Directors Note As For Me And My House

Jan 13, 2026

Director’s Note: As For Me And My House

Written by Jim Holmlund, Executive Director of Love INC Heartland

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” – Joshua 5:13–14 (NIV)

One of my favorite people in the Old Testament is Joshua. One of the things I respect most about him is how he stood before the nation of Israel after God had given them the Promised Land and their years of wandering had come to an end. They finally had a home. The land had been divided among the tribes, and God had been faithful in every way.

Yet even after all the Lord had done, some of the people still clung to idols from the lands they had left behind—and even from the new lands they now possessed. In Joshua’s final address to the people, he makes this clear: “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Another favorite moment in Joshua’s story takes place on the plains near Jericho. Joshua stands before a well-defended city with massive walls, knowing the task ahead has been given to him by the Lord. I imagine his very human side looking out at the city and thinking, How are we going to do this, God? Not out of doubt, but out of human understanding.

Then a mighty figure appears—a warrior with a drawn sword. I imagine there must have been a moment of fear. Joshua asks a very natural question: “Are you for us or against us?” It’s a normal question—but was it the right one? The answer Joshua receives is not what he expects: “Neither. I am the commander of the army of the Lord, and I have now come.”

It is then that Joshua asks the right question: “What will the Lord have me do?”

I have been in that place. Have you? Standing in the middle of a trial or a task you know God has given you. In our hearts, we know the God of the universe is for us—but He is also the God of the universe, even for those we see as our enemies. That can be hard to wrap our minds around.

Often our prayers center on what we want, need, desire, or hope God will do for us. Our human nature, fear, and uncertainty about the future can drive those prayers. That isn’t wrong. Even Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me,” and then followed it with, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.”

I am compelled to be more like Joshua—to ask the Lord, “What will You have me do?”

The year 2025 was a season of growth and transition for Love INC Heartland. As an organization, we welcomed three new people into key leadership roles. I saw growth across every area of our ministry, and I believe our neighbors in need and our volunteers are being cared for in new and exciting ways. I truly believe God has big plans for Love INC Heartland in 2026.

Our prayer as we move into the new year is not a question of whether God is for us or against us. Our prayer is simply th is:

“Lord, what will You have us do?”

Celebrating 2025

Join us in celebrating all that God has done through Love INC Heartland in 2025!

Overall Love INC Heartland Stats

As of January 2025-December 31, 2025

2,143 Requests
3,850 Needs Met
8,367 Volunteer Hours
$89,335 Gifts Given

Love INC Heartland is now serving 153 families and just 3 years ago we were serving less than 100.

Requests: Asks for help made to the Connection Center or Fresh Start Program.

Needs Met: The number of people helped from requests made to the Connection Center or Fresh Start Program. For example, one request could meet the needs of four people in a family.

Gifts Given: The value of gifts given to families and individuals active with Love INC Heartland. Gifts are given through Gap Ministries or Fresh Start Program. A few examples of Gifts are gas cards, diapers, and clothing/furniture vouchers.

Volunteer Hours: Logged time of volunteers from all areas of the Love INC Heartland ministry– Connection Center, Fresh Start Program, Board of Directors, Gap Ministries, Thrift Store, fundraising events, bookkeeping, and more.

Fresh Start Program: January-December

As of December 31, 2025

18 Fresh Start Program Mentor Meetings
1,973 Fresh Start Program Volunteer Hours
126 Fresh Start Program Class Sessions

53 people took classes in 2025!

Fresh Start Mentor Meetings: One-on-one meetings with a volunteer.

Fresh Start Volunteer Hours: Amount of time a volunteer has donated to Fresh Start Program.

Fresh Start Class Sessions: Each individual class.

Lord, What Will You Have Us Do?

Join us in praying this question as we look ahead to 2026.
If God is calling you to be part of this ministry, there are three simple ways to get involved:

Pray
Please pray for our staff, volunteers, and neighbors in need as we continue to follow God’s leading.

Donate
Consider becoming a monthly giving partner! Give online www.loveincheartland.org/donate/

Give A Gift

Volunteer
Volunteer with us loveincheartland.org/volunteer/

Volunteer

Together, may we seek His will and follow where He leads.

