Last week I had breakfast with a dear friend who led the development efforts of Hope Alive's program services. She had attended a mental health conference the day before and shared some fascinating information with me. She explained that with individuals suffering from mental illness, there can be a lack of development or blockage in the prefrontal lobe of the brain where the "executive functions" occur such as memory, reasoning, decision-making, and problem solving. This problem can be compounded by substance abuse. Only after a woman has been clean and sober for a year or longer does she begin to deal with the emotional issues that have started to rise to the surface. Through therapy, healing, training, and coaching, the development of the executive function of the brain takes place.
So what does all this mean for Hope Alive? As my friend listened to the conference presenter, she began to see Hope Alive's need to serve as this executive function as a large percentage of homeless women suffer from these issues. It will mean more training in this area for our staff, greater tolerance, patience and grace for slow progress, and even more intense coaching and training for our women as they legitimately need longer to gain the skills and functioning needed to achieve self-sufficiency. As we have over the past 3 years, we continue to dedicate ourselves to developing the most effective residential ministry possible to end the cycle of homelessness for the families we serve.
On a different note, we have been amazed at God's outpouring of support this holiday season ... from generous donors, faithful volunteers, and individuals and organizations holding special fundraising events to benefit Hope Alive as well as "adopting" our families for Christmas. God is faithful and pouring out His abundant blessings to meet the ministry's needs. I pray you had a blessed Thanksgiving and are preparing your hearts to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. Until next week.
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Every day life-change
I am continually amazed at the tremendous life-change God brings to our resident families at Hope Alive every day. This week one of our resident moms couldn't wait to announce she had completed all the work required for her external degree program and she could have her high school diploma in hand by year-end. Now she's enrolling for the spring semester at Frederick Community College and just took her placement tests this week. She couldn't wait to tell EVERYONE she had passed her math and english placement tests and was ready to sign up for her spring classes. As we talked about her success, she shared that this was a dream she never thought she'd achieve.
Also this week, another mom's testimony for our Christmas newsletter provided a strong message about the new life God has granted her and her two children. Her son no longer kicks and fights with his teacher, but she received the best report ever on his changed behavior when she went for her parent/teacher conference. Her daughter is getting As and Bs instead of blank papers marked with an F. Check out the Christmas issue online in early December at hopealiveministries.org - you don't want to miss this family's amazing story.
In this Thanksgiving season - and every day - we are especially grateful to God for all He has done and continues to do in the life of this ministry and every family we serve. Thanks for your love and support as we work together to serve families in need.
On a different note ... we have something new and exciting we'd like to share with you just in time for the shopping season! It's the new Hope Alive toolbar - once added to IE or Foxfire, each time you shop at more than 1,300 stores (Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to Hope Alive - at no cost to you (and you may even save money as the toolbar provides hundreds of great coupons and deals!). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to Hope Alive. http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/hope-alive. I just purchased my grandson's birthday gift this way and I feel great knowing that I got him exactly what he wanted AND a percentage was going to benefit Hope Alive families. Please pass this along to all of your friends. The two minutes it takes to add this toolbar to your browser can make a difference of a lifetime! Until next week ...
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Also this week, another mom's testimony for our Christmas newsletter provided a strong message about the new life God has granted her and her two children. Her son no longer kicks and fights with his teacher, but she received the best report ever on his changed behavior when she went for her parent/teacher conference. Her daughter is getting As and Bs instead of blank papers marked with an F. Check out the Christmas issue online in early December at hopealiveministries.org - you don't want to miss this family's amazing story.
In this Thanksgiving season - and every day - we are especially grateful to God for all He has done and continues to do in the life of this ministry and every family we serve. Thanks for your love and support as we work together to serve families in need.
On a different note ... we have something new and exciting we'd like to share with you just in time for the shopping season! It's the new Hope Alive toolbar - once added to IE or Foxfire, each time you shop at more than 1,300 stores (Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to Hope Alive - at no cost to you (and you may even save money as the toolbar provides hundreds of great coupons and deals!). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to Hope Alive. http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/hope-alive. I just purchased my grandson's birthday gift this way and I feel great knowing that I got him exactly what he wanted AND a percentage was going to benefit Hope Alive families. Please pass this along to all of your friends. The two minutes it takes to add this toolbar to your browser can make a difference of a lifetime! Until next week ...
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Friday, November 6, 2009
From death to life
Yesterday was a very proud day for us at Hope Alive. One of our resident moms graduated from an intensive outpatient program at a local drug rehabilitation clinic. Five of us proudly watched and cheered as this mom shared her journey from addiction to recovery and was presented with her certificate of completion and words of affirmation from her counselors. As I sat and listened to her recount her story, God reminded me that just a few short months ago, her life hung in the balance between life and death. I remember visiting her in the hospital after a life-threatening relapse and then rejoicing when she called us for help when she “hit the bottom” and desperately wanted to find her way out. The alternatives for her and her children at that time were life-threatening, so we welcomed her to Hope Alive with open arms, lots of love and strict accountability.
