Do you ever wonder if you really make a difference?  Those volunteer hours that you put in or that money that you donate to help support New Beginnings, does it really matter?  How can that help possibly make a difference? 

​​It Does!

A resident has graduated from the New Beginnings Program!  It is all because of God's love working through your help and support!  Here is Letisha's story and letter to all of you who have helped her along the way:

3. We have a wide range of opportunities available.  Mentor.  Tutor.  Home Assistant.  And so much more!  The opportunities are endless and we have special projects all the time.  And you know what?  If you have a talent or interest you’d be willing to share with us that you don’t see covered in our current available opportunities, I bet we could use it!  All you have to do is reach out to us and we will find a place for you!

4. Our moms are awesome!  They are hard-working and hilarious and pretty fun to be around.  We get to help them through some tough things and we get to celebrate their successes with them.  Volunteering is always more fun when you get to spend time with great people!

5. You may get to hang out with some babies!  I’ll let these pictures do the talking for this one:

7. You might learn something!  Whether you’re forced to learn something in order complete a project or you learn something while helping a mom, chances are you’ll find out something you didn’t know before volunteering with us.  I interned at New Beginnings prior to working here in the capacity that I do now and I deepened my knowledge in so many areas from interacting with and helping others to the day-to-day operations of a non-profit.  Most importantly, I gained experience in a Christian environment and therefore strengthened my faith.  As staff members, we are learning and growing in faith every day and you will too!

8. It’s great experience to add to a resume.  No matter what you’re doing to help us, you’re gaining great experience that you could add to your resume!  Want to practice a new skill?  What better place is there to put that skill to use?  

10. WE NEED YOU!  Without the support of our donors and volunteers, New Beginnings could not continue to run and help moms here in Milwaukee.  With the help of volunteers, we’re able to help more moms and do more to help the moms we already have here.  The bottom line is that volunteers are vital to the success of our moms and our program as a whole.  Your talents and time are needed here!

I hope I didn't scare you away. Are you still there?  If so, stay with me. I promise this quiz is easy – all you have to do is make a mental check next to the statements that apply to you. 

​You might be wondering why I am so curious to learn whether you know how to get a library card. The purpose of this quiz is to illustrate a point. If you are falling more into the purple box, odds are you grew up in generational poverty. If you are falling into the green box, more than likely you grew up middle class. Some of us might assume everyone knows how to get a library card – seems easy enough. The reality is that if you don’t know how to do some of the things in the purple box, you cannot possibly expect others to know the hidden rules of middle class.  As you may have guessed, there is even a different set of “hidden rules” for wealth - all of which I did not know (but we won’t get into that)! 

​As Christians, we aim to meet people where they are at, and build our relationship with that person both interpersonally and emotionally. More importantly, we take that relationship a step further by sharing the saving message of God’s grace. Life isn’t always about understanding one another fully, but rather about forming relationships and meeting people where they are at. We don’t have to understand all of the hidden rules, but we should aim to acknowledge them. Let’s not always expect everyone to be like us, let’s not jump to conclusions about who they are, and let’s not judge on the basis of having little or having lots. When we do those things, we lose out on unique opportunities to help others grow (and probably grow ourselves too). 

​Do your impressions change as you get to know someone?  Most often, it is the second or third interaction that help us form an opinion of who some one is.  I had asked Letisha if her impression of the program at New Beginnings was any different once she started in the program.  She honestly said that nothing had changed and that if anything, it had just gotten better and Nayari said that she started to feel more comfortable with the residents and staff.  Nayari also said that the program got easier as she started getting into it and that New Beginnings isn't just a program, but a family that eats together and talks together also.

​So, when does a good relationship actually start?  It slowly develops over time through trust and commitment.  We all have friends, and even friends that we consider family.  These are the people who will take us through our good days, bad days, and accept and love us as if they were family.  That is our goal with the mothers who come into the New Beginnings' program.  There is a reason why we call it the New Beginnings Family.  Letisha has been here over a year and she has developed a great relationship with New Beginnings.  She has a good relationship with staff and has proved herself as a positive mentor with the other residents.  When I asked her what she thinks of New Beginnings now that she has been here that long and become a Phase 2 resident, she said that it is everything that she wanted and needed and that she "will have something to say if anybody talks bad about New Beginnings."  Nayari, who has been here over two months said that she now thinks "that the staff is very supportive and they push us (in a loving way) to do better in life and get goals completed so we can be set for life, our future, and our kids."

So what drives us?  How do we build that relationship and trust?  Is it our doing?  No!  It is to God's Glory that we help these mothers and their children.  It was He who commanded us in His Word.  "We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19  "Share with the Lord's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality." - Romans 12:13  God also tells us "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2  This is what drives us and through His Grace, we can help these young women grow closer to Him. First impressions sometimes are not always how they initially seem, but overtime can develop into something beyond what we can imagine!