With gratitude,

Jim Holmlund
Executive Director, Love INC Heartland

An Invitation To Something New

Dec 17, 2025

As we approach the close of another year, I often find myself wrestling with how to share our message in fresh and meaningful ways. Each year I pray for new words, new stories, and new clarity to communicate the work God is doing through Love In the Name of Christ Heartland. It is a humbling responsibility to invite others into that work—and to ask them to give.

While preparing this final letter of the year, I spent time in prayer and Scripture, searching for a verse that captures both the heart of our ministry and the hope we witness through Christ’s love. Surprisingly, the verse that kept returning to me wasn’t from recent reading, but from childhood—a simple camp song that tucked Scripture deep into my heart.

I share it with you now, in the King James Version, just as I learned it: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” – Titus 3:5

Throughout Scripture, we are called to holy living. Paul often writes about taking off the old self and putting on the new—the transformation that comes through Christ. Yet how easily we twist even grace into a kind of law, imagining that our good deeds somehow make us more deserving of God’s love.

Just a couple verses earlier, Paul reminds us who we are apart from Christ: “For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived…” (Titus 3:3)

Sin and brokenness are universal. Whether through worldly pursuits or self-righteous striving, we all know what it is to try to fix ourselves.

That is what makes the next verse so powerful: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared…”

Transformation does not begin with us.

It begins with Jesus.

It is His mercy that regenerates and renews us.
It is His love that makes us new.
It is His Spirit who reshapes hearts and restores lives.

This truth is at the core of Love INC’s ministry.

It isn’t the meals we serve, the Christmas gifts we give, the diapers we distribute, oil changes, car repairs, birthday gifts, classes, mentoring, or letters we write. It isn’t the budgeting tools, the parenting classes, or even the prayers and volunteer hours.

All of these things are good—Paul would call them “works of righteousness”—but none of them can transform a life.

Only Jesus can do that.

As I write to you now, I know that no words of mine can compel generosity. Only the work of Christ in your heart can do that. My desire is simply to participate in the process as He stirs compassion, gratitude, and transformation.

Yet through your partnership—your time, talents, and treasures—we are able to walk alongside people in practical, relational, and deeply meaningful ways that open the door for His transforming work.

As we end this year and look ahead, I invite you to continue being part of what God is doing through Love INC. Your support makes it possible for us to enter into people’s lives and share the only thing that truly changes anything—the love God has shown us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Will you prayerfully consider making a year-end gift and
continuing to walk with us in this ministry?

Together, we can reflect Christ’s kindness, meet practical needs, and witness the transformation that only He can bring. May the Lord of the Universe renew you, strengthen you, and draw you closer to Him in the coming year.

With Gratitude,

Jim Holmlund
Executive Director – Love INC Heartland
763-972-6547 | info@loveincheartland.org

Three Ways To Get Involved

Pray For Love INC

We believe prayer is an integral part of who we are.
Will you join our prayer team? info@loveincheartland.org

Or, if you are in need of prayer let us know.

Share Financial Blessings

Whether $5 or $5,000–God will use your gift to transform lives. Become a giving partner today! www.loveincheartland.org/donate
Give Online or Mail: Love INC Heartland PO Box 143, Delano, MN 55328

Give A Gift

Gift Your Time

We have a variety of ways you can get involved as a volunteer with Love INC Heartland.

Volunteer

Full Circle In Transformation

Dec 9, 2025

Full Circle In Transformation

Written by Lisa Green, Fresh Start Program Director of Love INC Heartland

Years ago, *Amy was introduced to Love INC Heartland through our thrift store in Delano, Minnesota. She was expecting a baby, and her husband, *Jack, had been laid off from work. Their marriage was stressful, and they had other young children at home. We helped her pick out some baby clothes, and our excitement helped ease her worries about their situation. She was working at a job that didn’t pay much and wanted to make some changes. She decided to take a financial class with us in our Fresh Start Program. She attended class and met with her mentor, Pam. Jack eventually joined her in the class and the mentoring. They connected well with Pam and began to better understand finances.

