As Home Manager, I am often asked, “What does a typical day look like for you?” I will be honest and say that I have an entirely difficult time answering that question. I walk into work each day wondering what tool I will pull out of my tool belt that day! I have a list of expertise to add to my resume including: counselor, mentor, supporter, painter, interior decorator, schedule master, and most recently, expert grill assembler. I am beyond thankful for the many tools God has equipped me with - I will not get bored anytime soon! Along with balancing various tasks, comes a responsibility to prioritize, uphold patience, and use time wisely. Ultimately, it is a balancing act.
What tools has the Lord equipped you with in your job, daily life, or relationship? Please feel free to share in the comment section below. I would be thrilled to hear from you! ![]() Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel.
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What does all of this mean? Well, according to Luther’s Catechism it means that baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word. Luther also answers the question “What does such baptizing with water mean?” He answered “Such baptizing with water means that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts; and that a new man daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” Baptism truly is a great blessing. What a wonderful God we have that blesses us this way through the Holy Spirit! ![]() Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch.
Well, it always turns out that it's actually not so bad. I just need to keep reading, and I usually come to really like that chapter just as much, if not more, as the first one.
God certainly put me here for a reason and introduced me to dozens of people along this journey that I wouldn't have had the chance to meet otherwise. I am filled with gratitude for the influence each one of them has had on molding me into the person I am today; a better version of me than I was before I started this position. To each of you, thank you. To my fellow staff members: Through the ups and downs and the wading through uncharted waters together, we formed friendships and respect for each other. We overcame challenges as we grew individually and as a team. I had the opportunity to work for the best boss ever (wait... I'm not sure I can say that; my next boss is my husband!), but regardless, I gained a lifelong friend. To the resident assistants: You have put yourselves in a position that requires model behavior every step of the way. This is not an easy task and many college students would shy away from this great responsibility. You may sometimes feel that your job is thankless, but know that you are making a difference in many lives through your time, Your work at New Beginnings is priceless. To the residents, the bravest moms I know: You are stepping away from pretty much everything you have known your entire life in hopes of giving yourself and your child a brighter future. Whenever you're feeling like life is giving you too much to handle, remember that God is in control. He's got a much bigger picture in store for you than you can see right now. You have taught me so much, instilled a new self-confidence in me, and offered a perspective to life I'm blessed to now know. To the babies: Little ones, you bring so much joy to our home! You will never remember me, but I will always remember each beautiful baby who came home to New Beginnings while I worked there. Always remember that your moms are determined, hardworking, and love you more than you could know. To the future moms to reside at New Beginnings: Whatever life you want to live, you CAN live it. No matter how unattainable it may seem right now, there are people who want to help you succeed
Wherever life may lead all of you, approach each new chapter with excitement! Live your life with a purpose and above all, keep your faith in Christ Jesus and embrace our Father's plan for your life! "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ![]() Beth Shiels is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a degree in Psychology in 2008, where she also met her husband, Zach. Along with working at New Beginnings, Beth enjoys staying home part-time with her four children and assisting in Zach's chiropractic clinic. She loves this crazy busy life God has blessed her with and is thankful to have the opportunity to share His love with the moms and babies at New Beginnings!
The residents at New Beginnings are influenced by mentors that appear in the staff, teachers, volunteers, and many others who are able to help them learn how they can reach their full potential. All of these people are working together in their lives so that the residents can be successful and reach the goals the program sets for them, along with reaching their personal goals. Each person is dedicating their time and energy in order to make the journeys of the residents as smooth as possible. When I started at New Beginnings my goal was to really be able to say that I inspired the residents in a way that led to a perceivable change, but recently I realized that they were having the same effect on me. Some people might think that the residents are the only ones who are benefitting from New Beginnings, but I know that that is not true. In fact, the staff at New Beginnings is touched by the residents in different but equal ways. Whether residents ask thought-provoking questions during devotions, display great diligence in achieving their goals, or persevere through their obstacles, they have the ability to inspire me and the rest of the staff members every day. There are so many instances and circumstances where both staff and residents are able to see that God has plans for New Beginnings, and that his will is being done here. God has blessed me through everyone at New Beginnings, and this experience has allowed me to really appreciate New Beginnings and everyone who is involved in the organization. Leah Whitson is a junior Human Social Services major at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and the Resident Support Intern here at New Beginnings. After college she plans to pursue a Master's in Social Work, and one day she hopes to use her experience at New Beginnings as a good foundation . During her free time Leah likes to travel, play with her dogs, and spend time with her fiancé.
