Exactly one year ago today, at about 10:00 a.m., we received an electronic version of our residential child care license. By noon, we had notified everyone we could think of – The Door was open for business. That night kids slept on new bunks and mattresses with handmade quilts and blankets, instead of the cots in the basement of a church, as they had the night before.

A year later, we still have “That was the first time…!” kinds of experiences, but now, thankfully, they happen much less often than they did during that first week! We knew how sheltering youth worked in the basement of the church, but we didn’t know how things would work in a two story, multi-roomed building. A lot of things changed, and we were challenged to grow with each new experience. In some ways, it feels like one year has provided us with five years of maturation!

Life is a journey, and this ministry – of providing shelter for homeless youth –  has also been a journey. We knew who our population was, but we are still working out the details of how best to reach them, how best to serve them, and how best to keep them connected with their support systems.

It was fitting we opened in April; a season of new beginnings. As we move into our second year of serving the youth and families in Fairbanks, we look forward to the new challenges ahead.