Dear Refreshing Hope Family,

I hope this message finds you warm, safe, and happy wherever you are. Thank you so much for being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. We wouldn't be here without you. May the beauty of the Lord's presence shine on you this holiday season and brighten your life and that of your loved ones, bringing a wonderful celebration of Christmas and a New Year filled with happiness, hope, and peace.

It's a bit hard to believe, but the end of 2025 is upon us. Soon, we will release a video newsletter covering our journey through 2025 and our plans for 2026, but we wanted to take a moment to say thank you. While praying about our first newsletter, this verse came to my mind - a reminder that our dreams are on their way and at just the right time. We are truly here for such a time as this.

(Habakkuk 2:2–3 ESV) And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."

We have continued developing the Refreshing Hope website, our "ecosystem," and have pushed over 250 updates live during 2025. I designed two "mirrored" servers where I can use one for development and testing, then, when features are ready, push them to the live server with no downtime. The next time you load the page, the changes appear. With this system, we have 100% uptime.

* We finally got fiber optic internet installed! I have waited for years for fiber to be available here, and we got it installed this summer. It took our upload speed from 20 Mbps to 2,000 Mbps. 100 times faster, for such a time as this.

* We upgraded to a new firewall and network switches to fully utilize the new internet connection. We now have our internal network and servers running at 10 Gbps. We can support many more simultaneous users and live-stream without bottlenecks.

* One big update we made is adding weekly Bible Quizzes with a scoreboard. We have about a hundred Bible Quizzes now and are adding new ones weekly. They are paired with a devotion, and it is a way to reinforce what you learn. Many new members are finding us through the quizzes.

* We added an Audio Library that contains our original music and a live service archive. There is a pop-out audio player so you can build your own playlist and listen even while browsing other sites. You can also download them to listen to later.

* We created an RHM Web App that you can install on most devices, which is cleaner and faster. It turns the site into an installable Progressive Web App, and you can enable notifications in your profile settings.

* We added themes so you can customize the website to be light or dark, blue, purple, green, pink, silver, gold, or a combination of colors. You can find those under "Theme Settings."

* We added the ASV, KJV, and WEB Bible translations, which you can set in your profile settings. When you click a Bible reference, it will be shown in that format. There is also a basic Bible search page.

* We now offer a weekly digest of the devotionals if one per day is too much. You can find that under your profile -> subscriptions.

* We added SMS Text notifications so you can get the devotional sent to your phone.

* We have added geo-fencing to block shady locations from creating accounts or logging in. They can still read the devotionals and take quizzes, but not post or message members.

* We added a "Read Aloud" button to devotionals to help the vision impaired and those on the go.

* We have recently started a Refreshing Hope YouTube channel and are uploading our video devotionals there: https://www.youtube.com/@refreshinghope. If the videos have ads, they are not ours but put on there by YouTube. We try to keep our website, emails, and channels ad-free.

Of course, there are so many other changes and features like our small groups, prayer network, live streams, and chat, but those are some highlights of what has been happening behind the scenes. We have made over 600 updates since launch, with new features arriving weekly: https://www.refreshinghope.org/changes.

We have managed to reach many goals this year that always seemed just out of reach because we were willing to break from the norm and not go with the flow of what everyone else was doing. We don't choose the easiest path.

For example, choosing to keep the website ad-free because it provides a better experience for God's people, even though it would be an additional income stream. Jesus said that if you did it for the least of His brethren, you did it for Him (Matthew 25:37–40). Wouldn't you want Jesus to have the best you could give Him? Then, do the same for His people.

We are now at the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more to come. We are here for such a time as this to bring hope to the Lord's people, Refreshing Hope. Someone recently gave me a chuckle when they posted, "Refreshing Hope is the Happiest place on earth." We are indeed very blessed.

Year-End Giving:

The Lord has faithfully taken care of us here, and each time we have had a need, He has provided for it somehow. We have to do the physical work, which I am fine with, but He gives us the tools, strength, provisions, and skills to do it. He puts the right people in our lives at just the right time to help us. Sylvia and I do this full-time and live on pure faith that the Lord will continue to provide for us. Today, I am happy to say that we aren't driven by financial needs, but I do want to mention this:

As a supporter of RHM, you may have plans to contribute at the year's end. If that's the case, then we graciously welcome your year-end donation, which may allow you to "render a little less to Caesar and a little more to the Lord." RHM is a non-profit organization, and your donations here are tax-deductible. So, if you wish to send a year-end contribution, please be sure that your gift is made by December 31 to be credited in 2025. You can donate securely online here:

https://www.refreshinghope.org/page/67/donations

Prayer:

If you need prayer, please click on the Prayer link on the website menu (you will need to be logged in). Here also is the direct link: https://www.refreshinghope.org/prayer. If you are interested in joining our prayer team, please contact us.

Thank you:

In closing, we extend our deepest gratitude for the abundant encouragement we receive from you, our church family. Your cards, gifts, and supportive words are the very expressions of God's love through you. We couldn't make it without you. I know that God has great things in store for Refreshing Hope, and we so appreciate each of you who has stood by us through the hard times. Our prayer wall is covered with your cards and letters.

We love you, and more importantly, God loves you. Thank you for being such an integral part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. Merry Christmas!

Pastors Dion & Sylvia