April Newsletter

The Source Newsletter April, 2022

6 mins

Family

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” – Richard Bach

Each of our houses has undergone many changes this past month. With new staff and a new resident, we are all learning new routines of living and loving and it has been a busy time! We are proud of our team and how well they have managed these multiple transitions.

We are also proud of our boys for their volunteer work to clean up the countryside.

““The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi

It’s also great to make time for fun & games! We love taking our crew out for excursions that enhance the talents and skills that they enjoy. Trying new things and adding to our list of interests is another element of life at The Source.

Arts & Crafts are a part of our regular programming and it’s amazing to see what these creative minds produce. Whether it be Captains America’s iconic shield made entirely of cardboard, or a shelter made of branches and sticks they’ve gathered, these kids impress us daily!

We have also updated our website and are keeping our Facebook and Instagram pages current. Please click the links & follow us to stay up to date with our summer happenings and events!

https://www.facebook.com/TheSourceSpokane

The Source of Spokane (@thesourceofspokane) • Instagram photos and videos

www.thesourcespokane.org

Update from Malawi

This is Praise, the newest addition to The Source Malawi family. Praise is a 4 year old boy who was abandoned by his father and growing up in a tough situation with his single mother. Finding food was a challenge for them. He was found by our staff begging in streets despite his young age. Realizing how vulnerable this left him, Pastor John Ng’oma brought him back to his mother. After discussing the situation with her it became evident that help was needed. They agreed to take him home to care for him at the Source. There are now seven children living in that home, plus another 5 children who are cared for in the other Source Malawi home.

We are privileged to have our international family growing!

Celebrating our Local Fire Department

Chris Knowlton had the privilege to join Fire District 4’s Annual Banquet. Chris was invited to speak about how they worked so diligently to keep The Source homes safe during the fires of summer 2021. During that time two of our Source homes had to be evacuated simultaneously-as well as Chris’ own home! The firefighters were tireless in their effort to control the flames, and successfully kept all three homes safe.

We are so thankful for these brave individuals and were thrilled to get the opportunity to share our gratitude with them. What an amazing fire department we have!

(The photo below shows how close the fires came to our River Bluff home.)

Our New Ministry Director

Naphtali Morden joined our team in February and is assisting us in the areas of mission development, community engagement, staff mentoring and both local and international outreach. Naphtali grew up in the Spokane area and has been involved in leading youth outreach & ministry efforts since 1998. She has served as a worship leader and Bible teacher for 23 years, a mom for 19 years, and a wife for almost 20!

She loves connecting with & encouraging people of diverse cultures and beliefs. She joins us after spending several years serving in the South Pacific with YWAM Family Ministries. Naphtali creatively teaches on relationships, communication, team building & emotional/spiritual health. She has leadership experience in a variety of roles with all age groups and multiple cultures. Her greatest desire is for each person to discover their unique value and how deeply loved they are by their Maker and Creator.

Growing Resilience

N. Morden

Resilience is a popular word these days. It’s a quality that seems necessary to succeed in life. During these past couple of years, we have come face to face with some difficult realities: #1 that we are not in control, and #2 that we cannot predict what happens from one moment to the next.

In the dictionary resilience means “to have the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” it is also “the ability…. to spring back into shape; elasticity.”

A resilient structure/system/community is “expected to be able to resist an extreme event with minimal damages and functionality disruptions during the event; after the event, it should be able to rapidly recovery its functionality similar to or even better than the pre-event level.”

Sounds great. But how? How do we come away from serious hardships in life, and not only spring back, but become better versions of ourselves?

I believe the first step is to change our mindset about the struggle…

Read full article

Meet Our Staff

Daniel was hired in April of 2018 and is currently the Program Manager of our Hilltop Boys home.

”When I found The Source I found a spiritual family that has been a bigger blessing than I could have ever imagined. One of the things that really stuck out to me from the beginning was how much people actually cared about the kids and it has been an honor to be a part of that. Working for a group of spiritually solid individuals has been a huge impact on my life in and outside of work. There is a true sense of family here, and being in this community has been a life changing experience for me.”

”The biggest thing I have learned since working at The Source is the importance of putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Imagine your life as a sitcom, and you're the main character. Everyone we know, love, and interact with, are all side characters. But when we remember everybody else sees their own life through that same lens, and we start remembering we are also side characters in their stories, life becomes less about 'me.' You can so easily get lost in the stress and forget how much garbage these kids have gone through. That perspective helps me approach (the boys) with more love, humility, grace & understanding.

Thank you Daniel for your desire to invest in the lives of these kids, and for choosing to put yourself in their shoes in order to better understand their struggles! We appreciate the love and perseverance you’ve shown these past 4 years!

Prayer Points:

As always, pray for the 11 kids we are serving in the Spokane area, as well as the 12 kids in Malawi. Pray for healing and wholeness, and the ability to fully receive love & care.

New staff are rolling in, we are up over 70 employees now. Pray for connection with the kids and harmony with fellow employees.

New kids: one is still settling in after just a month with us, and another one is waiting to join us at Birch Meadows. Pray that they will be able to accept the love and care we offer and begin to trust again & heal.

We have several staff who are moving up into new management positions. With all this rearrangement there is a learning curve. Pray that they walk in confidence & wisdom as they take up new responsibilities.

We are also forming a Prayer team via text messaging. If you have a heart to support us during some of the real-time challenges we face, contact Naphtali @ naphtali.morden@thesourcespokane.org