The Goals

Vision of Hope has the goal of raising $40,000 in this year’s event.  We hope to do that by recruiting 40 teams who each have the goal of raising $1,000 for the ministry.

Results as of today

Vision of Hope has 91 registered participants on 29 different teams.  As of today, we  have collectively raised $5,936. That is such a great start toward our goal!

Ongoing Goals…

We need 11 more teams to reach our team goal. We are $34,064 away from  reaching our fundraising goal.  We can do it!!!

Please be asking friends and family to consider forming a new team for Vision of Hope.  We need to get as close to our team goal as possible to succeed in meeting our overall fundraising goal.

Weekly Stats…

Here’s the bragging rights for this week:

• Top individual fundraiser for VOH for May 17^th – Karla Lane $497 (wins a $5 Starbucks card for this week for being in first place)
• Top ten list for individual fundraisers:

1. Karla Lane – $497
2. Stephanie Burkholder – $320
3. Deb Trilus – $300
4. Bethany Spence – $275
5. Sarah Landolt – $225
6. Janice Myer – $185
7. Stephanie Joy Van Ommeren – $180
8. Tied for 8^th – Rachel Bailey, Laura Craun, and Janessa Bjornstad – $175
9. Tied for 9^th – Nickey Barnhizer, Karalee Brand, Heather Starkweather, and
   Abbey MacArthur – $150
10. Kayla Hale – $135

• Top team for VOH for May 17^th – Hope for the Future $1037 (WHOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!)
  • Top ten teams:

1. Hope for the Future – $1,037
2. Jolly Ranchers – $510
3. Friends and Family Love VOH! – $510
4. Hebrews 12:1 – $400
5. Glimmer of Hope – $353
6. Got Hope? – $300
7. Tied for 7^th place – There’s No “I” in Team – $275 and Team Starkey – $275
8. Hopeful Harmony – $260
9. The Surrendered – $250
10. Clay in HIS Hands (Isaiah 64:8) – $225

This Week’s Advice –

This week the best advice I can give you for making the most of May is the advice to encourage you to add as many team members to each team as possible.  The more people on each team, the more likely you will be to reach the $1,000 goal each team has set.  As we learn so often at VOH, lots of servants make the work go quickly.  Remember… 10 people on a team, each raising $100, will result in a $1,000 team.

Thank you again for being involved to raise money to support the work that Vision of Hope is doing to serve hurting girls.  We are so thankful for your support.  Look for another update on Friday, May 24^th.  I wonder if anyone will be able to catch up with Miss Karla!!!

Related posts:

1. Breaking News!: Tomorrow’s the day!!!
2. Breaking News!: We need your help with Homeward Bound 5K!
3. Race for Hope!

Many of us are familiar with 2 Corinthians 5:17 which tells us, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” When I read this verse, I think about the trees. In autumn all of the leaves of the trees turn brown and fall off. We see these bare, dry trees and think to ourselves how we cannot wait for spring because we know what’s coming. We know that the trees will bud and bloom
and become breathtakingly beautiful.

This is the same way with us. God’s Word tells us that “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In other words, Christ saw us at our worst – dried up, brown, bare, undesirable – and thought to Himself, “I cannot wait for ‘spring’. I cannot wait to make this creature my child. I can make her breathtakingly beautiful. I will provide a way to make her new”. He saw each of us at our lowest point, and all He could think of was His desire to provide a way for us to be made new.

So He died. He died for the dried up trees that we are so that if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior we can become new, with beautiful blossoms of His grace covering our shame. We can be seen as beautiful and righteous before a holy God; not because of any good that we have done, but because Christ has placed His own righteousness as a robe to cover us. We know that Christ was victorious in this because He then rose from the dead, proving
that He truly did conquer sin and death – the things that make us unfit to enter into His Father’s perfect kingdom.

Spring is a wonderful time to be reminded of the amazing grace that Christ has extended toward us. Like the trees, we too can be made new and beautiful. Join me in praising the Lord for His awesome love and mercy that we do not deserve!

For those of you who don’t know, Race for Hope is a 5k walk/10k certified race benefitting Vision of Hope and Faith Bible Seminary. The Race will be hosted at Faith’s campus on June 15^th. This is one of our largest fundraisers of the year, making the Race for Hope a vital resource for our ministry. We are continually seeking to be able to provide solid, biblical hope and help to hurting ladies at a very low cost. Because of this goal, we rely heavily on the donations and support of others. Race for Hope serves as a great way to get the word out about VOH and to raise support for our ministry!

Our goal this year is to have 40 teams signed up to support VOH. Currently have 28 teams, so we still need 12 more to reach our goal!

YOU can help us! By signing up for the race as a team captain, you can help get the word out about Vision of Hope and be a vital resource as we strive to keep our program super affordable. And you don’t have to live near Lafayette to join the race. Signing up as a virtual runner will still give you the opportunity to support the ministry and get the word out!

For more information or to sign up as a team captain, go to http://www.faithlafayette.org/raceforhope.

Join us, as we run the race, fixing our eyes on Jesus!

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles
us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before
Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God.”

