Each Story Is Different
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. ~ Matthew 25:35-36
I am reminded of this passage from scripture and who we are serving every time we “get the call.” While each mother’s story is a little different, there are three common threads that compel them to call Ruth Harbor for help: they need shelter, safety, and food. They are trying to survive. Life transformation is not on their radar. To hope for a better life seems out of reach. Yet, at the same time, they do hope for a better life for their child.
While it may not seem like much, that first gift allows us to give a simple act of love and compassion to women and children in need. When that gift is delivered by one of our team members, it is given as an extension of the heart of Christ and in a way that cuts through shame and restores dignity to the mother in her time of need. Those gifts and the partnerships that make those first gifts possible matter. They matter because while they may temporarily alleviate a surface need, they also go to the heart…and that is where transformational work begins.
Most of our moms arrive at Ruth Harbor in a place of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual brokenness, and the root cause is often toxic relationships. Whether it is their relationship with a mother or father, one of their mom’s many live-in boyfriends, friends, boyfriends, or the community, these toxic relationships are what lead them to brokenness and despair.
But as Matthew 25 tells us, hope can be found in broken places, and God’s transformational work is often birthed out of places of despair. How do we help a woman who is deeply broken begin to hope when her only priority is survival? This is where God’s Spirit, His presence, and His people begin to work. If unhealthy relationships led to brokenness, it is healthy relationships that lead to healing.
At Ruth Harbor, we provide an environment where women feel safe, valued, and connected. Women learn to trust others yet have a sense of control over their own lives. They learn connection and how to develop healthy relationships through consistent love and support. They learn how to set boundaries and how to recover from mistakes and keep moving forward.
This kind of trust takes time to develop, it takes training and experience on behalf of our staff to facilitate this kind of environment, and it takes a community willing to invest in ministries like Ruth Harbor.
From Shame to Dignity
On behalf of our team and the mothers served at Ruth Harbor, I wish to thank you for making a difference! Whether you partner with us through giving of resources, volunteering, joining a prayer team or donating needed items to the mothers and children we serve, know that your partnership matters…and it is making a difference!
Please continue to partner with us by praying for the mission at Ruth Harbor. We ask that you would lift up the following areas in prayer:
Pray for mothers and the Ruth Harbor staff serving them by asking for God’s provision, the power to change, and the continued determination to succeed as a single mom.
We are considering a new facility that would allow us to serve additional mothers in the days and years to come. Please pray for wisdom and direction in that area.
Please pray for our upcoming Walk For Life on Saturday, June 24 to both help raise awareness for and celebrate life!
Will you also help us by partnering financially? A gift of $40 helps us support a mother and child for a day. Through your regular giving to Ruth Harbor, we can walk with women on their journey towards a life where they are part of a community and family that cares for them and is cheering for them.
Again, thank you for your partnership and for sending so many mothers and children on transformational journeys. It means so much to us that you see them in their place of need and see where hope can take them.
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ~ Matthew 25:45
Chris Eller
Executive Director
P.S. Please save the date for our 2023 Walk For Life on Saturday, June 24, to celebrate life with us. We will be sending out more details soon.
