Missionary Renegade: "Our Spring Appeal - 2018" The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto Ontario Canada for Saturday, 31 March 2018

Saturday, March 31, 2018

"Our Spring Appeal - 2018" The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto Ontario Canada for Saturday, 31 March 2018

"Our Spring Appeal - 2018" The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto Ontario Canada for Saturday, 31 March 2018

HNS SPRING APPEAL 2018

Dear Friends,
I've been thinking a lot about loneliness lately.

You may have heard that in the UK a government commission reported that nearly nine million Britons, or 14% of the population, suffer from loneliness. Loneliness has become such a problem that the country now has a newly appointed "Minister of Loneliness". In Japan, elder loneliness is so prevalent
that it has become a recognized phenomenon. And in the United States, a former Surgeon General recently stated that over 40% of adults in America report feeling lonely, and research suggests that the real number may well be higher.
As I have discovered through our recent Caregiving Initiatives, many at-home caregivers suffer greatly from loneliness and exhaustion, especially those who have no support network in place.

Loneliness isn't confined to any one country or age group.

A young woman, a teenager whom I know well, recently attempted to take her own life because she could no longer face feeling alone, unloved and unwanted. This despite her 800 virtual "friends" and connections on social media. The reality of her struggle shook me to my core.
Even Henri Nouwen had a life long struggle with loneliness and anxiety, which at one point led to a downward spiral of self-rejection and despair. Yet in true Henri-fashion, he was able to unearth a diamond in the midst of his turmoil. In a journal he kept at the time (later published as The Inner Voice of Love) Henri wrote to himself, "Your loneliness may be revealed to you as the other side of a unique gift. Once you can experience in your innermost being the truth of this, you may find your loneliness not only tolerable but fruitful."

Our lonely, hurting world needs the wisdom of Henri Nouwen now more than ever.

Your financial support will help us with this very important mission

Henri writes so clearly, eloquently, and deeply about understanding the pain of one's loneliness. I hear regularly from people of all ages and backgrounds whose lives have been opened to a newer and richer understanding of God's love in the midst of their pain through Henri's spiritual insight and perspective.

Your gift will help broaden our existing outreach

When friends and acquaintances share candidly with me, I am at times overwhelmed to learn just how many suffer debilitating loneliness. I also feel encouraged because we have such a rich resource to offer them through the words of Henri Nouwen.

Your donation will help to develop new materials and programs to address this pandemic of loneliness

I am not naïve enough to think we can heal the world... but I sincerely believe we can make an indelible impact in the worlds where we each have influence: with our families, our friends, our communities, our workplaces, even our churches.
Please prayerfully consider generously supporting our work. If Henri Nouwen has touched your life in a meaningful way, your gift will help the Henri Nouwen Society touch the lives of others in an equally meaningful way.