-Hebrews 12:1-2

Related posts:

1. Race for Hope!
2. Weekly Race for Hope Update for VOH!
3. Breaking News!: Homeward Bound 2010

When I think of anxiety, a few verses come to mind. First, and perhaps the most well-known, is Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is a hard pill to swallow. It is so easy to read these verses and initially agree whole-heartedly, thinking about how lovely and uncomplicated it sounds. But many times we crumble at the first sign that something is out of our control. Something unexpected happens that “throws us off,” and we become overwhelmed with the situation and throw these verses out the window. I am so often guilty of this.

But God’s Word clearly guides us in how we should approach these situations. We are to first thank God for how He has already blessed us. Sit down and make a thankful list of 10 ways God has blessed you or provided for you. We can thank Him for the sun and the rain, for both the good and the bad, knowing that He is always good and all His ways are good. We can thank Him for who He is – the beautiful characteristics that make up our loving
Father. He is always wise, always good, and best of all He is ALWAYS sovereign and in control. We don’t have to be; He’s got it covered!

Coming to God first with a heart of thankfulness and praise helps us to correctly orient ourselves before Him. As we recognize what kind of God we serve and His wonderful blessings, we can then come to Him humbly with our requests and petitions. We can present our worries to God with open hands, not trying to control the situation but offering it up to His control, fully trusting in His promises and character. In this way, we will have the peace that can only come from God. We find peace as we fully trust in our Savior, knowing that His plans are much better than ours. If we could actually control the situations we face, the outcome would never been as good as the plan that God has for us anyway. With this knowledge we can “Be still and know that He is God” and find great rest in Him.

God is more than capable to handle anything that we might face in our lives. Isaiah 40:28 says: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” THIS is the God we serve; the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. A God this big can certainly be trusted to take care of the struggles we face in our little, short lives. Worry and anxiety tend to melt away as we meditate on the greatness of the God we serve, who has everything under control. With this knowledge, we can be as confident as Moses was when he wrote: “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him. The Lord is a warrior; The Lord is His name.”

This is our God, and He is calling us to rest safely in His arm, fully trusting in His strength and plan in every little aspect of our lives.

Listen in as some of our current and former staff, residents, and interns of VOH share how Debbie greatly impacted their lives during her time with us:

“As Debbie’s co-worker I considered it a privilege to work in the office right across from Debbie. Debbie and I had several conversations about the challenges we faced as Biblical counselors.  She was such an encouragement to me as we both wrestled with balancing speaking truth, admonishing, and disciplining vs. restoring gently and showing grace.  I so appreciated her wise words of wisdom. One conversation that I will never forget happened while we were closing out some case files.  As we were writing up notes we started sharing with each other how amazed we were at the Holy Spirit’s direction in counseling.  We were both sharing how God brought Scripture to mind during counseling that as we looked back on it were surprising to us because if we were counseling that situation right that
moment, we might not have thought to go that direction.  We were rejoicing together that God always provided just what the counselee needed even through sin cursed counselors.  I would describe the way Debbie lived with the phrase: godly
perseverance.”

“When I first arrived at VOH, Debbie was my first counselor. Apparently the day before, a few girls had received a “not talking” consequence from Debbie for some offense they had committed in the house. In counseling and in interactions with her during my first month at VOH, Debbie was serious and straight to the point. In my immature, addiction-twisted mind, I thought that Debbie was the “mean counselor.” What I once despised in those initial weeks as a resident is something I later came to respect. Debbie was never malicious; she took God’s holiness very seriously and was bold in speaking the truth found
in God’s Word. She didn’t show me love the way worldly women show love, which usually comes across as soft and sweet but is actually rooted in cowardice. No, Debbie Costa loved me wisely. After my graduation from VOH, Debbie’s attitude and wisdom whilst under the attack of an unrelenting cancer spoke to my heart intimately; even in the seasons where I watched from afar, her actions whispered promises of God’s loving-kind-faithfulness. When my own mother was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer last year, Debbie’s reflection on her own experience with cancer challenged me to seek a deeper theology of suffering. She has held me as I cried over my mother’s suffering, knowing exactly why I cried. The hard-edged woman that I had thought her to be years earlier was one of the only people who could look into my trial and say, “I understand.” Her unwavering trust in God through her own suffering of cancer still reminds me that when our hope is only in the gospel, even
cancer can’t steal our joy.”

“While I was a resident at Vision of Hope some circumstances revealed that I’d never grieved the loss of my father and aunt to cancer. Debbie, dear, wise Debbie, discerned that I needed to commence the grieving process so she opened up the conference room for me (after hours, which was a real privilege and a big deal!). Compassion flooded and spilled out from her eyes when she encouraged me to cry before God for these losses “for as long as it takes.” Because of Debbie’s wisdom and sensitivity to facilitate the opportunity, I did. Debbie poured out a labor of love into my life as my counselor and friend. My view of God is bigger because of her. My love for Jesus is richer because of her. My life is free from life-dominating sin because of God’s work through Debbie’s counsel, prayer, wisdom, and love. Debbie’s life rings out to me as an attractive song of truth and grace. She knew her God, and He was made known to the watching world through her joy, her counsel, her priorities.”

