:19 And HE DID!
We started roofing this garage at 8:00am and finished around 6:30, but not before some end of the day fun when the keys accidentally got locked in the van. UGH! The Porter Police Department was quick to respond and while they were unsuccessful, we appreciate their timeliness after a long day. It really was an awesome day of fun, fellowship and worship!
About the time we were breaking for lunch (which was graciously provided by Little Caesar's Pizza in Chesterton) we realized that we needed some additional wood. Not just any wood, but 10, 16 foot long boards. There was one truck that could handle that wood and it was generously offered to us. Eric and I (Judy) headed to Home Depot in Valparaiso to pick it up. We returned without incident. However, a short time later, a couple of our teen age volunteers needed to get home. They were taken in the truck that we had just returned in. Just as they were getting home, the break line went out in the truck. And thankfully, they were not traveling at a high rate of speed as the house was just up the way from the work site! We are grateful that the Wright family was not injured and that God protected them! With the wood in the back of the truck on the way back to the job site from Home Depot, there was a traffic light that gave me little time to stop and I chose to go. I fear that if I had tried to hit the brakes hard at that light, traveling at a high rate of speed, the brake line could have gone then! We are so thankful for those volunteers who can't be with us physically, but are praying us through the day! There were so many rusty nails that could have been stepped on, but we were protected!
We want to thank all of the volunteers who showed up Saturday along with New Life Wesleyan Church in Chesterton for the cash donation toward the project. We also wish to thank Home Depot in Valparaiso and Gary/Hobart Roofing for the discount on materials. Without the generosity of these folks, NeighborLink Porter County would not be possible.
In Him,
Larry & Judy Alders
What A Year!
|First of all, we want to thank all of you for a wonderful first year. We thank you for getting out of your comfort zone and your cozy pews and being the hands and feet of Christ. NONE of this would be possible without you! We hear from many who say they just haven't had the time or opportunity to serve yet and we really look forward to working with you in all that God has planned for NeighborLink Porter County in 2010!
There are many stories like the one I am about to share with you, and it is incredible to be part of it all, we are very humbled. The week of Christmas, we received a call from some friends who are helping out with Neighborhood Ministry. They had taken a Christmas basket to a trailer in Portage. Upon their arrival, the family shared that they had no water, no heat and a large hole in the roof of their trailer that could see outside. Through their difficulties, they were still able to offer dessert to the family who had brought the basket! I received a call later that day, asking that these projects be posted to the NeighborLink Porter County website. I immediately obliged and then we all added this request to our Facebook pages. To our delight, we received a response within hours that there was a contractor in Illinois who would come out and take a look at the projects. On Christmas day, the contractor came out and took a look at things. Later that week, they got them water, set them up with some heaters and were looking into fixing the roof! Not only that, but they were going to supply them with a new furnace!
Again, this is just one of the many stories of how God has been working in Porter County this year. You can read more of our stories in earlier posts. Never in our wildest dreams of starting this organization did we imagine the enourmous things that God had planned. Present day miracles do happen, just keep reading!
With all of that said, there is still much work to be done. In 2009, NeighborLink volunteers completed over 80 projects! However, there were 80 projects that expired. This is where we need your help. We need you to help us spread the word about all that NeighborLink does. We need additional churches and volunteers to come on board with us to help fulfill the needs of those in our community and share the love of Christ. We need people who are passionate just like you!
We are looking forward to the coming year and working with those we have partnered with this past year. We are looking forward to Earth Day, ShareFest, Neighborhood Ministry and all of the opportunities that God presents us with this year. We hope to serve right along with you and as always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us!
In Him,
Larry & Judy Alders
A Saturday To Remember!
|On Saturday, November 7th, over 30 people descended on this home from various churches and organizations. It belongs to a single Mom and her two great kids. We will call her Suzy. Suzy contacted NeighborLink Porter County because her roof was leaking rain water into her bedroom and onto her bed. These calls break my heart. I usually explain to callers that while I will be happy to post their project for them, this is a rather large project for NeighborLink to handle, and that I will be praying for their situation. Some of the calls sound so desperate and folks have no one else to turn too. It truly is heartbreaking and one of the tougher parts of my job.
Well, not this time! I made a few calls as I normally do and this time, this situation tugged on a few heart strings. We had some people who really wanted to take this project on, but we just weren't sure how we were going to pay for it. Larry and I had a speaking engagement at a church in Chesterton a week or so later and we shared all that God has been doing with NeighborLink. We talked about having some folks who really wanted to work on this project, but that we weren't sure if it was something that NeighborLink should take on or not. And we certainly didn't know where the money was going to come from. (NeighborLink's application for non-profit status is currently in the hands of the IRS. We are waiting to hear from them.) Would you believe that after we spoke at two services, we had several people come up to us who wanted to make a donation?!?! This came as a complete surprise to us! We were very humbled.
Later that week, we got word that two different anonymous donors had come forward! Can you believe it? So we started putting the word out to all of our volunteers. The folks that we had helped the weekend before with the garage tear down wanted to come and pay it forward!! We are in awe of just how awesome our God is!