Pam was a sweet older lady who poured Christ’s love and value into them. After a while, Pam experienced some health challenges and could no longer mentor. I spoke with her a few times, and she asked about the Fresh Start Program and about Amy and Jack. I would share with her about the lives that were being touched and transformed by God within the program.

A few years ago, Pam passed away. She left Love INC Heartland a significant gift of money because she believed in what God was doing in people’s lives, like Amy and Jack’s. Last year, Amy came into our store. I had not heard from her in years. She handed me an envelope of money and told me Love INC Heartland had helped her family during a very challenging time in their life. Our kindness was something she never forgot.

Since then, God has restored their life, and she has moved to a new position at work where she receives better pay. She wanted to give back and help others as we had helped them. I thought about the money Amy’s mentor had given us and looked at the envelope of money from Amy. I remembered the story of the widow’s mite in Luke 21:1–4, describing the true measure of a gift. It’s not about the monetary value but about the amount of sacrifice and devotion behind it. And suddenly, that small amount of money became significant.

Amy and Jack’s lives had been transformed by God within the Fresh Start Program, and now it had come full circle. God orchestrated this story over ten years ago, starting with Pam’s loving heart and willingness to be the hands and feet of Jesus to Amy and Jack. When Amy handed me the envelope of money and shared her gratitude with us, I smiled and thanked her with amazement in my heart. God worked in their lives, bringing them full circle in transformation.

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 NIV

*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality.

Kayla + Devon’s Transformation Story

Nov 25, 2025

Kayla + Devon’s Transformation Story

Written by Jim Holmlund, Executive Director of Love INC Heartland

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV

One of the biggest common denominators among people who are struggling financially in America is the lack of strong relationships.

At Love In the Name of Christ Heartland, we believe this deeply. We are confident that the reason people stay in our program has much more to do with the relationships they form—especially their relationship with God. He is the only one who can truly transform lives.

Kayla reached out to us a few years ago asking about what resources we could provide. Her story is similar to so many others. People reach out looking for help with financial struggles, and we take the opportunity to begin building a relationship. Kayla was feeling depressed and lonely. She was tired, overworked, and looking for relief.

Kayla and Devon soon started attending the Fresh Start Program, a program at Love INC Heartland that teaches life-skills classes. We believe that people are drawn to it because of the intentional community and the relationships it develops. Kayla and Devon were seeking a faith community and meaningful connections. Our Creator designed us for relationships—we need healthy relationships in our lives.

Kayla shared that one of her early struggles was discovering who she was in Christ. Like so many of us, she had strayed away from God, saying she was “doing everything her way.” She soon learned, “God’s way is always bigger and better than what I could have imagined.”

**During her time at our Fresh Start Program, she learned that she is created in God’s perfect image.**

She learned she is not a burden to God—that she can live free in His grace and does not need to be weighed down by guilt. She caught a glimpse of God’s unconditional love. One of the most powerful things Kayla shared was this: “I have learned healthy boundaries and relationships along with self-love.” It is very difficult to have healthy relationships with others—or with God—if we do not understand our own self-worth.

Kayla also shared how the Fresh Start Program helped her grow in confidence and become more willing to share her faith in Jesus. She started Fresh Start feeling lonely and hanging on by a prayer. Today, she is more confident and stronger in her faith walk. Her story truly sums up Love INC’s mission: we serve a great God who works His bigger and better plans.

In personal conversations I’ve had with Devon around the Fresh Start dinner table (mealtime is a big part of our intentional community), I’ve heard him share the impact the program has had on him as well. He felt lost before they came to Love INC Heartland, but the relationships and lessons have helped him tremendously. He has shared more than once that they look forward to the Fresh Start Program every Monday night.

When Kayla was asked what she would tell a friend about Love In the Name of Christ, her words were perfect: “Love INC changes lives. It gives resources and helps build relationships. You are never alone, and Love INC proves that.”

Kayla and Devon’s story is similar to many others. Every week, we see growth and signs of transformation—change that only our Father in Heaven can bring. We invite you to be part of these stories of transformation.

Be part of a ministry that believes we can’t just tell people about Jesus—we must be the hands and feet of Jesus.