The Mission

The Mission....

In a rapidly changing culture, woman of all ages are being persuaded to believe they have to be able to do it all. The media emphasizes beauty; economic western culture stresses careers are more important than a woman’s role as both a wife and mother; finally, Satan’s lies are attacking the emotions of women through their painful experiences, addictions, illnesses, unhappy marriages, and guilt.However, the battle has already been won. Every woman has been rescued from the serpent by a Father that adores and cherishes the daughters he loves. From this truth, Safe Haven Family Ministries desires to establish a venue for hurting women to seek out other women who are willing to come along side them and walk with them as they restore their relationship with a Papa who loves and cares about every desire and need they have. Through the mentoring of other women who have had similar life experiences, prayer, and joint exploration of the Bible in relevant life applications, we will walk the road together. Collectively helping to lead woman from any vocation, any family setting, in any stage of life to the realization she has a purpose which is designed to allow her to be sheltered with God’s grace, forgiveness, and experiencing an abundant life. The vision is for this web site to only be the beginning of a God centered outreach. With God’s timing, direction, and leading, the opportunity for personal counseling, group meetings, and expanded web ministry will be provided for all women who seek out to know the truth. Further opportunities for family support to include mentoring for mothers, single women, and teens will one day be established through partnerships with Godly individuals and other ministries.

Safe Haven Family Ministries - Confidante discussions

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My Story





What Brought Me Here.......
Being raised in a Christian home with a foundation in both Methodist and Mennonite doctrine, I enjoyed a treasured family life. From an early age I challenged what was being taught and the whys as to the traditions and customs that were being followed. I have loved reading the Bible and enjoyed learning the origins of our faith and current belief system. During my more turbulent teen years, I challenged authority and the purpose of my life.

Shortly after finishing an accounting and computing vocational program and high school graduation, I worked for a local savings and loan association. I quickly established myself as an asset to our repossession office team and was exposed to the corporate and banking views and values. Within a year I married my high school sweetheart, Tim, and started a family.

Being both of us came from traditional family settings, we agreed it would be beneficial for me to quit my job and stay home to care for our three children. Safe Haven Child Care was created to provide additional family income. Continuing with my education and receiving an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood with honors, allowed me to be an active member in our local chapter of the Association for the Education of Young Children. Safe Haven was chosen to be a part of a pilot program with Head Start and became certified to provide services to 5 counties in the upper Appalachian region of Ohio. Being active in the children’s ministry in four local churches over the years, the opportunity presented itself I could move into a leadership position within the children’s ministries program at Grace Chapel. I was given the ability to work with our pastor in developing a children’s protection program, which was also used within our community AWANA program. After the implementation of the protection program, AWANA invited me to share the development, theories, and implementation of safety within the church setting. I continued to attend further education in the domains of special needs assessment and inclusion skills, sensory integration programs, and speech development. As my skills increased, the clientele also changed. I was now serving and mentoring teen mothers, mothers who had never graduated from high school, and mothers who were now finding their selves in a single parent role. This prompted me to gain further knowledge in Biblical mentoring, counseling techniques, and working with the teen population. I enjoyed my work and had great passion about the children and parents God brought to our home. I was invited to speak before the Ohio Senate and House committees regarding family advocacy issues and early childhood professionalism. In 2005, Safe Haven Child Care received child care of the year award by the local chapter of NAEYC. We were honored to have been a teacher mentoring site for the local high school and two local colleges.

This all changed after Dec. 19, 2001. During this time, deep soul searching, navigation through a deepening tunnel of fog, and continued financial destruction would lead to the closure of the child care. Then a move in career path which would be difficult but stretching me out of the comfort zone that had been enjoyed for so many years. This all would lead us to the current creation of Safe Haven Family Ministries.


My Story .......
Currently my story is being reviewed and revised. As soon as the development of the final product is finished I will be able to share it with you personally. However, I do want to thank my family for their support in allowing me to grow as both a woman and a Christian and encouraging me to keep growing. I also would like to thank four special clowns that came into my life during the first years of my children’s ministry career and have again come back into my life during the difficult transition into a new chapter in my life. I thank them for encouraging me to write this story and jumping out of my boat to serve God once again.For now here is a peek.....

My Story …..What we have experienced may be very similar to what you may have gone through; or it may be very different. We all have a story to tell. I strongly believe God uses our stories to tell a tale which will help others who are coming behind us to get refreshment and encouragement along the way.We were blessed to be able to have a wonderful home in a country setting. The farm was our little paradise on the hill. We enjoyed active fellowship with other families in our church and had an outreach ministry of a childcare within our home. We were blessed with three God loving children and enjoyed their maturing into loving young adults.

This would all change after a truck accident on December 19, 2001. As a family we would struggle to move beyond the disappointments and changes this event would bring. I would resist moving past the hurt and loss of direction as I would be forced to give up the career I loved. My struggle with depression and disappointment within my own expectations of what my life should be and the time lost with our children left wounds with deep scars. My inability to release my hurt and my family to God’s control lead me onto a road which would be destructive to both my own emotions and my family.

However, God is faithful and will keep seeking to restore us as our place as a daughter. Through actively seeking God's wisdom through prayer, Bible study, and Godly direction from counselors and friends, I would be able to move past some of the hurt to restore many parts of my life. It is only through the active relationship with a God that loves me can I carry on the journey through this life as I am looking for the me that I once had, the me in Christ and a daughter of The King.

What I Believe To Be True......
· The Bible is the Living Word of God and a personal letter written to each woman. (John 1:1-4; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)· Every sin I have ever committed or will have committed has already been forgiven because of the death of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, the perfect sacrifice. (1 John 1:7)

· I am totally acceptable to God. I don’t have to perform any services, achieve any goals, or complete any task to gain God’s attention. I only have to believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and stands in the gap between me and God. (Ephesians 1:4-6 and 1 Peter 2:4)· God does not make any mistakes; everything that happens in my life has already been known by God and has been sifted like sand between his fingers. (Isaiah 46:10)

· Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I can do anything and achieve any task that God lays before me. (1 Thessalonians 5:24 and Philippians 2:13)· God has always been and will always be – three in one: God the Father (Papa), Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit our counselor. (Psalm 25:4-5; Matthew 28:19-20; John 16:15; Romans 8:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Acts 20:24; Colossians 1:16-18)

· I am only responsible to God for my own actions, behavior, and choices. I am not a victim and can control my responses to circumstances and other people. (Ezekiel 18:19-22)· I do not have to control my family, environment, or circumstances. God is in control and will not fall asleep or leave me. (Matthew 16:25; Luke 1:38; and 1 Peter 5:7)

· God does not exist to solve my problems or do things my way. God desires the best for me and allowing me to grow and mature into the woman he designed me to be. (Romans 8:29)

· It is only through adversity, experiencing trouble, and being placed outside of my comfort zone, will I develop the faith and be transformed into a reflection of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 12:7; 1 Peter 5:10 and 2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

· God uniquely designed me to be a nurturer and helper to my children and husband. Marriage is a lifelong promise between a man and a woman. (1 Timothy 5:9-10; Genesis 2:18-24 and 3:20; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; and Titus 2:4-5)

· The story has already been written and the ending decided. God wins and takes all those who have believed in Jesus Christ into eternity in Heaven and Satan is forever removed and will no longer be allowed to torment and deceive us with lies. (Revelations)
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