Wow, there are so many people I’m so thankful for in setting up our new Christian Bookstore! We had about 15 young adults from California come up to do service projects this month and they painted our new store site and packed up all our books!  Christian Bikers Tabernacle blessed us again by sending 9 guys and their big truck and moved all our books and shelves from both our lakewood site and those in storage to the new site. Thanks also to Sean Reinike from Real Life Family Center and his big truck for helping in the move.

Also want to thank 3 ladies who were instrumental in setting up the books and alphabetizing over 4000 of them! Kate Emmanuel-French from Rainier View Church, Althea Foster from Lighthouse Christian Center and Bev Buck from Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church. What a blessing you have been to me in helping to set up this new ministry site!

Thank you Trinity Lutheran Church ladies for donating the beautiful quilts for our clients who get beds through the funiture ministry. They were made with love and will be shared with love!

Thanks also to all the churches who are doing bulletin announcements for us! You are helping us, by giving your members opportunities to get involved in the community and I am very thankful for your partnerships in ministry!

                                                                                                      Sherry Phinisey

I’d like to thank the 7 guys from Highpointe Community Church who came out on Saturday and helped us load and move many beds and bookshelves. I can’t believe even with a rented truck to haul stuff we still filled 5 of your trucks too! We are so thankful for your willingness to give up some of your Saturday to help us help those in need with some beds!! You all showed such giving servant hearts, I am blessed to be able to work with you!

Sherry Phinisey

We want to thank all the volunteers from Harbor Christian Center who came out to the Love INC furniture / linen bank and gave it a great makeover!!! They built 40 plus feet of shelving that transformed the inside and let us get things off the floor and away from water that tends to run in when it rains. They replaced a broken window and built a new awning roof over the front door to help keep the water from running in under the door when it rains.

One of the great parts of being a part of Love INC is getting to meet so many fun and giving people! It’s a wonderful life!

I wanted to send a special thank you to Sarah Smith from Edgewood Bible Church who has just worked tirelessly many many days this past two months to not only inventory and stock all our donated christian books but help us with getting the design set up and inventory ready for the Love’s Treasury Website at www.lovestreasury.com We have learned so much together.

Thanks also to Trevor at Centerpointe Church who helped us with a format to get the books downloaded to the website.

Please help us promote our new 2nd hand Christian bookstore here in Lakewood!

We’d also love to thank those special donors who may want to be anonomous, God knows who you are who have given donations through your companies who matched them and made a significant donation that helps so so much! Bless you!

Thanks also to our special donor far away in the middle east who remains faithful to parnter with us and support us financially. What a blessing you are!

Just a note to thank Mr. and Mrs. Winebrenner, Creator Lutheran Church in Bonney Lake and South Hill Christian Church for sponsoring tables at our Oct. 7th Fundraiser Breakfast!  I’d also like to thank two of our board members, Sharon Colyn and Leslie Giba for preparing the food and to Lisa Schimer our intake advisor for helping with the food too!

I was just thinking this week in a quiet time period how amazing a movement of God really is. How God can move so many people, so many hearts this direction or that way. In the past two months after telling people of our financial needs, so many people have allowed a movement of God in their lives, allowing Him move through them to touch this, His ministry.

It brought me to tears last week thinking about one family who delivered bags of christian books and a financial donation last week in the midst of the fight for her life, fighting and living with cancer, God moved her to personally come here to help make us stronger.

Another donor, didn’t even live in our county to begin with, but God moved him to support us. He was calling me weekly with 10% of his truck driving income to run through our credit card machine. Not too long ago he lost his job. He did some research and moved to the Persian Gulf for work. A couple weeks ago I got a handwritten letter and a donation check for 20% of his new income. He said it was for his favorite charity. All the way from the Persian Gulf, and God moved him to help make us stronger.

I don’t know if it’s just me or if you all can see when God calls you to a ministry, He will provide what you need, when you need it, through those He chooses, who’s hearts are available to hear his promptings.

I feel so close to God in these moments of his provision, and those who are letting Him move in their lives,  that I’m addicted. I can’t word it, but I don’t want to lose it. I want to keep feeling the protection of his power & presence every moment of the day.

                                                                                                        Sherry Phinisey

As you know we have been struggling a little the past few months with finances, as have most non profits. We aren’t out of the woods yet, or should I say, we are still walking by faith, believing God will provide as we let people know of our needs. I’d like to thank a few churches who have stepped up and come along side us with extra financial help the past couple months. So thank you to Calvary Community Church in Sumner, Lighthouse Christian Center in Puyallup, Puyallup Nazarene Church,  Lake City Community Church in Lakewood and the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church. Your letters of encouragement and your financial support have really blessed and helped to strengthen our commitment to do all we can to help the churches help the people in our community. There have also been a few new donors who have read our newsletters at the churches and came forward to help as they could and for this we also thank God for your partnership in ministry!

Pierce County

Human Services Department                  David E Stewart   

3580 Pacific Avenue                                                                                                                                                                  Acting Director

Tacoma, Washington 98418-7915

   Re: Thank you and your staff for much appreciated assistance.

