Dear Family Member:
It never ceases to amaze us how God opens just the right doors at just the perfect time on behalf of His children here on earth. Over the last 30 years, we have watched God move in “mysterious ways His wonders to perform.”
If you had told us, just 12 months ago, that God would lead the ministry of DAP to a point of expansion on the Oakwood University campus, we wouldn’t have thought it possible.
And yet, the DAP expansion of the student Substance Abuse Support Group this school year at Oakwood University has been both inspirational and challenging for us as “campus parents.” We are pleased to witness the growth of the students and the strength of the relationships we have built with them. They feel comfortable sharing their joys and problems with us. And as some of the seniors graduate this month, while we will miss all of them, we will lift up their names daily in prayer to God.
To make it possible for you to be part of these young people’s lives, we want to share some of the pictures of the activities “our” students participate in:
In February, a Sabbath dinner was prepared for them at the Clubhouse of our housing development. We rented a van and drove our cars to transport the group. Over 40 students, including their friends, met together and enjoyed delicious food and delightful fellowship. The room was decorated with white tablecloths, red roses and LED candles. They appreciated the delicious meal prepared by our cousin, “Chef” David Smith. Our son, Jule, was elated as we celebrated his 21st birthday. We discovered multiple talents of singing and public speaking among the students as they sang solos and gave personal testimonies. The quality time spent with our sons and daughters and loved ones was extraordinaire!
What a pleasant surprise we had last month at the Alumni Weekend 2018 Social Work Department Brunch! Dr. George Ashley, Professor, thanked us for our dedication and assistance in helping their students. They showed our pictures, info and a short video of our work at DAP.
Dr. Ashley visited Cliff in the hospital and assured him that everyone was praying for him. He called us both up to the front as Chaplain Michel Walker prayed for Cliff’s complete healing. Tears filled our eyes as we experienced so much love and appreciation from the faculty and students. Their act of kindness was God’s way of showing His love to us personally. Isn’t He wonderful!
Last month, we were invited to speak to the students at the Oakwood Adventist Academy. Cliff gave his testimony at chapel to the Kindergarten through eighth graders. He awarded money to several students who answered questions about his story and substance abuse. Chaplain Jameel Daniels was grateful for the response of the students. He will schedule Cliff to speak to the high school students before the end of the school year. We thank God for the opportunity to witness to the younger students on the Oakwood campus. We want to reach them at an early age to prevent them from experiencing the pain of drug addiction.
So, when we tell you that this is a “New Day” for the ministry and for the young people who are now part of our DAP family, we can’t overstate the way God has lead us in this outreach from the very first day.
And we want to thank you for the part you are playing in helping with the financial needs of DAP. In everything we do, God’s hand moves and guides, seeing that His children on earth are generous in giving to the financial needs every month. After 30 years you might think that a day would come when we had all the funds we needed to continue the outreach at DAP. But that’s never
happened. Maybe it is because God wants to remind us that just as we are given “our daily bread” so He inspires donors like you to give faithfully month after month. And for many of you that has meant month by month for 30 years.
So today we ask you to give again. Because there are so many people who need to know God’s hand is reaching out to them day by day so that a new day isn’t just something we talk about but something that is put into action every moment of every day.
With love and gratitude for your faithfulness,
