The support you provided us over the past year was as unprecedented as the pandemic we were facing. Just over a year ago, we came to you and asked for your help so we could continue providing food to those in need in our community. We knew we were preparing for the hunger crisis of a generation, and your response showed us we wouldn't have to do it alone.

This letter is to thank you for believing in our work and to give you a sense of the impact you have helped us make in our community over the past year.Your choice to invest in our mission, to trust our team and to believe in our clients gave us everything we needed to respond bigger and bolder. Your gifts gave our team the freedom to lean into their creativity and find new, safe ways to make more food available in more ways than ever before.

More than 60,000 times an individual or family came to The Open Door for food support in the last year and walked away with not only fresh food, but knowing that their community cared for them and would be there for them. That's more than double any year in our history!

"Thank you" doesn't begin to do our gratitude justice, so we hope when you look through this letter at the tremendous things you helped us accomplish, that you know the impact of your actions goes well beyond the confines of The Open Door. Your love and generosity resonates across Dakota County in stronger and healthier families. We know our work isn't done but with you on our side, we know we can ensure that fresh and healthy food will be available to thousands across Dakota County.

Jason Viana
Executive Director

The Never-ending story...

Dear Praying Friends, 

Thank you so much for praying that we would be able to fly to the USA this weekend! We all went to the hospital to get our Covid-19 tests done, and the kids all came up negative. But Elina and I were both still positive, just a bit - enough to keep us from flying. Sigh.

I have to admit, it was really hard to get that news. We've lost count of the number of times that our tickets have been changed, and it sometimes feels like we'll never get to America.

Then we started counting our blessings. Elina's family is so happy to have us here. They are thankful for the time they get to spend with us, and we are too. We are all feeling very healthy now. We can feel safe when we travel, because we've all had Covid-19! Also, the airlines have been very, very flexible with us, and we have had almost no extra cost for this latest change.

And we are thankful for your prayers. Even when God doesn't  answer "Yes", we know He is listening, and He cares. He knows the perfect timing, and He is giving us His "peace that surpasses all understanding" - thanks to your prayer and petition, with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6-7). We ask you to pray for our new dates: Fly to the big city on June 7, and fly to America on June 8.

We will try to make the most of our time here, and we very much look forward to giving you good news, sooner or later!

Shalom in Christ,
Scott, Elina, Linus, Jane and Livy Turner

Valley Missions team and Church family,
A note of thanks!
Once again we come to you with a grateful heart as the ministry continues to touch lives in the inner city of San Luis Posoti, Mexico. 

Ontañon Church of Christ:
The church has successfully opened up once again as they continue to follow the Health Department guidelines.  It’s good to be able to worship together, hear God’s word preached, take communion and share in our gifts and offerings together.  Jose once again started meeting in the home of one of our members for weekly Bible studies on Wednesday evenings. 

Emanuel Kids:
Children´s day, April 30, was an overwhelming success in every way.  The children came from the neighborhood (inner city) and enjoyed a day full of fun activities, such as games, music, snacks, and listening to God´s work spoken to them. Your gifts help us with opportunities like to this to share the news that Jesus loves the little children.

Emanuel Moms:
Jose also prepared a special Sunday service on May 9 to celebrate our special Mothers who form part of the Ontañon Church of Christ. 

Just a quick highlight of how you are making a difference in a faraway place from your home to the homes of our children and families surrounding the mission of Emanuel.  

Serving with you.
Jose, David and Sheri

P.S.  Don’t forget to check out the special video posted about the Emanuel Kids, Children´s day, on our Facebook pages of Emanuel Mexico Mission and Iglesia Cristiana

Trying to Persevere

Dear Praying Friends,
 
Today is the day we would have flown to the capital city, and we’d be flying to the USA tomorrow…sigh. The good news is, we have new flights booked for Saturday and Sunday next week! So far, the tickets are still good. Please pray that we can fly on 15-16 May as planned. This would mean that A) our tickets are not postponed again, and B) none of us test positive for Covid-19.

As we wrote last time, Elina and I tested positive about a week ago, and the kids had some symptoms as well. We are all feeling much better now, though we’re not at 100%. By next week, when we plan to fly, we will no longer be contagious. However, people who have Covid-19 can test positive for up to 90 days(!). Please pray that we will test negative - we really want to go!

Thank you for your prayers and notes. They have been a comfort during this frustrating time. We are counting our blessings, among them:

- Improving health
- Elina’s family being gracious hosts through all of this
- Weather that is cooler than normal for the season
- We sincerely hope to see you soon!

Blessings,
Scott, Elina, Linus, Jane and Livy Turner

Dear Friends of Amnion,

We're 30 days away from our Walk for Life on June 5 at Eden Baptist Church in Burnsville!
Here are the updated numbers at this point:

• We have 171 walkers registered!
• We've raised over $15,600 (including corporate sponsors)
• We have 7 local businesses sponsoring the Walk
  

There are two ways to support our Walk for Life:

• Participate as a walker and raise money for Amnion. Register here.
  
• Give to the Walk: make a general donation to the Walk or find a particular walker to sponsor. Donate here.

Thank you for your wonderful support of Amnion and the clients we serve!

Mark Opseth
Executive Director

Help Offer Hope | Walk for Life
Amnion Pregnancy Center 13775 Nicollet Ave S Burnsville, MN 55337 US