For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. - 1 Timothy 1:7

We are living in times of much uncertainty in light of the situation with the COVID-19 outbreak. We all find ourselves doing and thinking about things differently than we would have just a few short weeks ago. Some of you may have been wondering how this recent epidemic has affected Gateway Woods, and we wanted to share some thoughts.

First of all, we are thankful that our government and the Department of Homeland Security deems organizations like Gateway Woods — social service agencies that are helping youth and families during this season of uncertainty — essential to society. There are so many people who depend on the services we offer and would be hard pressed if we had to completely shut down and turn everyone away.

I heard it said the other day that it’s okay to have a healthy amount of fear — enough fear to prepare ourselves, but not so much that it paralyzes us. I think also of 1 Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Those are wise words that we are attempting to live by here at Gateway Woods, and that means some changes for our physical campus, our staff, and the people we serve.

We wanted to inform you, as a supporter of this ministry, some of the issues for which we would so appreciate your prayers.

• We are continuing to deliver quality care. Our staff is dedicated to our mission, especially at this time of so many unknowns.
• We are complying. We are obeying all local and national directives and continue to stay in contact with those making decisions that affect our organization.
• We have closed our campus to visitors in order to protect our staff, staff children, and the people we serve.
• We are utilizing technology. As many of our staff as possible are working remotely, and we’re still able to provide necessary counseling services to our residents, their families, foster families, and the like.
• We are postponing any in-person events or church presentations.
• We continue to prepare for our annual auction on August 1^st, 2020 even if our meetings are via teleconference.
• We are spreading the good virus of hope. Tune into our social channels to hear some good news for a change!
• We expect better days are coming. As my late mother used to say, "This too shall pass."
• We seek to embrace God’s Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Gateway is blessed to be the recipient of your love and support. We pray you stay healthy, find meaningful ways to connect with those you love, and take every opportunity to show gratitude in this season that will soon be past.