FOLLOWING THE CALL...

"A Message from the high and towering God,
who lives in Eternity,
whose name is Holy:
'I live in the high and holy places,
but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed,
And what I do is put new spirit in them,
get them up and on their feet again.'" -Isaiah 57:15 (The Message)

Dear Family and Friends,

Where to start? Our lives have changed dramatically over the past few months. Kyle is no longer the Student Ministries Pastor at Friendship Wesleyan Church. We sold our house, (we thank God for working that miracle), and we're moving to Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Why Benton Harbor? Well, our first calling was to be a part of Overflow Church, a church that our friends, Brian and Cindy Bennett, planted in the Benton Harbor/St. Joe area about two years ago. The community is heavy-laden with poverty, racial division, crime, substance abuse, teen pregnancy and hopelessness. The high school dropout rate in Benton Harbor is near 50%, and because of that, kids roam the streets with no guidance or direction. Many men have no job skills, and many children are without their fathers or are being raised by their grandparents. Our hearts are broken for the people in that community, and we want to be a part of what God is doing to bring justice, peace, hope and salvation to people who have none. He has not forgotten this city.

Since Overflow's kick-off, they've seen 43 people give their lives to Christ, and that number continues to grow. These are un-churched and de-churched people with heart-wrenching stories, people who had no hope or peace before somebody shared Christ with them. So we've watched God begin to transform the community by transforming hearts, one by one.

And now for our second calling: If you asked us five years ago what we'd be doing now, we never would have said, "We'll be starting a lawn care/snow removal ministry called Harbor Shine in the poorest city in Michigan." But that's exactly what we're about to do, and it's been a "God thing" ever since the first word of it came to us. At first it seemed strange that a lawn care business could allow us to be a part of the transformation that's happening in Benton Harbor. But it doesn't seem strange to The Lord, so we've decided to trust His leading.

Harbor Shine will be affiliated with Overflow Church by being a part of its non-profit umbrella ministry, the OCCDA (Overflow Christian Community Development Association). Our goal is to put any excess profit back into the community to help it prosper. We envision Harbor Shine functioning around four core values: Hope, Reconciliation, Empowerment, and Excellence.

We believe that The Lord will make these values come to life in several different ways. We'll be providing lawn care, snow removal and landscaping to help the community aesthetically, but we'll also be discipling and mentoring men and families. During the summer, we will have a 12-week program specifically tailored around youth. They will learn job skills and life skills that will enable them to see themselves as empowered and capable. This program will also provide an alternative to the street scene during the summer. We do not view this as a charity or as a way to make profit for ourselves. We view it as a way for God to bring His justice and His love back to a community that's been deprived of it for so long. It's about leading people toward a lasting hope! And although the Lord is our strength and is going before us to make this business happen, we still need your help. These are our top needs as we begin:

PRAYER (for our family, for finances, for the community, and for God's glory to be revealed!)

PHYSICAL RESOURCES (commercial lawn care and office equipment, etc. If you'd like a list of our needs, please contact us.)

FINANCIAL HELP (one-time donations or long-term commitments)

NETWORKING (spread the word! We have business cards and brochures. If you'd like some to hand out, let us know!)

We have relocated our family to Benton Harbor, and hope to have the business up and running before the spring. In fact, we've already been corresponding with the Superintendent of Maintenance for Benton Harbor Schools. He knows what we're about to do, and the bid for the 20 locations that make up the district is a great possibility (please keep this in your prayers). God is already giving us work, and we don't even have a single mower yet!

So, we're asking you to consider helping us start a journey that we're hugely incapable of making on our own, but one that we're passionate about nonetheless. We've never been more excited to be following God. We've also never had to trust him more. But, that's the perfect place to be.

We'll be starting a ministry website soon, and this blog will serve as a kind of personal newsletter to keep you all informed. If you'd rather receive a paper newsletter, we can send you one of those too. If you are donating money, you can make your check payable to the OCCDA and be sure to write "Harbor Shine" in the memo line. Tax-deductible financial gifts can be sent to the following address:

Harbor Shine c/o OCCDA

1800 Pipestone Rd. M-42

Benton Harbor, MI 49022.

Thank you for listening to our hearts.

All Our Love in Christ,

Kyle and Cyndie Randall