​Do these sound familiar?  Our busy lives keep us on the move.  We go here and there getting things done.  We are working, cooking, cleaning, watching the grandkids, or still running our own children to practices and games.  What if you were the key to just one mother’s success in the New Beginnings program?  Would you find time then?  How much would that be worth to you if you could help change that one life?   Just that one bit of knowledge that you could share or that one shift that you could cover once a month could make all the difference in the world.

​We have many different volunteers here at New Beginnings.  Some volunteers come in only one time for a school project.  Some come in to help with special projects.  Still others come in once a year to do a Group Night activity.  We do have a great group of volunteers who come in and three of them are very dedicated. I would like to take the time to give them a huge "Thank You" and share a little of who they are.

​​First, we have Julie.  Julie has been with us a long time and comes in about twice a month to have dinner and devotion with our mothers and babies here.  The residents absolutely love having her here and she loves to come in and share God’s Word with them.

​​Last but not least, we have another Julie!  Julie has such a beautiful skill set.  She comes in to help cover staff hours and she has been blessed with a wonderful gift to decorate.  Julie is in charge of our Boutique but has expanded her skills to holiday decorating and organizing.

We have plenty of other volunteers that I would like to mention but we also have plenty of volunteer opportunities if you would like to help make that difference for a mother and her baby.  For more information on volunteer opportunities, click here. 

If you would like to sign up to help out, please click the button below and make a difference in somebody's life.

2. The faith and fellowship we have on Friendship Sunday. Going to church with staff members and residents on a monthly basis promotes a feeling of unity and peace. 

6. Learning about non-profit work. Not only does New Beginnings provide a ready-made, customizable opportunity for an internship, but it also gives me the chance to see the inner workings of a non-profit organization up close. 

8. Everyone showing off their group recipes at Group Dinners once a month. With each month having a different food-related theme, it’s no surprise that every dish created by a staff member, resident supervisor, or resident is amazing!

10. Writing for the blog! As an English major, I always enjoy the chance to express my thoughts with writing. 

​New Beginnings recently finished the boutique design project, and we are thrilled that it is finished! When I suggested that we transform our dingy basement into a beautiful, welcoming space, I failed to consider two things. The first is how difficult and time-consuming it would be, and the second is how much patience I would need to see the project through to completion.

​“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought nearby the blood of Christ.” – Ephesians 2:13

Not only do I get to share my faith here at New Beginnings but I am also able to provide a listening ear without judgment to all of the mothers. Sometimes, it can be hard for people to share their feelings especially when they are constantly feeling judged. My goal is to give those people a listening ear and make them feel comfortable. Along with listening with an open ear comes making close connections. When you get to know someone, you figure out you have more in common than you think. One connection I have already made is that one mother and I grew up in the same town for seventeen years and out of all of the places we could have ended up, we met each other here at New Beginnings! An amazing benefit about volunteering is that some day those close connections can lead to lifelong friendships. 

Quinna Koch joined the New Beginnings Volunteer Family early October of 2017.  She volunteers as Home Assistant and helps out with evening devotions.  She is currently attending WLC to become a nurse and is using her skills and knowledge to connect with the mothers and babies here.  She is also gaining experience for her future.

​Everybody seems to have some reason to complain today.  You might have a coworker who comes to you saying that the extra hours are unfair, the workload is too much, or their salary isn’t enough.  You go home and listen to the kids complaining about school or how they don’t like the dinner that you made.  You turn on the evening news and it is more bad reports and people complaining and protesting the latest issue.  Even at church, sometimes there is grumbling or complaining that the new color of paint is too distracting or the pastor isn’t just exactly to your liking.

The mothers here at New Beginnings are no exception.  There have been many complaints about different aspects of our program and house rules.  It breaks your heart to hear them talk about how their family gave them up or didn’t want them around so they went from house to house or the abuse that happened at home.  Lack of personal transportation seems to be another common complaint.  It is difficult to haul a stroller with baby, diaper bag, purse, and groceries onto a city bus every time you need to run out. 

​What does God tell us about complaining though?  In James 5:9 we are told “Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged.  The Judge is standing at the door!”  Paul tells the church in Ephesus “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”- Ephesians 4:29.  

The mothers here at New Beginnings have had rougher lives and have seen the hardships that many of us have not.  They, too, have reason to rejoice.  The complaints about the program should be rejoicing that there is a safe place to help them get on their feet and share God’s Word with them.  No matter what their complaints are about their families, they can rejoice in knowing that they are part of the New Beginnings family and are children of God.  Hauling a baby on a bus to get groceries can be a struggle but they can rejoice that they have been blessed with a child, have money to buy food, and a safe place to store and prepare the food they have been blessed with.

How do we know that we should be rejoicing?  Romans 5:3 says “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;”.  We are also told in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!”  This last one is one to truly live by.  “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

As a final thought, I would like to share with you Romans 15:13 as my prayer for you as you continue to follow Him.
 
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”