April 2023

Dear God’s Resort Friends,

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel! Together we are making a difference here and for eternity!

Daniel’s mom died when he was two years old, and he was raised by an alcoholic father. Their house was a dark place with regular police interventions. His dad became belligerent and violent as he would drink all night. This was normal for Daniel, and by his 20’s, he too was an alcoholic. He ended up having a child with a girlfriend who was more interested in the party life than being a mom, and so he became the primary caretaker of his son. He later married, but his alcoholism progressed. It got so bad that his wife kicked him out and he lost everything. He decided to move to Joplin to live with his sister. On his trip here, he got a DWI and lost his last possession – his car. His sister kicked him out and he finally went into recovery.

Coming to God’s Resort, he found something he had never experienced – a healthy community of faith in Jesus! While here, he has struggled with a couple major health issues; however, his God’s Resort family has encouraged him along the journey. “Everyone here was always checking on me and bringing me food. I have been really cared for!”, he said. While raised in a Catholic school, he never put his faith into practice. At God’s Resort, he has learned to put Jesus at the center of his life.

Daniel has worked hard at his job! While at God’s Resort he has had three promotions and has gone from the lowest entry level job to team lead over a whole department! Having gained stability in all the essential areas of life, he has transitioned from here to his new apartment and said, “I have eight new neighbors and I have said ‘hi’ to all of them, but they don’t answer back. I realized I would have been just like them before I came to God’s Resort and learned how to be a good neighbor in a community.” Now Daniel is out there sharing what he learned while he was at God’s Resort!

Thank you for helping Daniel through your partnership! May God bless you!
Love and prayer,
Jay St. Clair
Executive Director

FIVE Exciting Happenings from April!

All Night Worship and Prayer

We kicked off April (literally at 12am on April 1st !) with worship and prayer! God’s presence was experienced, and He was exalted! It was a blessing to praise Him, to be in the company of His people, and to pray over those in need of support.

A special thank you to everyone who led us in worship and intercession, and to the men’s groups from Shiloh Baptist Church and Carterville Christian Church who prepared breakfast following the event. We look forward to doing this again sometime!

Block Party!

We are grateful for life groups that pour into God’s Resort through their service and investment in our residents. We couldn’t do what we do without you! One such life group from Hope City Church provided a block party for our residents and surrounding neighbors on Easter weekend!In addition to the relational connections, we enjoyed an Easter egg hunt (600+ eggs!), iced coffee, shaved ice snow cones, and a cookout! Thank you to the Garman-Wicke Life Group! You are a blessing!

 

Martin Luther School – Wonderful Partners in Ministry

Wow! Lyla Glaskey brought eleven 5-6th graders to God’s Resort and they helped rake leaves and pull weeds! This group of kiddos worked hard, were respectful, and were soooo fun to serve with! In addition to sending these students to serve,

MLS has made God’s Resort a ministry focus of their chapel times this year. They have blessed us with their generosity and service! Thank you, MLS, for partnering with us! We appreciate you!

We Have an Author in Our Midst

Steve Belcher, longtime friend of God’s Resort and volunteer leader of our recovery ministry, recently released a book entitled Christian Addict: Daily Inspirations for Alcoholics and Addicts.

The book is a collection of 371 devotions that Steve has written over the years and sent to people for encouragement and discipleship. We hosted a book signing for him on Saturday, April 22nd , and had a great turnout! You can purchase the book on Amazon, and we have limited copies for sale at God’s Resort. You will NOT be disappointed.

Financial Peace, God’s Resort Style!

 

Our wonderful friends and volunteers, Doyle and Glenda Still and Erin Taylor, are certified Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Coaches. They have created a curriculum to meet the needs of our residents to help them grow in financial stewardship. Over the course of four sessions, residents learn how to budget, pay off debt, plan for retirement, and give. We are grateful for our donors who make it possible to offer low-cost rent to our residents so that they have room in their budgets to pay off debt and gain freedom from fear of their financial situations! Also, thanks to donors, we can offer an incentive of $100 off one month’s rent to any resident who completes the course by attending all four classes consecutively. Eric recently graduated from the course! He’s pictured here with Doyle, Glenda, Erin, and Stacey (Life Transition Coordinator). What a blessing!