Dear Sherry;

I hope this letter finds you well. As you know our two organizations always work well together. I write this letter to you because it serves as yet another illustration of your agency’s dedication to those less fortunate.

 I conducted home visits with two clients in a row who had no furniture. I have been at my present job for eighteen months and never even met one client who had a completely empty apartment. I was at a loss, to say the least. I remembered that Love INC had furniture contacts in Puyallup and thought I would at least ask if there was help available even though these clients were in Tacoma. I called Lisa Schimer who I had worked with in the past; the now famous Samuel case. Lisa stated that she could help and put me in contact with Paul Ronko. Paul was a sheer delight to work with and he delivered furniture to both clients within a few days. I was fortunate to meet Paul at the second delivery point.

 Both clients had severe deficits. One is a gentleman who recently moved here from California. He left his furniture and most of his belongings behind. He suffers from some vision and hearing loss; he has a slight developmental disability.

 The other client is a sixty-five year old woman who has severe degenerative arthritis. She had no bed and was sleeping on the floor. It was heartbreaking to see her condition. After the furniture was delivered she called me on the phone. She was in tears and she stated that, “I am sitting on my new couch and it feels good. I have not had anything to sit on for six months”.

 I was at the Love INC fundraiser this past Friday and was proud that clients we have worked with together were talked about. I realize that in the job that I do, I am only as good as the organizations that I develop relationships with. I truthfully say that yours is one of the best. Your staff is second to none and they are a staff to be truly proud of. I am fortunate to get to partner with Love INC and its staff. It has become a partnership of mutual respect, cemented by the tough cases we work on together. Thank you and God Bless.

 Warmest Regards,

 Paul J. Calta

Pierce County ADRC

Case Manager

We have had such amazing movements of God in May….one action after another that is blessing us to be a blessing to our community! We have so many people to be appreciated, those of you who were able to help make our new office come to pass. Thank you for being a part of this movement of God!

• Ron & Pat Bode from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church for offering the new office at a much discounted rate and for covering our utilities, and making our signs!
• Bert from Christ Community Church and another member of his church for donating their time and expertise to install the wiring for our phone system and the DSL cabling!
• Earnest and Jay Phinisey, and Steve and Angela Bohrer from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church for tearing out the old carpet.
• Lakewood Police Department for donating 15 cubicle work stations, 3 desks and chairs.
• Edward Rutherford at Lighthouse Christian Center for donating his time to develop databases for our intake process, our reporting process and to store all the county resources, both secular and through the churches.
• Earnest Phinisey from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church who  set up the  work stations on a network of computer systems with our new server from the Lakewood police dept.
• Thanks also to the 8 guys from Christian Bikers Tabernacle, and  Earnest Phinisey, Dave Noteboom, Lee Deheer,  Stan & Thelma VanderPol, Lee Deheer, from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church, Jim Clifton, from Bethany Baptist Church and Robert Silveus, from South Lakeshore Church  for helping us pack our office desks and boxes and move them and unload to the new office!
• Thanks Stan & Thelma and Peninsula Truck Lines for donating the use of the moving truck!

We have had such amazing movements of God in April and May….one action after another that is blessing us to be a blessing to our community!

In April we had an offer of a larger office space by an extra 500 square feet then our current building which would allow us to add 8 more work stations!

We have so many thank you’s to those of you who were able to help make this come to pass. The following Churches and people from the churches did, or are doing the following and we will be moved in approximately the end of the month!

Thank you:

• Ron & Pat Bode from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Church for offering the new office at a much discounted rate and for covering our utilities!
• Puyallup Nazarene Church for donating the paint and paying a professional to paint the office!
• Mike from Our Savior Lutheran Church who owns Heritage Carpet if Fircrest and gave us a great price on the new carpet.
• Lighthouse Christian Center for paying for the new carpet!
• Dana at Puyallup Nazarene Church, and owner of Sumner Carpet who donated the money to pay an installer and for the glue to get our carpet installed.
• Pastor John Gruber from Christ Community Church and another member of his church for donating their time and expertise to install the wiring for our phone system and the DSL cabling!
• Sean Reinicke and another member of their Church Real Life Family Center who are bringing their 25 foot truck, disassembling the office cubicles being donated by the Lakewood Police Dept. and moving them to the new office and assembling them. Helping them will be Dennis Barnd from New Life Fellowship and Blaine Cobb from Puyallup Nazarene Church.
• Earnest and Jay Phinisey, and Steve and Angela Bohrer from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church for tearing out the old carpet.  
• Lakewood Police Department for donating 15 cubicle work stations.
• Mike Ridderhoff  and Steve Bohrer from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church who took all the old carpet to the dump.
• Edward Rutherford at Lighthouse Christian Center for donating his time to develop databases for our intake process, our reporting process and to store all the county resources, both secular and through the churches.
• Dave Noteboom from Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church who came on day to help pack up supplies from our cabinets.
• Earnest Phinisey from the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church who will be setting up the 15 work stations on a network of computer systems with our server.

All of this is just from the 1^st of April through about the 6^th of May. There will be more people to add by the end of the month!