*While supplies last. One gift will be given per donation with the gift being the highest qualifying gift. Contact us immediately at info@foundationrestoration.org if you prefer a different gift than the one you qualify for. For example, if you donated $50 but prefer the ornament over the small trivet.
A Note from Erin Hensche, creator of the Deeply Rooted Fundraiser:
Thank you for supporting Foundation Restoration through this fundraiser. Your donation is appreciated! My husband Jeremy and I have been long time financial supporters of Foundation Restoration because we can relate to the struggles of marriage and identify with the peaks and valleys each couple goes through while walking through life together and the occasional need for help! Demanding careers, familial needs, financial demands, social engagements, community related obligations, and so many other external factors pull spouses in so many directions, and it is easy to lose focus on the foundation that holds everything together, our marriages. Without prioritizing our relationship, everything starts to come unglued. Whether in a marriage, in a relationship, or just trying to navigate life as an individual, we all need encouragement and support and the physical, mental and emotional struggles we face are real. That is where the resources Foundation Restoration offers through therapy, seminars, educational materials, social media and so much more come in to play. Their commitment to marriages, families and individuals is remarkable! This is why Jeremy and I have decided to host a fundraiser for this very vital non-profit organization. Foundation Restoration relies heavily upon generous donors like you to keep these resources and ministry available. Sadly, many factors have contributed to a huge downturn in charitable donations for non-profits all over the country. Jeremy and I believe that we have a responsibility to step up to the plate and support those at Foundation Restoration who are called to be in the trenches doing this vital work by any means available to us. So in addition to our monthly donations, we decided to step out in faith and host a fundraiser on behalf of Foundation Restoration, planting a seed of faith, trusting God for a miraculous outcome.
Jeremy and I both have extremely demanding careers in the travel industry that require us to be apart at least half of the month, sometimes more. Life gets in the way and even when we have time together, often distractions and other obligations prevent us from prioritizing time together. We saw this project as a threefold blessing. Not only would we have the privilege of supporting Foundation Restoration, but it would also provide a way to prioritize our marriage, by bringing us together on a project that would in return benefit other families, marriages and individuals who face many of the same challenges we face. What a blessing! How could we not get excited?
Jeremy and I both love working with wood which served as our inspiration for the fundraiser. All of the goods are locally sourced and handmade here in Minnesota in the good ole USA. We chose the materials based on their characteristics. River birch, which we used for ornaments, is very common in Minnesota, and it’s a fast-growing, semi-aquatic tree that has a canopy that covers an extensive area. It’s very valuable source of erosion control and it’s durable. These characteristics reminded us of many of those seen in good, strong marriages. The large canopy serves as protection to the tree, it thrives in wet environments that are oftentimes dominated by sand and clay soil while preventing erosion much like a strong marriage weathers harsh circumstances and adversity maintaining a strong foundation.
To parallel the river birch, Jeremy chose cedar for coasters and hot pad trivets, for its virtually indestructible qualities. Cedar resists rot; it’s extremely durable, noted for its strength, pleasant smell and beauty. Every marriage, relationship and individual faces trials and tribulations, peaks and valleys, but it’s the foundation that keeps it strong, holds it together and given the right resources, time and attention, it can flourish and come out smelling sweet and revealing beauty to everyone around it.
Finally, we chose to use brass brands to mark the wood. Why? Brands require heat and fire to leave the beautiful markings you can get no other way. They tell a story and leave a mark that can’t be rubbed off. This represents the trials, fire and heat we face in life. They hurt and burn and leave us breathless at times, but in the end they tell a story no one else can tell and make the product that much more beautiful!
We all need the resources that Foundation Restoration offers to assist in navigating the muddy waters of life, relationships, family and marriages. Sometimes it’s ok to say we need help. Maybe it’s an article someone reads on www.FoundationRestoration.org, maybe it’s the seminar that gives the near divorce couple the encouragement and tools they need to recommit, maybe it’s the blended family that doesn’t know how to integrate their children who are given an outlet and the strength they need in therapy. In any case, Foundation Restoration needs our support and the commitment of monthly donors to continue this vital ministry. Join Jeremy and me in praying that this fundraiser is a miraculous blessing and benefit to Foundation Restoration and all the lives it touches every single day.
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT & HELP US REACH OUR GOAL OF
$20,000
Now through 12/31, your financial gift will be DOUBLED up to $10,000!
*While supplies last. One gift will be given per donation with the gift being the highest qualifying gift. Contact us immediately at info@foundationrestoration.org if you prefer a different gift than the one you qualify for. For example, if you donated $50 but prefer the ornament over the small trivet.
A Note from Ashley McIlwain, Founder & CEO of Foundation Restoration:
Over 10 years ago, God gave me the passion and vision for a ministry that would target restoring the foundation and very heartbeat of our society – marriages. Over the past decade plus, I have become more and more convinced that this work is so very vital. We are seeing our society more confused, chaotic, destructive, depressed, angry, and hopeless than ever. There is a sense of disorientation, and I believe that’s because our homes have fallen apart. People have lost sight of the imperative nature of a loving, whole home. Not perfect, but in tact. There is no anchor in people’s lives anymore, and as a result we are seeing many adrift and lost.
The work we do at Foundation Restoration to equip, strengthen, and restore individuals, marriages, and families is not for the faint of heart. Daily we are on the front lines of a vicious battle – an earthly battle, but even more so a spiritual battle. Matthew 12:25 comes to mind when Jesus said how “every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Division is everywhere we look, and I believe this took root when marriages and families became divided.
We have already spent nearly 400 hours face-to-face with individuals, couples, and families facing everything from depression to anxiety, communication issues to intimacy struggles, trauma to grief, preparation for marriage to on the verge of divorce, suicidal thoughts to identity issues. You name it, we’ve walked through it with someone. In the midst of those stories and journeys, we have seen hope, victory, peace, joy, intimacy, connection, and growth. God is using this ministry is mighty ways, and I know He has SO much more in store. Friends, we are in a climate where a Christian marriage ministry is an uphill battle. There is so much darkness all around us, and yet, I believe that’s where the Lord will allow us to shine brightest. The truth is, we cannot shine without financial partnerships. We cannot minister without resources to do so. It’s easy to think that someone else will stand in support, but the reality is, that someone is you. We need you, and we want you. We want to invite you into this incredible, necessary, rewarding work that our Heavenly Father is doing in and through us. So please, join us!
Speaking of support, Jeremy & Erin Hensche have stepped up and offered something truly incredible – this Deeply Rooted Fundraiser. They spent countless, precious, pain-staking hours handcrafting beautiful wooden ornaments, coasters, small & large trivets, as an incentive for people to donate to our ministry this year! All of the wood was sources locally in Minnesota, where they live, and together, they crafted these beauties! It was a labor of love and an incredibly generous, amazing, beautiful act of support that has left my heart and spirit so encouraged! This act of support is unbelievable, and we are so deeply touched by their belief in what God has done, is doing, and will do through Foundation Restoration!
Please consider joining us in this vital work, and as a result, enjoy these spectacular works of art! THANK YOU!!!
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