May is a time to celebrate graduations and the end of classes… and Love INC is no different! Like many others, our New Hope Ministry life skills classes went on-line this Spring. Fourteen churches combined forces to lead 31 participants through Affirming Potential and other elective classes. They met for 12 weeks, learning the material and sharing insights in breakout rooms. They persevered through technology challenges and home interruptions to make meaningful changes in their lives and build impactful relationships with our churches and each other.

Testimony from an Affirming Potential participant:

“I agreed to join Affirming Potential at a time that I was smiling on the inside, not so much on the outside. The first part of John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” and that’s what I was experiencing. I felt something had been stolen from me, being killed & destroyed. I chose to attend the class because I felt I had to, it might be good for me. So each week, my attitude changed from I had to attend, to I think I need to attend, to I want to attend, to I love to attend! To the point that I was lost on those Wednesdays that we didn’t have a class or a session.

I’ve learned to face & accept my past and to be the best where I’m at. And to continue the verse, the second part of John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” So I’m a much stronger person today – I’ve started a new chapter.

Thank you to the super organizers, to my super amazing group, the super guidance of Diane & Cynthia, to all your prayers. And currently I’m smiling inside & out. Thank you!”

Testimony from a Boundaries Participant:

“I’ve taken three classes now. Every time the volunteers & facilitators have gone above and beyond to make sure that not only do we understand the material, but just kind of walk through life with us and take care of us. They like to treat the whole person. Love INC is a different breed of the Body of Christ – I’ve never experienced anything like it! From all of the facilitators, to the volunteers, and then all of the people and classmates you get to meet…

Boundaries started off as a just a class, but it became such a safe place that it felt more like I was in a support group. I shared things in that class that I’ve never felt comfortable sharing with anyone. And that’s just how supported I felt and how comfortable I felt.

All the material that I learned in there I actually started applying to my life as of now. I have no problem saying with saying “no” in a healthy way and not explaining that. I really needed to learn to do that because I was always a go-to person for everyone and I had a hard time saying “no”. Sticking to being able to say “no” and holding onto those “nos” helped myself, my marriage, my children, and everyone.

I think overall this experience brought me closer to God. I’m proud of myself for learning how to set those boundaries and how to have those healthy boundaries – but it is very difficult to stick to them. So it required me to rely very much on prayer, very much on God’s guidance very much on his strength, on His sight, on Him as a whole to make sure that I took the tools that I was being taught and applying to my life but to make sure that I stuck to them with everyone that I put those boundaries in place with. So far I’ve been pretty successful!

Overall I’m really grateful and I just want to say thank you to all of the facilitators and all of the volunteers who make this possible!”

To God be the glory!