There are not a lot of programs around like New Beginnings! Putting God in everything you do is what life’s all about and New Beginnings makes sure that God is first. This program not only helps the moms with being self-sufficient, it helps them grow closer to God. New Beginnings give the mothers tools in life to help them succeed. You have physical, emotional, and spiritually support. Having Bible Studies and Group Nights help with developing the relationship with God. You gain great friends on your journey. Its nice to be around women who can motivate you and help you obtain goals for yourself. Everyone has their own goals in life and New Beginnings helps each mother find ways to achieve them. Education is the best thing to do for yourself and your child. New Beginnings provides housing while mothers are in school, developing their career path. Providing resources such as tutors, counseling, and anything they need to succeed. As a mother myself, I feel like we need that support to become a success in life! I love the mission behind New Beginnings “Helping a single mother develop spiritually in God’s Word, become a responsible citizen in society, continue her education, achieve self-sufficiency and become a competent and loving Christian parent. I have witnessed first hand that New Beginnings is just not an agency, we are a FAMILY! ![]() DeShanna Turner- Smith Is the intern here at New Beginnings. She is pursuing her associates degree at Milwaukee Area Technical College in human services and will be graduating in December. While juggling school and work she enjoys spending time with her daughter. She's so excited and thankful to be apart of the New Beginnings team!
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What sets Christians apart from the world? Why do we have the hope that we have? We put so much of our faith and trust in God…but why? In Peter’s letter to the church in Rome he writes: “But in your heats revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” - 1 Peter 3:15
The answer is right at our fingertips. We have access to Bibles at home, church, and scripture on the internet. Most of the time we can access God’s Word right on our smart phones. It is amazing how quickly we can read what God promises to us and yet how little we view God’s Word on a daily basis. Could you imagine scrolling through God’s Word and reading what He is saying to us as often as we scroll through our Facebook feed? I am blessed in my job here at New Beginnings because I get the chance to read and teach God’s Word on a daily basis. Here is what I found and why I put my hope in Him: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:31 The Lord will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. – Psalm 121:7-8 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. –Matthew 11:28 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. - Romans 8:25 I could go on and on about what the Lord promises to us. There are definitely more in the Holy Scriptures that I could share with you. As you can see, we are promised that He will take care of us. Why will God take care of us? How do we know this is truth? The answers are quite simple. God is love. God loves us. He always has. We call Him “Father” and we are His children. For those of you who are parents, you know the kind of love that you have for your own children and how fierce that love is. Now imagine what kind of love our perfect Father has for us. As parents, we pretty much think we know what is best for our children. God always knows what is best for His children. All of them. All the time. Here at New Beginnings, some of the mothers are just learning about God’s (Agape) love for them and what His plans are for them and their babies. Daily devotions, weekly Bible Studies and weekly church services are all ways in which we help our young moms grow to know God’s love for them and they slowly, through the Holy Spirit, learn to put their trust and hope in Him. Please use the comment section to share your own stories about how you have seen God’s hand in your life and why you put your hope in Him. ![]() 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. ![]() Do you have a heart of service? I think that at times, we are all guilty of passiveness or even avoidance of helping those around us. We may have one excuse or another: we’re busy, we don’t have time, etc. Maybe we tell ourselves that someone else will do the job or that someone else may be better suited to get the work done. Maybe we sometimes don’t even consider participating in a service opportunity because the thought simply doesn’t cross our minds. However, we’re told in Scripture that God wants us to have a very different approach to serving our neighbors. