Vol. 16, Issue 3
Investors Like You Broaden Our Impact
Donations of time and talents from volunteer skilled tradesmen along with generous monetary donations from folks like you have provided essential labor and materials to help us in bringing the ministry center dream closer to reality. We are thrilled to share that the Harvest of Hope building project has made significant strides this summer and fall. This progress would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our faithful community and the Haven of Hope family of investors.
The building is now under a roof, marking a major milestone, and work on the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems is well underway. We are excited to announce that the windows have arrived and are ready for installation, with exterior siding set to follow soon. Exterior doors have already been installed, bringing us one step closer to completion.We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from so many of you. Your contributions have enabled us to advance the ministry in ways we could not have imagined. Without your help, we simply would not have been able to reach this point.
While we have made remarkable progress, there is still work to be done to ensure we meet our goal of occupying the building by spring of 2025. Labor and material contributions are still welcome, especially for installing exterior siding, completing landscaping, laying sidewalks, and interior projects like drywall, trim, painting, cabinetry, and flooring.
If you feel called to help us complete this vital project, we would be honored to have your support. Winter is a great time to visit, and we have a cozy cove that can accommodate small groups or families. We would love to show you the campus and property.
Together, we are building a place that will allow us to serve more individuals, to hold more community events, and to affect more lives for years to come.
Thank you for your generosity and prayers!
-Steve Swartz
HOH Founder / Executive Director
“Together, we are building a place that will allow us to serve more individuals, to hold more community events, and to affect more lives for years to come.”
Forever Changed: A Story of Restoration and Hope
Curt & Rhonda Yoder
“We first heard about Haven of Hope through our church. We had both had personal mentoring that was very similar to how Haven of Hope mentors couples, but we had never had marriage mentoring. Our marriage was not in crisis, and we thought it was actually pretty good. We did struggle with knowing how to break some cycles that kept happening, and how to prevent the frequent misunderstandings between us. We found that we often had trouble working together as a team. We longed to understand each other better and to communicate on a deeper level.
This year we were able to attend a weeklong intensive at Haven of Hope, and the time there was so good for us. It helped us to realize the pain that causes each of us to get triggered, and we came to understand why we respond the way that we do to those triggers. Issues were addressed, and we learned how to use various tools like the spin cycle form. Our mentor walked through it with us as we took our pain to Jesus where true healing is found.
Life still happens and on occasion a spin cycle will rear its ugly head, but we have learned how to be more sensitive to see each other’s pain. We now recognize those cycles, and we have learned how to take our pain to Jesus and to allow Him to care for our heart. Our week with Haven of Hope Ministry was totally worth it!”
More From Our Clients-
Board Member Spotlight:
Chad & Stephanie Weldy
We are blessed by couples who serve sacrificially on our executive board of directors. It is a joy to introduce you to our board members:
Chad & Stephanie Weldy
Chad and Stephanie met while they were students at Pensacola Christian College. They married on July 5, 1997. They have been blessed with four children, Lauren, Madison, Micah, and Grace. Lauren is married to Max, and Madison is married to Tyler.
Chad is the board treasurer and CFO of a power company. Stephanie, a stay-at-home mom, chairs the board development committee. In addition to serving on the HOH board, Chad is a deacon at their church, both sing specials and are in the church choir. Stephanie serves in the church nursery and on a mission’s prayer team.
“We are excited to serve together on a board that is passionate not only about saving broken marriages by getting to the root of the problem, but also by supporting new marriages through premarital mentoring. Serving on the board together has been an absolute blessing and joy. We love serving with other Christians that we are now honored to call our friends.” –Stephanie Weldy
Excerpts from Social Media
Multiple times a week Haven of Hope posts to our social media page. These posts are designed to encourage and educate our followers on how to connect emotionally to others. Below is a summary of a recent series highlighted on social media:
“Reactions - We all have them. Painful life experiences from either emotional wounding, or unmet emotional needs can influence how we feel, what we think, and how we react. These reactions can often be detrimental to our relationships.
There are four main responses to pain or trauma: fight, flight, freeze and fawn. In fight we can react by becoming angry, controlling, critical, even narcissistic. In flight we avoid by either becoming an anxious over-analyzer or overachiever. In freeze we shut down or disassociate in a catatonic like state. And in fawn we will do anything to please, appease, and placate to the point of subservience. All our responses and reactions have consequences in our lives, relationships, and marriages. With the help and healing from Christ we can live like Christ and bring help and healing to others.”
Visit our social media sites for more encouraging insights and HOH updates!
Connection Groups
A main focus of Haven of Hope and the Building Blocks for Relationships (BBFR) program is building community for connection and further healing. Our connection groups are going strong across the Midwest. If you would like to participate in one of these groups either physically or virtually, please contact Brian Smith at brian@havenofhopes.com, or visit our website at www.havenofhopes.com for more information or to sign up.