There were so many people praying for this project. Praying for safety and for good weather. Would you believe that on November 7th, we almost broke a record and had a 70 degree day? It was gorgeous! And we accomplished so much! The volunteers tore two layers of shingles off and re-roofed this house in 7.5 hours. The men were incredible and determined. Not only was the roof completed, but the yard was cleaned up in the front and the back and part of the outside of the house was painted.
We and the homeowners are incredibly grateful for the volunteers and donors who made all of this possible. I often say that I have the best job in the world. That's because I get to see God work in miraculous ways all of the time and I am privileged to be a part of it.
In Him,
Larry & Judy Alders
NeighborLink Porter County
One Year Anniversary!
|Here's why:
Judy and I have begun our second year with NeighborLink Porter County. After years of involvement with ShareFest Porter County, God revealed our passion for service to the community and led us to NeighborLink. Last year was awesome, over 70 projects were completed by 150 volunteers and coaches. This year starts out with another great ShareFest work day (this past Saturday) behind us, where hundreds of volunteers completed dozens of projects all over Porter County (Indiana). I worked (with Jake, Andrew and Sarah) on a tornado clean-up project where 80+ trees were downed on the property. It was great to see forty some strangers (strangers to the homeowner) come together and answer God's call for service. Some of the other projects included winterizing and fix-up at several trailer parks, yard work and painting.
Dustin and Amy Kirby partnered with us to help with the administration of NLPC. We had no idea what it takes to start a non-profit organization or the legal requirements involved. Truth-be-told we still don't but it is a lot easier with them beside us. Dustin and Amy both share our passion for service and are an inspiration to Judy and I as we serve. The world is a better place because of them and their faith in God. Dustin and Amy walk the talk. Not only do they serve locally, but, they have completed several international mission trips. Most recently they went to China and handed out bibles and conducted training. Thanks to them for their leadership and vision. We need more strong leaders with their heart to serve.
This year brings a whole new set of challenges. How do we continue to serve our God and do it better than last year? Prayer.
We have been able to fund the projects through donations of money, materials and labor. One that stands out is a painting project where the paint was provided by Home Depot (Behr paints), several neighbors and the NeighborLink project budget. The painting (I estimate over 300 man-hours) was done by volunteer’s from the Liberty Bible Church's senior high group, 6 people on an "alternative" spring break from Grand Rapids, MI., NPLC volunteers and several neighbors. The house looks great and the code inspectors are happy. Also, a plumbing project was completed for a house of three adults with no running water for the previous six months. Money for the materials was provided through a generous donation and the work was completed by a laid off plumber with a heart of gold.
The mission of NLPC is "Neighbor to Neighbor Expressions of God's Love", these are just a few of the many examples of the Expression of God's Love happening through Christ in our community. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)
We are considering a roofing project for a single Mom and her two children. Right now when it rains, water comes into the Mom's bedroom and onto her bed. Not something many of us experience in life. Dustin met with her personally the other day and her attitude was great. No matter what she knows that God will provide for her. To the non-Christian that means someone will put a roof on for her. To me it means that God will fill all her needs and care for her whether she gets a new roof or not. This would be the largest project we have taken on so far. It sounds easy, take roof off, put roof on. And for most of us it is that easy. This Mom does not want to sleep on a wet bed, she has to. Without financial or physical means it is impossible. I don't know if NLPC should do this project or not. We don't have the "means" either. God knows the needs of the Mom and her children and will provide accordingly. With salvation comes all the "means" necessary in life. All we need is our salvation and God provides the rest.
We are close to filing the paperwork necessary to establish non-profit status for NeighborLink. Judy has been working tirelessly to get this done and with the help of several gracious volunteers it is close.
Our prayer needs are:
ShareFest Saturday, October 10th, 2009
|This is just a reminder that ShareFest Day is coming up. If you would like to sign up for a project to help serve a neighbor in need, please visit our website and click on the ShareFest tab in the upper right hand corner. From there you can click on the Valparaiso or Chesterton projects. There are projects being added almost daily, so feel free to check back often.
You can also serve by giving blood at one of the Blood Mobile's in Chesterton, Valparaiso, Portage and Kouts. We are collecting toilet paper, diapers and laundry detergent for the local food pantry's as well.
Please contact us if you have any questions!
In Him,
Larry & Judy
219-617-2077
NeighborLink Porter County
The House Is Complete!
|We wanted to take a few minutes and thank the MANY volunteers who came out to paint this house in Valparaiso for a gentleman who needed us. We started around the end of July and finished up at the beginning of September. It was worked on mainly on Saturdays. However, we couldn't have completed it without the help of two of the recipients neighbors. They worked throughout the weeks that we weren't able to be there. All together there were around 30 people who helped with prep by scrapping the house and the actual painting of the house.
We want to thank Home Depot in Valparaiso and Behr who made donations and gave us discounts on paint. Not only that, but one of the neighbors came by and saw what was happening and she and her husband made a donation toward paint. We also received donations of paint supplies and ladders by various people.
The home owner is incredibly grateful for the help of the many volunteers who came to help him. We feel blessed and honored to be part of such an incredible organization!
Thank you,
Larry & Judy