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10). God wants us to go out of our way to serve those around us even when we may not want to or when it isn’t the most convenient for us. The Bible makes it clear that serving our neighbor should be a priority. As Christians, we know that God’s expectations for us are perfect. Imagine what this world would look like if everyone put aside their selfish desires and instead focused on leading lives of service. What a harmonious and peaceful world that would be! The life of Christ is the ultimate example of a life of service. The entire purpose of Jesus’ time here on earth was to serve humankind. He took on human flesh and lived a perfect life through the struggles of this world all so that He could gift us with His perfect image. He knowingly and willingly suffered, died, and defeated hell all so that we might gain entrance to eternity in heaven. And in His glory, our Savior ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us there. Consider how blessed we are by Jesus’ dedication to serving His people! You, too, have the power to bless those around you with the unique gifts you have been given by the Holy Spirit and there certainly are people who could benefit from those gifts. New Beginnings has openings for a wide range of volunteer opportunities, from filling staff hours to working one-on-one with our moms to acting as a liaison for our ministry at your church. Do you have the time and the talents to do any of these jobs? If not, there are tons of opportunities out there within our local churches and our community as a whole. Be proactive! We all have a responsibility to serve our neighbor in any way that we can. May God grant us all the hearts of service necessary to fulfill this responsibility. Here we have a list of volunteer opportunities we have at New Beginnings: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galations 5:13-14). “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galations 6:10). ![]() Taleya Williamson is the Operations Manager at New Beginnings. She was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington and attended Evergreen Lutheran High School. Taleya recently graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a Bachelors of Science in psychology with a minor in anthropology. In her free time, Taleya enjoys spending time with her husband, David. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19a
The passage from Hebrews emphasizes that we have this hope – that is, Heaven– that is going to get us through the trials of this world. We have hope in the midst of uncertainty to hold us steady. We are not chained to the sin of this world, rather, we are anchored in Christ, with the hope of eternal life in Heaven with Him. It is important to remember what John says in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Despite the changes we face, we can be assured that our God will never change. We will always have hope to keep us anchored in Him and not the world. ![]() Cait Seastrand All the way from San Diego, California, she is a Senior Sports and Exercise Science major at Wisconsin Lutheran College. God-willing she will be a physical therapist for children, soldiers, or academy cadets for the police and fire departments. Until then, she is very thankful for the opportunity to have a family away from home here at New Beginnings. A lot of people struggle with going to school or working. Why is getting an education important when you need money to support your child/children now? Especially mothers, we need to find ways to provide for our children. We need to work to have the funds available to support our children. We have to look beyond now and look into our future, and having a higher education can help your future become secure. Growing up I always wondered why my mom pushed education on me so hard. Who likes waking up early for school? I never knew how much education could be important until I got older. Higher education offers graduates more jobs to choose from than those who didn't continue their schooling. Higher education also improves an individual's quality of life. By having a higher education, you have more access to better healthcare, better jobs, and more stability in life! When I first found out about being pregnant, I wanted to work to make sure I had enough money to take care of my daughter. I had to realize the bigger picture and that was that my daughter needed a stable future. The best decision you can make for your children is giving them a stable future. I love New Beginnings and the mission behind continuing your education. Providing the best resources and guiding them while they're in school. I’m working while in school, but I always make sure my education comes first. Higher education will help you expand your knowledge and skills. It will prepare you for things you need to know in the world. I want to teach my daughter that with God anything is possible. While I’m going to school and taking care of my daughter, it is teaching her the importance of education. ![]() DeShanna Turner- Smith Is the intern here at New Beginnings. She is pursuing her associates degree at Milwaukee Area Technical College in human services and will be graduating in December. While juggling school and work she enjoys spending time with her daughter. She's so excited and thankful to be apart of the New Beginnings team!