New Beginnings is such an amazing program, and I feel blessed to be a part of it. Every day I am blessed with the opportunity to watch new mothers grow closer to Christ, learn new parenting skills, and advance their education. The blessings, however, are often laced with bumps along the way. One of the most valuable concepts I took away from the conference is that New Beginnings is NOT alone in the struggles we face when working with single, generationally-poor mothers. If the difficulties of doing God’s work ceased to exist, then we would know that we are not doing enough. With growth comes resistance, hardship, and even fear, but it is our job to help each mother recognize her strength and ability to blossom. Is change scary? Yep. New Beginnings can confirm, however, that sometimes the most difficult events in our life help us to flourish the most! So I say it again: we are not a finishing school. I have never heard someone say, “I have too much knowledge.” What a great reminder that we all have the opportunity to grow; all we need is a little water and sunshine, and a lot of perseverance and guidance from Christ. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18) ![]() Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel. For the past 10 weeks, I have had the awesome opportunity to spend almost every Thursday evening with the great people at New Beginnings as part of my nursing clinicals for public health nursing. While here, I have been able to participate in some great activities and discussions. One activity planned for me was to provide health education to the group for two of my sessions. Last week was the first one! After discussing with the residents and staff about what topics might be interesting, I decided to talk about nutrition. Everyone who was present, myself included, was at a different stage of life; whether it was never having had a baby, being pregnant now, having just had a baby, or having had a baby a several months ago. So, I focused the information around nutrition at all of these stages: Nutrition in pregnancy, nutrition in postpartum, nutrition for infants, and nutrition for women at all stages of life. Together, we had a great discussion about how to take care of our bodies by eating well! One of my favorite parts of every visit to New Beginnings is that we have a group Bible story and devotion after dinner. Since my first day here, we have been working through Jesus' life on earth. These devotions are great for all included -- I love (and need!) the chance to review these incredible stories, and even learn some new facts! ![]() The devotion and nutrition discussion -- though they may not seem connected -- actually go hand-in-hand, and it's perfect that we had one right after the other. We often think of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle to be good things, but earthly things. And yes, ultimately they are earthly things simply because they are not things we will have to worry about in heaven. But while we are still here on earth, we need to remember that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and ought to be treated as such. When we learn something new about modern medicine and science, it's so exciting because of the possibility to better care for bodies that have been injured or sick. If we are willing to go so far for injured or sick bodies, why not healthy bodies, too? We should not only clean up the mess and rebuild after the temple has begun to fall. We should work every day to keep it in its strong, beautiful state. It's God's desire that we honor Him with our bodies in every way, every day. Keep yourself healthy, and keep your temple strong! Rachel Kelly is a senior level nursing student at Wisconsin Lutheran College. She has been working at New Beginnings to fulfill her Public Health Nursing clinical. She currently lives in Milwaukee and works as a nursing assistant at Froedtert Hospital, and will be getting married this October. Rachel is excited to graduate in May, and is looking forward to continuing her career at Froedtert Hospital shortly thereafter.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo F. Buscaglia
“I can live for two months on a good compliment.” This is so true! If someone says something nice to you, do you find yourself reflecting on that comment from time to time and having it bringing a renewed smile to your face? I know I do.