She spent the next three months participating in the intensive outpatient treatment program and a family support program, in addition to working toward enrollment at Frederick Community College for the spring semester. She has become an advocate and friend to other women in recovery and a role model for women at Hope Alive with her determination and motivation.
We are so proud of her accomplishments and the victory God has blessed her with in the battle of addiction. She and her children today are healthy, very happy and are well on the road to success and hope of a future. It’s been marvelous to watch God at work in their lives and to see what He can do through the power of His life-changing love. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
She spent the next three months participating in the intensive outpatient treatment program and a family support program, in addition to working toward enrollment at Frederick Community College for the spring semester. She has become an advocate and friend to other women in recovery and a role model for women at Hope Alive with her determination and motivation.
We are so proud of her accomplishments and the victory God has blessed her with in the battle of addiction. She and her children today are healthy, very happy and are well on the road to success and hope of a future. It’s been marvelous to watch God at work in their lives and to see what He can do through the power of His life-changing love. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Friday, October 30, 2009
Up close and personal
Anyone else depressed by the dreary rainy weather we’ve had lately? It doesn’t make my already overwhelmed week any better. Our “bare bones” staff from budget reductions this year is stretched even tighter these days with an added vacancy in our children’s ministry. So I’ve been spending some time with “Abba’s Angels” - our youngest residents – along with grant deadlines, transportation challenges, and even water problems in the house due to us operating at capacity. This all sounds pretty depressing doesn’t it – especially for a Friday – but in my introduction to my blog I said I’d be giving you “an up close and personal look into our ministry to homeless families”. This is the other side of the ministry we don’t often talk about. It’s through these tough times that our character is tested and grows. I keep reminding myself that God uses the challenges to make us more like His Son!
We are searching for a temporary full- or part-time Children’s Ministry Director who is “director qualified” based on Office of Child Care licensing regulations. If you know someone who might feel called to join our ministry team and serve our little ones, please send them our way.
Let’s pray for the sun to come out – and stay out. The fall leaves ARE gorgeous even in the rain! Have a blessed weekend. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
We are searching for a temporary full- or part-time Children’s Ministry Director who is “director qualified” based on Office of Child Care licensing regulations. If you know someone who might feel called to join our ministry team and serve our little ones, please send them our way.
Let’s pray for the sun to come out – and stay out. The fall leaves ARE gorgeous even in the rain! Have a blessed weekend. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Friday, October 16, 2009
Precious lives
Picture if you will, a 4 month old infant with delicate fair skin, a few wisps of blond hair and the typical bald spot on the back of the head, delicate little fingers and toes, and a captivating smile and laugh.
It’s this precious little baby that I had the pleasure of rocking to sleep this morning. As he lay in my arms I looked down at his innocent face and thought about his life. Even though he’s technically “homeless”, this baby is surrounded by a very large extended family that loves and cares for him. In addition to his own mom and sister, he has 13 other siblings, 8 other moms, and staff and volunteers who can’t resist loving on him every day. He has a warm and safe home and a nurturing child care center that provides the care he needs to grow and develop into a healthy and happy toddler while his sister is at school and his mom is working on her goals leading to self sufficiency.
Is this child aware of the struggles his mom and sister have faced or the great success they have both experienced while at Hope Alive? Does he sense the same hope they have of a new future much different from their past? I doubt he’s aware of anything other than his own needs – clean diapers, food, warmth and comfort. At one point far into the future, he will be grateful that Hope Alive was there for his family and that he’ll never have to experience homelessness as an adult.
Most of us probably take life’s blessings for granted. May we never forget about the moms and children who are struggling to survive in our community and the precious lives we serve at Hope Alive who are committed to change and new life. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
It’s this precious little baby that I had the pleasure of rocking to sleep this morning. As he lay in my arms I looked down at his innocent face and thought about his life. Even though he’s technically “homeless”, this baby is surrounded by a very large extended family that loves and cares for him. In addition to his own mom and sister, he has 13 other siblings, 8 other moms, and staff and volunteers who can’t resist loving on him every day. He has a warm and safe home and a nurturing child care center that provides the care he needs to grow and develop into a healthy and happy toddler while his sister is at school and his mom is working on her goals leading to self sufficiency.
Is this child aware of the struggles his mom and sister have faced or the great success they have both experienced while at Hope Alive? Does he sense the same hope they have of a new future much different from their past? I doubt he’s aware of anything other than his own needs – clean diapers, food, warmth and comfort. At one point far into the future, he will be grateful that Hope Alive was there for his family and that he’ll never have to experience homelessness as an adult.