* Get a lot of sleep! The recommended sleep a person should get is 7.5 to 9 hours. * Eat breakfast! It provides you with important nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein. Breakfast also helps your energy level and gives your brain a jump start to the day! * Keep a system! I pick out my clothes the night before and prepare lunch. Keep a system so you won’t be stressing the morning of. * Get your homework done first! As soon as you get home from school start your homework so you won’t be up all night trying to finish it. * Take some time for yourself. Keep yourself happy so you won’t be less stressed! Watch your favorite show, read a book, talk a walk. Make sure to do something you love that helps you stay balanced. These are a few tips I use to remain balanced and focused. I know sometimes things don’t go as planned. You may have to stay up late to finish homework, other things come up and you can’t finish your assignments. God has blessed me with succeeding in school and also dealing with life obstacles. I know He will bless the mothers here at New Beginnings too. Praying to God can help keep you focused when things don’t go as planned. Put your trust in Him and everything will work out. Always remember after the storm (school), the sunshine (Graduation) comes out. God Bless! ![]() DeShanna Turner- Smith Is the intern here at New Beginnings. She is pursuing her associates degree at Milwaukee Area Technical College in human services and will be graduating in December. While juggling school and work she enjoys spending time with her daughter. She's so excited and thankful to be apart of the New Beginnings team!
I could have never anticipated how much I would learn from the residents here. In the position that I have, many would think the exact opposite. However, living here has had a significant impact on my life. I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to serve Him in this way! I love the way in which this program connects the residents to their Lord. I myself have grown spiritually as well since this experience began. The power of God can go so far. With Him as the ruler of our lives, we can have the confidence that we will be able to stand whatever life throws at us! Experiences will come & go, with is learning along the way. God is constant. If this we can be certain. Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." ![]() Eden Ehlers I am from Peoria, AZ. I'm a currently a Junior at WLC, double majoring in Psychology & Human Social Services. I aspire to become a social worker in a medical setting. I am thankful for New Beginnings & the experience it is giving me. It has been a great blessing.
![]() Taleya Williamson is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington and attended Evergreen Lutheran High School. Taleya recently graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a Bachelors of Science in psychology with a minor in anthropology. In her free time, Taleya enjoys spending time with her husband, David.
My time here has been nothing short of a great experience. I have been blessed to become part of the New Beginnings family and cannot thank everyone here for helping me get my foot in the door of what I want to do for the rest of my life. I was able to work with some pretty amazing people who some days I don’t think give themselves enough credit and realize how much of a difference they are making. I hope to be like them during my journey in the social services world, so from the bottom of my heart thank you for pointing me in the right direction and working with me. I have made some great relationships with the residents here and I am so grateful for that. I look up to them so much for persevering and really trying to start a new life for them and their beautiful little babies. I pray that they find strength and peace in this crazy world we live in and I hope they know they always have people in their corner who are cheering them on. I really am going to miss this place. I have learned so much during my summer here and am so excited to get out into the world and try and make a difference like this agency is doing and the staff who work here! ![]() Holly Holm is a Resident Assistant as well as the Intern here at New Beginnings. She is pursuing her BS degree in human social services and will be graduating this December. “This just doesn’t make any sense!” Have you ever used this statement? I recently said this when faced with the new of violence and riots happening in Milwaukee. The situation at face value simply did not make sense. It doesn’t make sense that society members would vandalize, loot, and burn down their own communities. It doesn’t make sense that our officers have to risk their lives to handle the riots. It doesn’t make sense that family members have to fear for the lives of their loved ones. It simply doesn’t make sense…
The concept of using the why questions to bring us closer to God applies in situations ranging from failed math homework to a death in the family. God is always working for our good and using situations to bring us back to His plan for our lives. I recently heard a sermon during Friendship Sunday with the residents in which the Pastor spoke about the "Butterfly Effect.” The premise of the Butterfly Effect rests on the idea that all of our choices and actions have larger, long-lasting consequences. In other words, what we do today will affect our tomorrow in either a positive or negative way. The Butterfly Effect is constantly redirecting us towards God’s plan for our lives. The result of the violence in Milwaukee, although hard to understand, will ultimately serve the Lord’s purpose (even if we are unaware of that purpose right now). Rather than asking the wrong why questions, let us gather together and know that Christ is bringing us back to Him every step of the way. May we learn from every situation, and feel peace in knowing that, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). With this in mind I encourage you to, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). ![]() 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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