Hi friends!  Things may have seemed quiet for awhile, but HopeWorks has been hard at work behind the scenes. In December, HopeWorks and Real Church Detroit are partnering to host the second annual Joy To The D, a Holiday Outreach that provides gifts to families in need. We provide hundreds of brand new toys and gifts to parents who are otherwise unable to afford gifts for their families. Our goal is to bring Joy to The D with this...

Meet Dale. He takes the bus into the city several times a week, and as he passes by buildings and neighborhoods, he's struck by the potential all around him. He loves the city, and he loves being a part of the city. He believe that HopeWorks when we invest in the city!

This is Steve. He lives outside the city, but he's feeling pulled to move. He can't explain why exactly, but he knows that Detroit is where he belongs. He can feel the hope.

God wants us to live generously, and we began the month by partnering with Real Church, and challenging each other to give generously to the new endeavor of HopeWorks! Its been an amazing month so far, and as we come up on the halfway point, we are excited to invite you to partner with us as well.

Abby wrote a few weeks ago for the HopeSpeaks campaign, and talked about how the students give her hope. In this video interview, she talks more on the subject!

His name is CJ, and he’s 5 years old. He has moderate autism, and even though I saw him every week for months, I didn’t realize he knew my name. He never said it, so I just kind of assumed. I went home for the summer, but when I came back to Detroit this September, I found out he’d been asking for me the whole time.

I am not from the city. I was raised in a southern state with lots of land to play on, woods in our backyard to explore, and horses down the road to ride. I helped my dad tend his garden each year when I was old enough, enjoyed big hills to sled on in the winter, and climbed many a tree growing up. I loved the "country life."