Most of us probably take life’s blessings for granted. May we never forget about the moms and children who are struggling to survive in our community and the precious lives we serve at Hope Alive who are committed to change and new life. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Touching hearts - the work of the ministry
Last night was my evening shift at Hope Alive. It’s usually a bit chaotic through the dinner hour and then things settle down pretty quickly as moms and children disperse to their areas to complete homework, baths, and bedtime. My hope each Wednesday evening is to get a little work done after things quiet down, but last night was just the opposite.
I had children who kept coming to the office asking for my help with homework. The first was a fourth grader who needed someone to play a math game with her - flipping coins to count the number of times heads or tails appeared and then making a statement about her data. After that assignment, we continued with her multiplication problems. While I was helping her, a third grader came in asking if she could read her story to me that she wrote – and typed on the computer –about animal friends who learned the importance of kindness. The story was really creative! As she was leaving, a second grader came in asking for help charting the moon’s appearance for the month starting with last night. With it being a blustery cold evening and him already dressed in his pajamas, I sent him off looking out every window in the house to see if he could spot the moon. He came back to report it was cloudy.
By this time I was feeling pretty frustrated that this was taking the place of “getting some work done”. But then God reminded me that this is the work of the ministry - touching the hearts and souls of those we serve. Realizing this I set everything else aside and finished the evening by having some deep discussions with our moms in the dining room - including next step housing options, relationships and conflicts - and giving hugs to the little ones going off to bed. There’s always tomorrow for that unfinished “task”.
If you’ve never been to Hope Alive, give me a call sometime. I’d love to have you come for a visit and tour. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
I had children who kept coming to the office asking for my help with homework. The first was a fourth grader who needed someone to play a math game with her - flipping coins to count the number of times heads or tails appeared and then making a statement about her data. After that assignment, we continued with her multiplication problems. While I was helping her, a third grader came in asking if she could read her story to me that she wrote – and typed on the computer –about animal friends who learned the importance of kindness. The story was really creative! As she was leaving, a second grader came in asking for help charting the moon’s appearance for the month starting with last night. With it being a blustery cold evening and him already dressed in his pajamas, I sent him off looking out every window in the house to see if he could spot the moon. He came back to report it was cloudy.
By this time I was feeling pretty frustrated that this was taking the place of “getting some work done”. But then God reminded me that this is the work of the ministry - touching the hearts and souls of those we serve. Realizing this I set everything else aside and finished the evening by having some deep discussions with our moms in the dining room - including next step housing options, relationships and conflicts - and giving hugs to the little ones going off to bed. There’s always tomorrow for that unfinished “task”.
If you’ve never been to Hope Alive, give me a call sometime. I’d love to have you come for a visit and tour. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Friday, October 2, 2009
Words of encouragement to brighten our day
Some weeks we find our lives filled with challenges and we wonder if we’ll ever get to Friday. It’s been a week like that at Hope Alive. With 15 children in the Hope Alive house now, our children often fight like brothers and sisters. And when the kids aren’t happy – nobody’s happy!
Today I was reminded of an exercise Ashley Ross, our Children’s Ministry Assistant, did with the school-age children to help change their attitudes. She had them write notes of encouragement and affirmation to each other. I saw one of those notes today hanging in a second grader’s locker in the after school program. It meant so much to this little boy that he taped it up on the inside. Four other children wrote the following messages about him … “You have a wonderful smile! I have seen you share and give to others.” “You are my bestest friend.” “You are a great brother.” “You are a great kid. I really like having you as a friend.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all shared encouraging and loving words like these with each other? I think the world would be a much better place. Seeing this note today just brightened my whole week. I hope it does for you as well.
Plan to join us for our upcoming Resident Achievement Banquet on Tuesday, October 20 at 6pm at Dutch’s Daughter’s Restaurant. It promises to be an inspiring evening of encouraging and loving affirmations of our resident families. Check out our new website for more information at www.hopealiveministries.org. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Today I was reminded of an exercise Ashley Ross, our Children’s Ministry Assistant, did with the school-age children to help change their attitudes. She had them write notes of encouragement and affirmation to each other. I saw one of those notes today hanging in a second grader’s locker in the after school program. It meant so much to this little boy that he taped it up on the inside. Four other children wrote the following messages about him … “You have a wonderful smile! I have seen you share and give to others.” “You are my bestest friend.” “You are a great brother.” “You are a great kid. I really like having you as a friend.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all shared encouraging and loving words like these with each other? I think the world would be a much better place. Seeing this note today just brightened my whole week. I hope it does for you as well.
Plan to join us for our upcoming Resident Achievement Banquet on Tuesday, October 20 at 6pm at Dutch’s Daughter’s Restaurant. It promises to be an inspiring evening of encouraging and loving affirmations of our resident families. Check out our new website for more information at www.hopealiveministries.org. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
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