I loved the story in the Sunday paper (April 29), “Livin’ downtown and lovin’ it.” It was a story about individuals who had a vision and were willing to invest in the future.

Those people choose to live and invest in the downtown. They were not placed there by a government program. They were willing to take up residence and take full responsibility of ownership of their project, unlike a slumlord who owns apartments in the ghetto but lives elsewhere.

It was a story of people who worked hard toward their goal and could see something good when everyone else could see only the bad.

My wife and I did the same thing as these folks, only 17 years ago. We sold our home in a nice residential neighborhood to live smack dab in the middle of the hood. We did not start a business like those in the story, but created an inner-city ministry called The Jesus Party.

Though we do not have the money it takes to renovate an old building into a work of art, it is amazing what a little paint, a clean yard and some nice affordable decor can do for an old eyesore.

We, too, love the downtown and have no regrets about investing what little we have into it. It makes no difference whether you have a lot or have a little, it is all in how you use what you have.

It starts with a dream, and dreaming doesn’t cost anything.

The Rev. Doug Taylor, Lewiston