​“You are looking for volunteers?  Who has the time for that?!”  “I wish I could.  I just can’t find the time.”  “You are too far away”  “I don’t have the right skills.”  “I like what you guys do, I just can’t help with it.”

​​Another faithful volunteer is Quinna.  She is a nursing student at Wisconsin Lutheran College and has been such a blessing!  While attending school, she comes in to help as often as she can.  Originally, it was just once a week but she has come in more to help cover staff hours, have dinner and devotion with the residents, and even comes in to do special projects.

1. Interacting with the moms and babies. Anyone who loves his or her job will tell you that the best part of it is the people. The same principle applies here. 

​3. Working as a team with the other Resident Supervisors. Teamwork is dreamwork. Enough said. 

​4. Group Nights. Educational programs that include everything from budgeting to juggling to single parenting, Group Nights increase the knowledge and camaraderie at New Beginnings.  

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​5. The inspiring generosity of our donors. Our donors are literally the lifeblood of New Beginnings, and every donation makes a difference. 

​7. Celebrating milestones with the moms and babies. Every baptism, every birthday, and every new job or semester of classes represents a mother’s dedication to the program and her baby, as well as another improvement in both of their lives. 

​9. Getting to work in a Christian environment. The devotions that are held daily here are a great time to connect with residents and enrich my faith. As seen above, Friendship Sundays strengthens our bond as a group, and increases our faith as children of God. 

​Can you picture me in a paint suit over my business casual clothes, with a paint sprayer in hand and a paint mask and goggles strapped around my face? The first step in the boutique design project was to paint the ceiling black, which involved using a paint sprayer. As a go-getter, I figured I could do it myself, but I was very wrong! In about two minutes, paint sputtered everywhere, and I seemed to be doing more harm than good. Ultimately, we had to hire a paint expert to fix my mistakes. The design project was long, and sometimes tedious, but with the help of volunteers we completed the project. The result was a beautiful, transformed space.

The boutique design project reminds me of how we often approach trials and tribulations in our life; sometimes we try to accomplish everything on our own without patience. God makes it clear that not everything happens overnight when he says, “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:25). At other times, we turn to worldly solutions, rather than focusing our eyes on Christ. Pastor Bob Fleischmann often says, “Our problems are not horizontal problems between you and me, but instead they are vertical problems between you and God.” I think this is a great way of illustrating what God is saying in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."

​​At New Beginnings, mothers experience a process of transformation as they learn to filter the challenges of life through faith in Christ who gives them their eternity. Seeing this transformation happen is nothing short of amazing, and the reason why New Beginnings exists. One mother spoke of her experience in a previous blog.  She has begun to put God first and has realized the importance of seeking him! With prayer and patience, we are so blessed to see mothers transform through Christ at New Beginnings. Please continue to pray that the mothers and children here may be brought close to God through the blood of Christ.