Let me start by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.
2025 was an eventful year for us — full of blessings, hard lessons, heartbreak, and moments that reminded us why we do this work in the first place. As we step into a new year, we’re looking ahead with hope and gratitude, ready to keep serving our brothers and sisters in the Lord in 2026.
Today, the weather cooperated, and we had a great turnout at the table. But what made tonight different had nothing to do with the food or the numbers.
Throughout the Christmas season, we had told our guests that we would be bringing some gifts for kids. Often, our guests do have children — but they may be estranged, in complicated custody situations, or only able to see them occasionally. So while we hoped some kids might come, we honestly didn’t know what to expect.
What surprised us tonight was not just seeing six to eight kids show up with their moms — and some dads we know well — but watching how naturally the kids interacted with some of our regular guests. Guests who rarely talk about family. Guests we usually see standing alone. Guests who suddenly became familiar, playful, and protective around these children.
For a brief moment, it felt like a little slice of heaven.
Circumstances didn’t define anyone.
Labels disappeared.
And if you didn’t know the backstories, you might almost mistake it for a normal neighborhood gathering.
The kids opened their wrapped gifts right there.
They played.
They laughed.
They showed off their toys.
And for a few precious minutes, it felt less like an outreach… and more like a community.
Why Showing Up Matters
Moments like this don’t happen by accident.
They happen because people show up — week after week, in the cold, in the rain, in the uncertainty. They happen because relationships are built slowly, patiently, without expectations or timelines.
Tonight was a reminder that consistency creates trust, and trust creates space for moments of dignity, joy, and normalcy — even in very hard environments.
There were no arguments.
No confrontations.
No tension.
You could sense that everyone understood, in their own quiet way, the fragility of childhood — and did their part to protect the moment.
Beautiful… and Sobering
As beautiful as the night was, it was also sobering.
These kids are growing up in environments shaped by:
legacy trauma,
broken relationships,
instability,
and circumstances no child should have to navigate.
There is nothing “storybook” about that.
And yet, the Lord protects.
The Lord provides.
And by His grace, He places humble servants exactly where they need to be — not to fix everything, but to be present, faithful, and loving.
Sometimes that presence looks like hotdogs and hot chocolate.
Sometimes it looks like prayer.
And sometimes, it looks like children opening gifts on a sidewalk, surrounded by people who care.
Looking Ahead
The Lord has a way of surprising us.
And humbling our assumptions.
And reminding us that His work often looks very different than what we expect.
Tonight was one of those reminders.
As we begin this new year, we do so grateful, encouraged, and quietly amazed at what God continues to do — not through big programs or grand plans, but through simple faithfulness and ordinary people willing to show up.
We’re thankful to be part of it.
And we’re thankful to walk into 2026 with hope.
Happy New Year, friends.
And thank you for being part of this journey with us.
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