Frederick Buechner once said, "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

In 2014, my husband, Dave Friese, and I (Becky Friese) faced a transition in our lives. As we thought about what would come next, we looked for ways that our "deep gladness" could help meet the needs of a hungry world. We considered these questions:

• How can we offer counseling that's affordable for a wide range of people?
• Is there a church we can partner with who might share our vision for a community counseling center?
• How can we help parents by passing along the insights we've gleaned in our years of parenting and ministry?
• How can we use our years of experience in church ministry to encourage and help ministry couples?

Slowly but surely, the answers became clear, and Restore & Rebuild Ministries was launched in November 2014, as a DBA of Break Thru Ministries in Los Alamitos, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) based in Los Alamitos, California, that supports our vision for helping people.

We connected with Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Diego County, and found that they shared our vision of a counseling center that provides quality counseling to church members and to the local community.

Soon, people stepped forward who felt called to support the vision of Restore & Rebuild. Many committed to support us by faithfully praying for our ministry. Some provided financial support. With the donor support, we were able to offer a generous sliding scale for our counseling services. We were even able to make available some scholarships for people with special needs.

The doors of our counseling center opened in January 2015, and we've had a steady stream of clients ever since. Because of our scholarships and sliding scale, we are able to help people who would otherwise be unable to afford counseling, such as:

• college students
• recent immigrants
• young couples
• people newly separated or divorced
• young adults who are new to the workforce
• those who are unemployed or facing financial setbacks
• people chronically ill or on disability
• lower income families

Of course, we also see many people who are well able to afford our fees!

Over time, the word began to get out among local seminaries, churches, and parachurch ministries that we understand ministry issues. More and more people in ministry started seeking us out. We are truly filling a need!

In 2016, Susie Loomis joined our team as a Certified Family Life Educator, followed by Kristen Marcuson, LMFT, in 2018. They both have since transitioned into their own practices.

In January 2022, we were blessed to have Sonja Spano Pratt join our team as a Professional Clinical Counselor Trainee. Sonja brings to the job a wealth of life experience, more than 20 years as a teacher, and a heart for helping people.

That's the Restore & Rebuild Ministries story so far! We are eager to see how God leads and what lies ahead!