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Diamonds in the RoughDiamonds in the rough: that is how Malissa, Crystal and Melanie describe th

selves. All three are in their twenties. Rough, turbulent beginningsand now, sheltered

at The Path together, undergoing positive transformation in their new walk with Christ.

In spite of losing parents at young ages, battles with poor choices and self-destructive

behaviors, these young women are finding courage, hope and strength together.

Seeing them through eyes of love, patience and a little bit of time to absorb their new life at The Path

you catch a glimpse of the beauty and possibilities within them. Consider the significance of Christs death the cross, His glorious resurrection, the hope and peace we all have available to us, as they share how The P

has changed them:

MelaniBefore The Pat

Weak

Today: Still weak

but a little strong

than befo

Growing up was wetough. My father was ha

to get along with and ma

me feel invisible. I was

until my mom passaway four years ago. A

ter that, I stopped feeli

anything but pain and ager and I kept it all inside. Rebec

(Womens Administrator) tells me

have to open up and let it out. I

hard. If there was one thing I cou

change about my life, it would be have my mom back. Since coming

The Path, people show me

THE PATH NEWS

March/ Apr i l 2009

A Publication of The Path of Citrus County * www.pathofcitrus.org * Issue 2 - Volum

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Dear friends, now we are

children of God, and what

we will be has not yet been

made known. But we know

that when He appears, we

shall be like Him, for we

shall see Him as He is.1 John 3:2 NIV

MalissaBefore The Path: Lost

Today: Renewed

My mom has been gone for two years

now. What I have learned is to tell yourmom how much you love her because it

may be the last time. I wish I could tell

her how much I loved her, and that in the

end she made up for not being around

when I was younger. This makes methink about my role as a mom. I regret

not having my kids with me right now.

Looking back, there are many things Iwish I could change... At The Path,

Ive learned

CrystalBefore The Path: Trust no one!

Today: Filled with hope

My birth mother abandoned me and mysister at a very young age, and we were

placed in foster care. My foster mother

adopted us both and raised us. But I was

very stubborn and rebellious. I refused

to listen to anybody. I did some hurtful

things to my (adopted) mom and endedup leaving home and living on the

streets. What I would change about my

life was being such a pain and not keepingmy mouth shut, causing so much trouble. My mom was only

trying to help me, and I kept pushing her away. While at The

Path, Im beginning to understand [Continued on Page 2]

[Continued on Page 2]

[Continued on Page 2]

Crystal

MelanieMalissa

The Path Spotlight

Directors Corner

Cyclist Raises Funds

Path for Hire

and more . . .

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(continued from cover)

how strong I am. Ive realized that God can change anyone.

Malissa is encouraged by Rebecca, Kristy (Path office manager) and

other staff new to their Christian life, acquainted with custody or visita-

tion issues, and separation

from their children. Her

new goal is to become a

Certified Nurses Assistant

(CNA) this spring.

Remember Robin? She was featured in our

newsletter last fall. Today, Robin has successfully graduated from The Paths program. Sheis employed, and has found a mutually beneficial living arrangement here in our community.

An elderly member of a local church needed assistance with driving at night and help around

the house. Robin needed a good home for herself and her daughter, with an environment

promoting her continued progress and renewed Christian faith. Today they regularly attend

church together and Robin is about to become a new member. It was a match made in

heaven! If you know of someone who might benefit from a similarlive-in arrangement, please call 527-6500.

2THE PATH NEWS

Home Sweet Home

(continued from cover)

what my mom was going through. Before The Path, I

found my answers in drugs and alcohol. Now I know I

dont need those. The Bible helps me with my relation-

ships. At first, I turned away from Christ. The hardest

thing for me was to drop everything and surrender.

Now that I have? God is awesome!

Crystal is job-searching, and continues to

rebuild her relationship with her mom.

She has been drug and alcohol free for

over four months. At The Path, she chal

lenged herself to quit smoking. Crystal

has been cigarette-free for 35 days.

(continued from cover)

that I have a Father upstairs who cares about me. Im still

learning who God is, and I struggle with understanding

that I have a loving Father in Jesus and a family in

Christ who loves me, too. Rebecca and Kristy havehelped by sharing their own experiences with family con-

flicts and loss of a parent.

Melanie is cautiously optimistic, but smiles more each

day. With support from The Paths individual and group

counseling, and loving guidance from her Path Family,

she begins the healing process from her painful past.

Next to the picture of Jesus taped above her bed is a piece

of paper with March 2 at 10:15pm written on it. Its the

day Melanie gave her heart to the Lord and was saved.

Malissa, Crystal and Melanie offer these words to anyone walking a similar path:

Take one day at a time. God is awesome and He can use us all to help others. Dont follow in our

past lifes footstepsstay strong, and dont let the bad choices win. If we can make it, so can you!

With Christs help and your generous gifts of love, we will continue our mission to rescue the many

diamonds in the rough like them. God bless you for your part in their lives.

