April 2021 MAP Update
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| 575 US Highway 250 | Greenwich, OH 44837 | Office: (419) 962-1515 |
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| New Beginnings and Step Out of the Boat |
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As I was driving home from the office last night, I couldn’t help but notice the budding trees all along the main route. It was pure beauty! I love new life! I love springtime! New Beginnings At the end of March, Velda Miller (house mentor), moved on. She did such an awesome job working with the 16 young women who came through New Beginnings since September of 2018. We truly miss her! She will continue working at Beyond Measure Market and get married to Emanuel in July. In the meantime, new residents moved into the apartments: Rosella (from Indiana) and Ruthie and her five children (from Ohio). Esther and I have always been drawn to hurting people. That is why we are in ministry. We want to come alongside those who have been dealt heavy blows in life and just need a hand getting back on their feet. Those who come to New Beginnings, are protected, loved on, nurtured, and served. We have seen hundreds of teardrops fall to the ground. We have also watched God turn all of those tears and pain into smiles, singing, and testimonies. Later this month, Lord willing, Elaine and Anna will move out of their apartment. They have been at New Beginnings for nearly two years. During that time, both young women have grown into strong, faithful, and solid believers. Anna serves as the lead person in bulking and restocking at Beyond Measure Market. Elaine started her own (chiropractor type) business at the apartments. It has grown to the point where she is able to step out and rent her own space. It is not possible to help all 7 billion people in our world, but we can help a few. When those few step out and start their own families, our sacrifice and hard work will continue to make a difference in the next generation, and the next. Step Out of the Boat Conference
Since the conference, we have received a large number of letters, emails, texts and phone calls from attendees letting us know they have stepped out of the boat. Brand new ministries are being birthed in various parts of the US as you read this. Pray for the Freckas, Bylers, and Hochstetler in OH, Anna and Kathy in IL, Kathryn in PA. These men and women, among others, are choosing to take God out of their little boxes and see Him for who He is. Remember, we walk by faith that is alive and well, not by sight. Let’s not worry about the details. Just step out and trust God. Moses and the apostle Paul are dead! DL Moody and Billy Graham are dead! Now let us rise. Let us take up the cross and do the work that Jesus asked us to do. The 10 Jewish spies were worried about high walls and giants. It did not matter that God had already given them the Promised Land. Just like so many of us, the 10 spies put God and all His promises in a small suitcase and trusted in their own might, and then they circled in the wilderness of confusion for 40 years. How sad! It makes me weep to think that we, too, may have fallen in the same trap. The next Step Out of the Boat Conference is being planned for March 24-26, 2022. If you have a testimony of stepping out of the boat, please go to our website and submit an application. We are looking for 20 people to share for 20 minutes. Until then, come on, let’s step out and join those who are no longer sitting in the boat. Let us move away from the boat and go where Jesus is. You are now able to watch all the March 2021 Step Out of the Boat sessions on YouTube. DAY 1- Step Out of the Boat: https://youtu.be/QKccls4ZoPM DAY 2- Step Out of the Boat: https://youtu.be/Sfb7U_XrNpI DAY 3- Step Out of the Boat: https://youtu.be/Ra3KgWa_IZ4 |
Wow! What an absolute awesome conference it was. So many people, so many testimonies, so many lives who have been transformed, delivered, and are now learning to live in that freedom. We cried, prayed, laughed, encouraged, challenged, and broke bread together. It. Was. Amazing! | A New Beginning |
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At 9 years old, my brother attempted to molest me. I ran away from him and God protected me. After that, something changed in me. When I was 11, I revealed to my mom what had happened. By that time, I was so confused and lost that I had locked everyone out of my life and felt that nobody understood me. Every time I would tell my family something, they would tell me that I was making it up. My brother turned our whole family and community against me. When I was in my teens, I was very troubled. I thought somehow that I needed to protect myself from everyone. My behavior and mental state went from bad to worse. I couldn’t do anything on my own. I had no life skills. I was anxious and depressed. At the age of 16, I started prescription medication. The doctor put me on one and then another, but nothing helped. At the age of 21, I started getting curious about the world outside of the Amish community. At 27, I had my first mental breakdown. I was then at my worst. I went to Caring for the Heart Counseling - Light & Hope Ministries. Mary guided me through many things and also taught me about Jesus. I began questioning everything I knew about the Amish church. I felt confined within the culture and trapped by the rules of the church. I began searching, going from one church to the next: the strictest to the most lenient. I never found what I was looking for. I wanted to be successful and have a better life for myself. I was so frustrated. One day I told God, “Okay. Wherever You want me to go, show me. I cannot do anything by myself without You.” I had been in witchcraft and the enemy had taken everything away from me. I didn’t have a life. My family and everyone turned away from me. I came to the point where I couldn’t stay Amish anymore. I wanted more. I knew that somehow I could have the life I wanted to have with Jesus and I knew I wouldn’t find it where I was. A month before I moved to New Beginnings Homestead, I had no idea where I would go, but God in His provision sent someone across my path who game me the phone number. My friend, Joe Keim, encouraged me, took me to church with him a few times, and guided me to the right decision. I have been here for a year and 2 months. Shortly after I arrived, God provided a job along with a friend who taught me many things, became a protector and a father-figure to me, and played a big part in my career success. William didn’t let me get away with things, but instead taught me the right way whether I liked it or not, and most of all he encouraged me and pushed me to be my best. As a mother-figure and mentor, Velda (from MAP) also played a big part in my success. She taught me and guided me in my relationship with God. With love, guidance, security, discipline and most of all her example. I learned more from her that I ever did from anyone. MAP ministry helped me find myself to Christ on May 15th, 2020. God gets all the glory for putting the right people in my path at the right time. As I continue on my journey, I hope to one day have a ministry of my own. I am now almost completely off my medications, have my driver’s license, and with Jesus as my guide, I am ready to go on my own and have the independence and spiritual freedom that I always wanted. |
I grew up in an Old Order Amish Community. As a child, I had a speech disability and trouble learning. I went through my school years insecure and without friends. My family life was dysfunctional.
