'Tis the season to lose some weight and let me tell you did we women at Brush Prairie Baptist lose some weight this past week and you probably aren't even aware of it, until now. See all pictures here.
This past week, a handful of us went to Shepherd's Door, a women's shelter in NE Portland and dropped off 88 pounds of clothing and 80 pounds of toiletries AND about 10 pounds of other misc. stuff.
Don't you feel lighter? I don't know about you, but as we toured this amazing facility that helps women and their children heal from so much pain, we felt a lightness in our hearts knowing we were a small part of this heart and life changing program. As I watched my young girls run up and down the halls I thought of the many children who had played in those very halls, growing up in their first loving home and family.
Shepherd's Door is a warm and welcoming haven to all who come...we were drawn in by each room we saw. Light flows in from multiple windows, courtyards lead to open areas and children's playground, the bedrooms each have a secure and private entrance, soothing landscape surrounds, and a cozy great room with a piano, a fireplace, a huge Christmas tree and soft couches for all the women and children to relax together.
There is a culinary kitchen where each woman who graduates from their program will leave with abundance of knowledge from food prep to kitchen management and their food handling cards.
There is a full-time daycare for the public to use and the resident children have full access to a safe and imaginative world to explore.
While the children play, the women attend classes on personal care, emotional healing, and steps for the future. During mealtimes, the moms pick up their kids and they head to the large eating area where everyone participates in cooking and of course, eating.
During the tour we were told that most of the time you can't recognize the gals from the day they come to a month later, they are being changed from the inside out. There was one gal helping weigh all of our clothing, and we later found out that when she first arrived at Shepherd's Door her kids had been taken away from her and the courts had told her she would never get her kids back. The day before our visit, she had gone to court and the judge had granted her full custody of all her children due to the transforming in her life and new commitment she had made during her time at Shepherd's Door.
Women are not just helped at Shepherd's Door, they are challenged to face their darkest corners of their past, forgive those who have hurt them so deeply, learn that it's ok and normal to make mistakes and how to respond to disappointment in a healthy way. But as we were reminded the classes, counseling, programs only can go so far in a woman's life, they are changed but to get to the real life changing heart issues only God can heal completely and that is what Shepherd's Door and actually, isn't that what life is all about?
In the near future, the women at Brush Prairie hope to visit Shepherd's Door again, perhaps share a meal with the residents and get to know each other, learn, grow, and laugh together. More information coming soon.
This past week, a handful of us went to Shepherd's Door, a women's shelter in NE Portland and dropped off 88 pounds of clothing and 80 pounds of toiletries AND about 10 pounds of other misc. stuff.
Don't you feel lighter? I don't know about you, but as we toured this amazing facility that helps women and their children heal from so much pain, we felt a lightness in our hearts knowing we were a small part of this heart and life changing program. As I watched my young girls run up and down the halls I thought of the many children who had played in those very halls, growing up in their first loving home and family.
Shepherd's Door is a warm and welcoming haven to all who come...we were drawn in by each room we saw. Light flows in from multiple windows, courtyards lead to open areas and children's playground, the bedrooms each have a secure and private entrance, soothing landscape surrounds, and a cozy great room with a piano, a fireplace, a huge Christmas tree and soft couches for all the women and children to relax together.
There is a culinary kitchen where each woman who graduates from their program will leave with abundance of knowledge from food prep to kitchen management and their food handling cards.
There is a full-time daycare for the public to use and the resident children have full access to a safe and imaginative world to explore.
While the children play, the women attend classes on personal care, emotional healing, and steps for the future. During mealtimes, the moms pick up their kids and they head to the large eating area where everyone participates in cooking and of course, eating.
During the tour we were told that most of the time you can't recognize the gals from the day they come to a month later, they are being changed from the inside out. There was one gal helping weigh all of our clothing, and we later found out that when she first arrived at Shepherd's Door her kids had been taken away from her and the courts had told her she would never get her kids back. The day before our visit, she had gone to court and the judge had granted her full custody of all her children due to the transforming in her life and new commitment she had made during her time at Shepherd's Door.
Women are not just helped at Shepherd's Door, they are challenged to face their darkest corners of their past, forgive those who have hurt them so deeply, learn that it's ok and normal to make mistakes and how to respond to disappointment in a healthy way. But as we were reminded the classes, counseling, programs only can go so far in a woman's life, they are changed but to get to the real life changing heart issues only God can heal completely and that is what Shepherd's Door and actually, isn't that what life is all about?
In the near future, the women at Brush Prairie hope to visit Shepherd's Door again, perhaps share a meal with the residents and get to know each other, learn, grow, and laugh together. More information coming soon.
ahhh.... once again, Sarah Stout, you have done a fabulous job keeping us informed in a very colorful and creative way. Great pictures! Thanks for your hard work. Gosh, your girls are cute. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your generosity -- and for sharing the news about Shepherd's Door. We're so grateful for friends like you. Without your compassionate support, Portland Rescue Mission couldn't give such hope to men, women and children burdened by homelessness, addiction, hunger and abuse. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWow! That's so awesome...my family donates to Shepherd's Door, so it was really neat to see the facility and learn a little more about how it transforms the women! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!