CRAZY PROVISION

Wow.

So many updates! I don't even know where to start!

First of all, the Barnes have moved into their new home in Benton Harbor and they're fixing it up and making it their own. The Randalls? We have moved into a place of our own as well! The last you heard, we were all going to live together to save money, but after a lot of prayer and thinking time, we decided that, for the health of the ministry and our families, we needed to have our own spaces of peace and rest. We want to say 'thank you' again to Dan and Mel Page-Wood for opening their home to us for six months. Because of your hospitality, we've been able to follow God more closely because we've been able to follow His call on our lives without having to worry about where we'd sleep or eat or be. There will always be a special place in our hearts carved out just for you!

And Harbor Shine??? You know, I'm looking back over the past year and I can't believe the places that God has taken us and the things that have happened. We recently went to Central Wesleyan Church in Holland and spoke to several small groups about the call that God put on our lives to start Harbor Shine and Youth Shine. Justin shared with everyone something that served as an awesome reminder of how faithful God is. He talked about how we (thanks to Cindy Bennett) had these beautiful brochures printed for Harbor Shine in early winter, and they listed all of the wonderful lawncare and landscaping services that we provide.

When those brochures were printed and sent out, Harbor Shine owned nothing but TWO WEED WHIPS AND ONE SINGLE RIDING LAWN MOWER that we had in the garage at our old house. We had no commercial lawn mowers, no blowers, trailors, trucks, shovels, cool t-shirts or decals, and no idea how we were going to get them. We didn't really know much of anything. All we knew was that God had spoken to us and made the opportunity in Benton Harbor/St. Joseph very crystal clear, and He'd also been giving us an urgency to move forward despite appearances. Because He revealed His plan to us, we knew He'd provide the resources needed to carry out that plan. We just had to keep moving forward in faith because we felt he was telling us to. Sure enough...HE HAS PROVIDED EVERYTHING AND MORE, AND IN THE MOST PERFECT TIMING!

So Kyle and Justin had done several bids, including one for the entire school district of Benton Harbor, before we had any of this equipment. But when relationships started forming with the future clients, and as it became clear that these bids and these meetings were something that God was orchestrating, we just kept moving forward, knowing that the equipment would come. And it did, literally DAYS before the guys needed it.

We've received donations from people and places that we would have never anticipated. For example, Kyle and Justin stopped at a garage sale one day and walked up to a very large man covered in tattoos and leather and packin' a gun right on his hip. He was a "biker dude" that looked pretty rough. It'd be easy to speculate about the things he might spend his time doing (I think we tend to size people up pretty quickly).

So anyway, Justin and Kyle told this man about what they were doing and what they were looking for, and without skipping a beat, he said, in so many words, "I'm a Christ follower and here ya go. I've got exactly what you need...take it." It seems like these are the kind of moments that have become our way of life around here; the way God has been providing. And in those moments, God always smashes another piece of our human ignorance by smashing our assumptions, allowing us to love a little bit more like Him.

Here's another example of some crazy generosity: A family who we only recently met bought Harbor Shine a chainsaw AND loaned us a hefty amount of money to purchase a truck, another trailer, a 72" commercial size mower, a weed whip, and a hedge trimmer. We got an incredible deal on this stuff, and we also got an amazing deal on a SECOND commerical mower. This family has partnered with us because they wanted to partner with God in what He's doing here even though they can't see it everyday! How awesome is that?! They've also given so much to us personally in ways that have strengthened our faith in God and in the church -- and they barely even know us!

So Kyle and Justin have been working "in the field" since April. More and more bids have been done and accepted, and I guess you could say "business is boomin'." When Harbor Shine began, we had two major goals. 1) to do all the mowing for Benton Harbor school district, and 2) to do all the mowing/landscaping for Berrien Homes (a low-income housing development in Benton Harbor that Overflow Church has been working with for the past couple of years). And guess what? We're doing both, and more!

We take care of 14 of Benton Harbor Schools' properties, and we're in the middle of designing some landscaping as well. And the aesthetics at Berrien Homes have changed dramatically. The first time they mowed the place, they spent over 9 hours there because of the huge amount of clean-up that had to be done. But now, they are mowing there regularly and they've just started doing some landscaping. Recently, Harbor Shine sponsored a workday where guys from Overflow Church came and did some work to make Berrien Homes look even better. We also take care of over a dozen county properties that have been abandoned. This helps keep them and their surroundings looking better than they would otherwise. We're also working on numerous residential properties, doing everything from planting grass to building beautiful stone patios. Some of the our business accounts include places like Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Cracker Barrel, and Long John Silvers.

So that's how God has been answering our prayers as far as equipment and work is concerned. But check this out...

Now for Youth Shine! Michigan Works has agreed to partner with Harbor Shine and provide 8 kids to work with us for 6 weeks this summer! This means that Kyle and Justin will be working shoulder to shoulder with these kids every day, and more importantly, they'll be mentored by 11 volunteers from Overflow who have a heart for youth! But that's not all!!! (now I sound like an info-mercial!!!)

In addition to that, Harbor Shores, the developers of the new Jack Nicklaus golf course and resort in Benton Harbor/St. Joe, have partnered with Harbor Shine and hired 12 Benton Harbor youth as well! These kids will also be mentored and paired up with 8 volunteers from Overflow who all have a heart to love and mentor these kids. Getting the Harbor Shores account was a dream for us -- something that was so huge that we pictured it being way off in the distance, years from now. And yet, God brought it directly to our doorstep during our very first season of our operation!

Justin is working with the Harbor Shores kids, and Kyle spends Monday-Thursday working with the Michigan Works kids. It's really clear that God has already begun to lay the groundwork for some longer-term relationships. One of the kids has already attended Overflow on a Sunday morning, while another came to an Overflow Church outreach event that was held in his neighborhood. These kids are getting into the swing of working with us, and some "deep" conversations are beginning to happen. Trust is being built. Most of them are going through a lot in their personal and family lives. Some of them are mothers and fathers though they are kids themselves. Some of them are expecting children, and are trying to learn what it looks like to support themselves even though they are still in high school. Many of them have grown very accustomed to keeping others at arms-length, but God is beginning to break down barriers enough that we're able to see that they are longing for love and comfort and acceptance. The fact that barriers of race and pain are being broken is evidence that God's Spirit is at work! Stories are being shared and tears are being shed, which means that things are being brought into the light so that God can begin to heal! It's amazing to realize that God is doing all of this through a lawncare business! It always blows my mind to watch God use the most unlikely people and things to reach out to His kids.

So that's just a SMALL snapshot of what's been going on around here lately. And I'll end with some pictures of what we call a miracle: This is some (not all) of the equipment that Harbor Shine has acquired in just a few months!








(Maryn LOVES riding on her dad's lap while he mows!)












Whew!...Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support! God is taking care of us in every way! If you'd like to take a look at our website or donate to Harbor Shine, click on the title of this blog, and you'll be there!

Much Love,
The Randalls