For a "different" change of pace, this is Marybeth (Hersey) Mitcham writing this blog, instead of Bruce.  Yes, I know that this technically is Bruce's blog, but I am Bruce's daughter, as well as his Administrative Assistant (both daunting tasks at times!), so I decided to "pen" this blog to honor not only the legacy of Bruce, but the longer legacy of his parents, Joe and Betty Hersey.
They say that you become more like the one that you love, especially when you spend a lot of time with them.  My grandparents have been married for over 60 years, and I have seen a softness increase in my grandfather, as a feistiness has increased in my grandmother. 
My grandfather, even in his eighties, has a twinkle in his eye that rivals a mischevious 5 year-old boy.  He revels in "practical jokes," and has made countless individuals laugh (usually nervously, after much shrieking) due to his antics, that have ranged from wriggling fake black worms on his tongue during a routine checkup at the dentist's office, to fake arms, danging out of a closed car trunk, to pressure-sensitive mats that enable water to shoot out of a sprinkler on the other side of the property (family reunions at his house were usually cautiously attended).  My grandmother, is the most loving, gentle-hearted, motherly individual that I have ever known.  However, as her granddaughter, I am not foolish enough to mistake love and gentleness with weakness.  Grandma is a force to be reckoned with!  As a child (and, to be honest, even as an adult), my grandma would routinely soundly trounce me in any board game that I dared play with her.  I think that out of my entire childhood, I could honestly count my wins on one hand.  Grandma had a lead foot on the gas pedal (man, could she drive!), and would not take any "sassing" from anyone, including my Grandpa.  Joe and Betty both have very different personalities that have complemented each other well over the years.  They are more than just good people, though.
My grandparents are truly the sorts of Christians who live out what they believe.  Their home has always been open to everyone, irregardless of whether or not the person looks, acts, sounds, or even smells "right."  I can remember driving to church with them on Sunday mornings, stopping several miles out of the way to pick up several particularly smelly and ill-dressed individuals because my grandparents knew that the only way that these people would ever hear God's Word was for His people to actually love them enough to sacrifice their time--and sensibilities--to bring people to church.  My grandparents' house was the object of an arson attack once, brought on by an extremely troubled young man whom they had opened their house to.  Despite this, they still showed that young man love.  They have always given of time, food, and shelter to anyone who needed it. 
Sometimes, they have been thanked for their sacrifice.  Sometimes, they have been cursed for it.  Despite severe physical trials and illnesses, family tragedies, financial hardship, and several house fires, my grandparents have gladly given their all--and more--all because of their love of Christ, my grandfather's Yeshua HaMaschiach. 
My grandparents have lived out a legacy of loving and serving their Savior, and have passed that legacy on to their children, who are serving the Lord themselves.  One child, Bruce, is now a Prison Chaplain, as well as Director of The Open Door.  My Dad is following in the faithful legacy of his parents, taking care of God's people--the unlovely, as well as the lovely--fulfilling Christ's mandate in Matthew 25:40 that has become the key verse for The Open Door: "As you did it to one of the least of these my bretheren, you did it to me." 
As I stated earlier, people do become more like the one that they love, especially when they spend a lot of time with them.  You can see it in my grandparents, Joe and Betty (as well as Bruce!).  They are like the One whom they serve, Jesus. 
I am honored to be in their family, and I love them very much.  Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for your many years of serving Him, and creating a legacy that is changing so many lives today.  I love you! 

Spring is a time of growth and renewal of life.  Things that have lain dormant over the (long!) winter, and do not appear to have any life start to bud and grow again.  Plants start to poke out of the ground.  Trees start to bud new leaves.  Animals are seen again, and some start to have new babies.  People start spending more time outside.  Things seen to suddenly come alive again. 
But were they ever dead?
During the winter months, not much seems to be alive, here in the Adirondacks.  Snow blankets the ground, the air is so chilled that your very breath seems to freeze solid in your nostrils, animals search for warmth, and the only greenery that is seen are the evergreens.  Even though things seem to not be alive during the winter, and that they come back to life in the spring, life continues throughout the long winter months. 
In a very similar way, we often go through "winter" periods in our ministry, where we seem to be constantly giving out to people, often feeling that we are struggling for our very existence, and seeing very little--if any--growth or thanks in return.  During these periods, it is easy to become discouraged, wondering if all of the sacrifice and work is making any difference at all.  Yet, even when things seem the worst, God's Work is still being done, and life--whether seen or not--is still there. 
From time to time, we will see a little bit of the spring-like growth from our efforts.  A note of thanks from one individual to whom a word of kindness and a plate of food made a big difference in making them feel worth something again.  People asking how they can help out here, since they have heard wonderful things about what we have been doing on South Street.  People who used to come here as "clients," only wanting to get, and are now coming back as volunteers, wanting to now give. 
God is good, and only He knows what work is being done underground, in secret, during the long winter months.  May He continue to increase the growth, as we continue to serve Him!