HOW REST MINISTRIES BEGAN

Welcome to Rest Ministries. This chronic illness/pain organization began in the spring of 1997 as I sat on the couch with swollen joints and a body that barely moved. I began to formulate ideas about how I could reach out to people who were hurting, with hope and comfort. God cares. He still has a plan for your life. We may not be healed, but God will not waste our suffering.

After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 24, I was introduced to the world of chronic illness and daily pain. It was not a happy place. I found people in despair, where once there was hope. Sadness, where once there was joy. And hopelessness and loneliness where there had been relationships. A simple newsletter began and it quickly was passed from friend to friend. I began spending time on the internet, seeing how it could act as the foundation to launch such a ministry where there was no budget.

Years later, Rest Ministries has become one of my greatest joys in life. Our newsletter has turned into HopeKeepers® Magazine. We have reached out to hundreds of thousands of people through the web, newsletters, phone calls, and emails. People are connecting with one another and with Christ. God has sent volunteers who have helped us expand our services. Each day we average around 80,000 hits to our web site (that completely floors me!) In Feb 2003, we released a devotional book, Mosaic Moments, and in July 2004, Why Can't I Make People Understand?

This was followed by Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend. In June 2007 we established our own publishing branch called Rest Publishers.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website. It is a home where "everyone understands." You will find people here who will embrace you right where you are at. You will meet people who will rejoice with you and who will also cry with you. If you are looking for more than just a "web relationship," we invite you find out more about our HopeKeepers® support groups that exist throughout the United States (and beyond!).

Please don't leave without bookmarking our page (do it now!) because I know that you will want to come back and check out articles, message boards and more, again and again. Our site offers over 300 pages of encouragement and hope that you will be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

Dig into it! Be sure to try the search engine at the bottom of every page if you are looking for something and you don't see it.

We welcome your comments and suggestions and look forward to getting to know you. I know that living in daily pain is not easy. In '99 I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It has not been an easy journey, but one in which I have been so very blessed. I hope you will stick with us while some of the blessings are revealed.

 

Rest director & founder