Malissa s Story

Crystal s Story

Melanie sStory

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Citrus County

resident Julia Michael (pictured left) again cycled

126 miles to complete JOY FMs 2009 Bike Ride for the Home-

less on February 20-21. Julia shared her past firsthand experi-

ence with homelessness in an interview on JOY FM. Today,

with Christ in her life Julia has changed dramatically and desires

to use her experience with homelessness as an example of hope.

She chose to ride for The Path because she had met many peo-

ple from our mission at her Wednesday

evening church services. When she

learned of the JOY FM Bike Ride, she

wanted to help. It seemed to me that

The Path wasn't just about giving hand-

outs but truly giving a hand up: Doing

what God says we are to do give to

the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the

widows and the children.

Thank you, Julia, for blessing The

Path with over $500!

Dear Friends of The Path,

Its true. We get the people no one

else wants. Parole officers,spouses, mothers, the judicial and

mental health systemsall have

written off the many people who come through our doors

But Ill tell you who hasnt written them off: Jesus

Christ. The Bible tells the story of a master who sent his

servant to go out quickly into the streets and lanes of th

city, and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the lame

and the blind. Sounds like our team here at The Path..

Thats why Easter is such a great time to reach out with

Gods love. Especially this year. We can offer hope

when others have turned their backs, walked away and

locked the door. It gives us an opportunity to tell others

about Jesus and salvation.

Id like to extend a challenge to you: we have found

three buildings that could greatly expand the shelter and

our services to many more like Malissa, Crystal and

Melanie. With these buildings, we have the opportunityto create jobs and safe places for them to stay. Wont

you consider investing in these purchases?

Your return on investment is eternal.

In His Service,

DuWayne Sipper, Executive Director

Directors Corner

I will be your God throughall your lifetimeI made you and I willcare for you.Isaiah 46:4 TLB

THE P ATH NE WS

CyclistRaisesFunds

Special Thanks to All Our Volunteers

Thank you hardly seems enough for the wonderful people who con-

tribute their time, faith, special skills and talentsand yes, eventheir building space--to help make a better life for the men, women

and children who find shelter at our mission. You are well-loved

and appreciated for all you do!

The Path Spotlight

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Moving?

Relocating your business?

Need an estate clean-out?

Hire The Path to help you! Support our mission by

calling 527-6500 for information on hiring The Path to

move your residence or business, or clean out an estate. We have the manpower and

the trucks. Quality service, reasonable rates! Be a blessing to the men at our shelter.

Dont delayCall today!

Board of DirectorGary Bryant

President(352) 344-3100

Brian LudwickVice President(352) 563-6508

Connie LobelTreasurer

(352) 726-3200

Maria ConverseSecretary

(352) 586-5087

Stuart GreenBoard Member &Past President(352) 637-3585

Roscoe HollyBoard Member(352) 795-2271

Mark StoneBoard Member(352) 746-2626

Dick WindleBoard Member(352) 489-4167

DuWayne SipperExecutive Director(352) 527-6500

Administrative Offices27 S. Melbourne

Beverly Hills, FL 34465

Phone: (352) 527-6500Fax: (352) 746-6746

Mailing AddressPO Box 3024

Inverness, FL 34451-302

Bargain Store1729 W Gulf to Lake Hwy

Lecanto, FL 34461Hours: Mon - Sat

9 AM - 5 PMFor pick-up, call:(352) 746-9084

www.pathofcitrus.org

Several Path shelter clients need immediate

dental care. If you are a dentist or know of one, and

have a heart to meet our needs by volunteering your services, please call Kathryn Sipper

at 352-522-0514. Maybe you would like to contribute towards the cost of dental services

instead. Our men and women at the shelter would be very grateful.

Thank you for your generosity!

volunteer project for yourself or group? Why not help With 10 acres of loaned farmland from Hernando Church of the

Nazarene, The Path is using worm castings, bees and

other environment-friendly methods to grow organic

fruits and vegetables to feed our clients (who are

often malnourished when they arrive at the shelter),

and to support other food pantries in the community.

The Paths farm is just about finished with an

abundant winter crop of organically-grown broccoli, collard greens, romaine lettuce, and

mustard greens. For the spring harvest, our mission planted over 200 seedling trays of

carrots, tomatoes, radishes, salad greens and other vegetables.

Help support The Paths mission for the homeless.Call 527-6500 for more information.

PathforHire

Path Farm Update

Urgent Need Alert : Dentist

Wanted: Donations of gently usedfurniture, appliances and other itemsfor The Path Shelter Bargain Store!

Visit our websites new Bargain Store page for more in-

formation about donations, and view a sample of our new

or discounted items online at www.pathofcitrus.org.

Your purchases make a difference in the lives of the

homeless men, women and children at The Path shelter!

PathShelterBargainStore

A S S O C I A T I O N O F G O S P E L R E S C U E MI S S I O N S www.agrm.org