HOPE Response / Team

TEAM

Piantedosi Family Team

Nick and Leslie met in a church single's group while on a mission trip! They each had very different paths that led them to have a desire to serve God in reaching out to others. Nick's life was focused on thrill-seeking, money making and having as much fun in life as he could until he found himself with a gun pointed to his head. He remembers clearly saying to God "so this is it" and all the questions of "am I ready to meet God with how I've lived my life?" or bargaining "if you save me from this then I promise I will be different!" God did save him from it and he did pursue a different life in every way at 29 years old. Leslie was raised in the church with a legacy of those who served God in many ways. She felt his call upon her life in 10th grade while at a camp to serve Him with her whole life and was urged to "start now to bloom where she was planted." She started a youth group and many youth connect with God even as a youth. That led to even going to study Bible in a Christian College. This soon became interrupted with a relationship that was filled with abuse and painful experiences. God rescued her from this 7 years later and though hope from the damage done seemed dim...God restored! Their own HOPE stories led to a versefrom the Bible that captures their heart for ministry: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

2 Cor. 1:3, 4

MATTHEW in Football Athletics, technology and cross-cultural friendships are his giftings by God!	Olivia and Children Serving in the ministry enabled Olivia to learn she is gifted in music and with children!

Our Children

We married and for five years hoped to have children. God provided yet not in the normal way. Instead we were blessed with two children to adopt when we made ourselves available to step into the crises of young people's lives to bring hope! Olivia was placed into our arms by tearful birthparents who very carefully selected us as the parents with whom they trusted their treasure. She shares her Hope story often and it has blessed many. We prayed that Olivia might know the joy of being a sibling. So we set out to make ourselves available through Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It was then after some time that a crisis call arose and we were the ones ready to receive it. The birthmom knew not for a long time that she was pregnant and only knew vague possibilities for the possible birthfather. In faith, we trusted God would show the way and dedicated him to the Lord before our church. It was during that service that an older woman visited that had never been there before and came forward after hearing our story. She shared her story of her grandson and the Spirit prompted the inclinations that we were connected through the boy in our arms. That same day the woman took her grandson for a paternity test and after APB's and other searches it was only God that led us together. The birthparents were thankful for our willingness to take as our own this baby who had struggled with health issues. Now he glorifies God as a picture of health and connects with the Latino part of his bloodline with friends he has made.

Board Members

An executive board is for the purpose of shared passion, accountability and purpose. The leading of the Lord was for us to become multi-cultural, multi-generational, and multi-disciplinary in our focus and board. We have been blessed with dear friends who have ministered side-by-side with us in these many years.

Sharon LaRue of Lebanese American culture has worked as an Independent Financial Accountant yet served in Children’s choirs, missions outreach, the Salt Mine Drama Team in England and after-school programming.

Michael Dallas, a Native American who has served as a pastor and now a tribal council leader for the Salt River Pima Tribe sent his two daughters with us on our missions outreach trips.

Sanghoon Yoo, of Korean heritage, with a background as a Pastor to University students and a Master in Social Work degree that has extensive experience in working with recovery, healing and community organization leading to movements. He presently is heading up the "Trauma Informed Community" group of Tempe.

Olivia, our daughter, now a 21 year old, attended Grand Canyon University in Early childhood and elementary education with a special needs certification. She loves children and singing for the Lord.

Stephen Franke, serves with his wife and children in an incarnate urban youth outreach with Cross Roads Youth Intervention, active as a member of Phoenix Bible Church, and Founder of UnitePhx Coalition of Churches "Serve Days" and is a valued University Development Manager of Church Liaisons for Grand Canyon University. He studied Theology first at Christ for the Nations and then at Grand Canyon University.