Acts of kindness can be so small, but mean so much. A compliment or warm smile is absolutely free to give, although for some of us, the ability to hand one out may take some refining. It may seem silly at first, but be intentional about the kindness you show others. If this is not something that comes naturally to you, start each week or day by detailing out what you will do for someone else- and then make sure you follow through. Once you get in the habit of doing small things for others, you’ll find the opportunity arise more and more often, and it will start to come naturally to you. In the end, you may even find these small kindnesses making their way back to you. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 We are always looking for new ways to spread kindness! What are some ways that you have surprised others with a random act of kindness? Find some great ideas for families by clicking on the button below. ![]() Beth Shiels is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a degree in Psychology in 2008, where she also met her husband, Zach. Along with working at New Beginnings, Beth enjoys staying home part-time with her four children and assisting in Zach's chiropractic clinic. She loves this crazy busy life God has blessed her with and is thankful to have the opportunity to share His love with the moms and babies at New Beginnings! You wake up one morning and you know something isn’t right. You feel different but don’t know what this new sensation is. It isn’t a bad feeling but you do feel a difference. What could it be? Then you start to think. “Oh no! It couldn’t be! There is no way it can be! We used protection! God wouldn’t do this to me. He knows I’m not ready.” The tests confirm it. You are pregnant. Now what? You start to evaluate the situation. You can’t tell your parents. They will be so upset and disappointed. You tell your baby’s father but he says it isn’t his problem and he wants you to have an abortion. He will even take you just to be done with it. It would be the easiest way. You won’t have to tell your parents. You wouldn’t have to change your plans. Your life will continue as you have planned. It would be so easy.
The initial shock wears off and you decide to tell your best friend. You can trust her to keep your secret and help guide you in your decision. She has always supported you and you know she will do so now, no matter what you decide. You were right. She heard you without judging. She helped you through your tears. She talks you through your options and offers help. She takes you for an ultra sound. What a turning point!! That is no little blob of tissue! That is a baby. That is your baby. Your baby is so small and helpless. How could you think of an abortion? What can you do? Now the really hard decisions come. This is where the mothers at New Beginnings have been. Not exactly, and every situation is different, but they experienced an unexpected pregnancy and they decided to give their child a chance. What a wonderful chance to start a new life for these women and their babies! At New Beginnings these young women can find God’s Word, structure, support, encouragement, and knowledge. They can grow and mature as they await the arrival of their baby and get the help and support they need during those first few years of their child’s life. A big THANK YOU to all of you who have given of their time, talents, and abilities to help and support us here at New Beginnings. ![]() Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. In life, there will be times that are not ideal. Not necessarily rough times, not happy times, just times that might be described as blah. You might be ready to move into a bigger house, working an entry level job just to get a promotion, or waiting until you’re done with school so that you can jump into a career you’re passionate about. You’re ready to take the next step, but the next step isn’t quite within your reach. These times can often lead to feelings of stress, discontentment, or lack of trust in God. There is this mentality that says something like, “Lord, I just want the promotion. Then I will be happy.” What people don’t understand is that being content is something that is practiced; it doesn’t come with achievement. For some, the more you achieve, the more things you will want. Being content is something that all Christians should strive for because God gives us more than we could ever deserve. There will be in-between times during many parts of our lives, with something in them that we’re not content with. What’s important is realizing how important it is to thank God for everything that we do have, and work to God’s glory to achieve our goals. The residents at New Beginnings are working through a time in their life that might seem never ending. Continuing education, meeting with professionals, and setting goals can get to be frustrating, but these mothers realize that this is the best way that they can be a loving Christian parent to their children. I look up to the mothers at New Beginnings, because they know that in order to achieve their goals they need to work hard, trust in God, and be thankful for the opportunities that they have. Leah Whitson is a junior Human Social Services major at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and the Resident Support Intern here at New Beginnings. After college she plans to pursue a Master's in Social Work, and one day she hopes to use her experience at New Beginnings as a good foundation . During her free time Leah likes to travel, play with her dogs, and spend time with her fiancé.
The next time you feel like putting someone in their place, put yourself in their place instead. (Anonymous) As I interact with the residents here at New Beginnings, listening to their problems, concerns, and resentments, along with their needs for right now and hopes for the future, I am reminded that I need empathy. I need to understand their responses to circumstances they are facing. I know (but knowing is not empathy) that past hurts influence reactions to present situations. I know that if we are believers, we are not all growing in the same way at the same time, but we are all growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I know that the bottom line is that I need to feel for the other person and listen. Though the word empathy does not appear in the Bible, the Scriptures do refer indirectly to the quality of empathy: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the laws of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) We need to give each other space to grow, using empathy, bearing with one another. Thankfully as Christians we don’t have to do this on our own, in our own ability, because we have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. ![]() Karen O'Leary is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She has her BA in Bible Theology and her Masters of Divinity. She has 8-years of experience as a Social Director at a non-profit organization helping those in crisis with financial assistance, brief supportive counseling, and being a spiritual presence in their time of need. In her free time Karen enjoys reading, cooking and traveling. |
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