Let’s Party Sober Our July 4th BBQ was one for the books! 62 people came and hung out with us @fruitvalleyorchard ! We tried everyone’s favorite bbq snacks, went on orchard walks and adventures, watched no one get hurt on a trampoline (huge feat!), thanked God for iced coffee, and praised Jesus together as a …
A tribute to Diana Desens “In Jesus’ name. Thank God!” Words uttered from Diana Desens as she did the absolute honor of cutting the ribbon for our soft opening of the Desens House this month! Over a decade ago, Jonathan & Alissa Evans had conversations about the vision of a house in Oswego for those …
May – a time of renewal and awareness You may have heard multiple times and ways during the month of May that this is “Mental Health Awareness” month. The words “mental health” can bring up a lot of different emotions – happiness, sadness, confusion, depression, isolation, and more. This month, we hosted a line of …
April showers bring… … joy of indoor meals with friends? … fun indoor fitness classes and time in God’s word together? … a new appreciation for the pockets of sunshine needed to build new garden beds? These are just some of the things that this year’s “April showers” brought the Desens House. We are leaning …
Keep Marching On! Just like Joshua and friends around the city of Jericho (Joshua 6), we are continuing to “march” on, watching March leave almost as quickly as it came (and yes… the puns are in full swing as we transition into daylight savings, spring, and a new house!). This month, our crew focused on …
Full and Fun February February weather is always a little challenging. Despite the extreme temperature changes (and confused seasonal affective disorders) we still had lots of fun with our tribe this month, enjoying our indoor hideaways and some outdoor sunshine. We frequently sit back amazed at the beautiful community God has orchestrated in our midst. …
A Joyous January! We are frequently having conversations about God’s faithfulness, goodness, and grace that He has shown us through each day with our crew. Through the hardships, the victories, the challenges, and the celebrations, we are so thankful for a God who sees us (Gen 16:13), who hears us (Gen 16:11), and who desires …
MONTH IN REVIEW: December, 2022 What a Plentiful December! We are absolutely blown away with the way God has moved and orchestrated this wonderful tribe over the past year. Everything from community meals to our first women’s retreat; from long Zoom meetings to celebration dances over grants; from celebrated sobriety dates to some of our …
A FLYOVER OF NOVEMBER Over the last year of living out The Desens House mission, we have seen women change. We have seen women pick up the shattered pieces of their lives and choose to start over. And they have. They have moved into independent living, they have won their children back, they have gotten …
A few years ago I purchased an awesome sweater. It was wool, hand-spun from adorable doe eyed Irish sheep…and then a few months later, in a moment of preoccupation, I threw it into a load of laundry with my bedding…and it came out looking like a straitjacket for a two year old. For years this …