Debbie will be so greatly missed, but through our mourning we have great joy knowing that she is resting sweetly in the arm of our heavenly Father in perfect paradise.

Related posts:

1. Days Without Debbie
2. Farewell to Our Dear Debbie!

We never want to sugar-coat the fact that times are tough. God has created us to feel negative emotions as well as positive. We are meant to feel sad when we are experiencing suffering. We are supposed to mourn and cry. However, we were never meant to lose hope. These situations are intended to bring us to a place where all that we can do is rely on God for His strength and comfort. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 teaches us that we are to mourn, but not as those who have no hope. Believers have such a great hope because of the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the Cross, and this is not to be forgotten. We know that those who have trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior will inherit eternal life in a perfect heaven with a perfect God forever. We know that heaven is a perfect place where there will no longer be any death, pain, sorrow, or despair. And we also know this: we are not there yet.

C.S. Lewis once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” God often uses suffering to get our attention. When we experience times of suffering, we are reminded that we are not home yet. We live in a very imperfect world with very imperfect people in very imperfect circumstances. But thanks be to God, who made a way for us to enjoy perfect, painless, joyful fellowship forever with Him one day! Suffering can remind us
of this. Romans 8:22-25 says: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently”.

It’s okay to mourn and grieve. We were created with the capacity to feel sorrow and pain. But God never leaves us without hope. Suffering serves as a reminder that we are foreigners on this earth, but that soon we will be home with our loving Father in perfect
paradise. THIS is the hope we can cling to!

Related posts:

1. Resident Reflection: Dear God

The more I consider the areas in which I struggle the most, the
more I am convinced that I do most of my sinning in my mind. It is so easy to
slip into a mindset that is not biblical or pleasing to God. Consider
temptation: where does it start? It starts with a thought and ends with an
action. We know that a thought is sinful when it cannot stand when held up to Scripture. So, a sinful thought pops into our heads, and we allow it to sit there as we mull it over. Before we know it we have not only spent an enormous amount of time thinking on something that is not pleasing to God, but now the thought is stronger and there is a very good chance that it will lead to an action. Now we are thinking on and acting on something that began as a sinful thought, and it becomes must harder to kill this sin! That’s where 2 Corinthians 10:5 steps in.

I have been learning that in order to take a thought captive, I must first become aware that I am thinking sinfully. I find that it is so easy to allow a sinful thought to become so habitual that I’m not even aware that I’m thinking on it anymore. Therefore, I must be earnestly begging God to make me aware of every sinful thought that enters my mind, right at the beginning. This is so important for reaching the goal of having a thought life that is pleasing to the Lord.

So what should we do when we realize that we are thinking on something that is not pleasing to the Lord? Then we take it captive. We tell ourselves, “This thought is not allowed to stay in my mind. I will only allow myself to think on things that are true and biblical. This thought does not stand firm when held against the Bible, so it is not allowed to stay here”. This is where we begin to make our thoughts obedient to Christ.

Ephesians 6 teaches us that God has given us a mighty weapon against the wiles of the devil. He had supplied us with the sharpest, most precise sword that actually discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Eph. 6:17, Hebrews 4:12). This weapon is the Word of God: the Bible. Since we have such a powerful weapon, let’s use it! Making our thoughts obedient to Christ means that we think on things that are Biblical. We ask ourselves, “What does God’s Word say about this thing that I am thinking on? What lies am I believing that I can replace with the truth that God’s Word teaches?” We must find out what is truth, and choose to believe it! God’s Word holds only truth, so we must run there for our answers, taking up this powerful sword.

Taking thoughts captive is not an easy thing. It takes focused time and energy. But through this hard work there is great freedom! For some, this means replacing the lies they have been believing with the truth of God’s Word as it pertains to addictions. For others, the sinful thoughts may be those of arrogance, pride, selfishness, or self-focus. But in all cases, we need to be actively working to take captive our thoughts and think on things that glorify God and draw us closer to Him. This is something that I have been struck with during my time here as an intern, and I am so thankful to be able to share with you. Let’s all strive to show that we truly do love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength!

Related posts:

1. Education Update: "Right Thinking: Changing Thoughts that are Hateful"
2. Staff Commentary: Right Thinking

But Now I See: Lessons Learned in my First 3 Months as an Intern at Vision of Hope

It’s been both an eternity and just yesterday since my little Honda Accord pulled into the parking lot of Faith Church in Lafayette, Indiana. As would any human starting a new chapter in life, I had expectations for what my time at Vision of Hope (affectionately known as “VOH”) might bring. Yet, many of the lessons I’m learning—along with the challenges I’m experiencing—far exceed my expectations, in the most glorious way. I should expect no less from the God who is able to do abundantly more than I could ever think or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

As a VOH intern, one reality I’m privileged to experience is the vibrancy of Scripture. In my head, I realize the Word of God is living and active, poignant and powerful (see Hebrews 4:12, for example). Yet in my heart and in my experience, it often feels as if the word of God were a pass-time more than a passion. As I work with the girls at VOH, I’m constantly put into situations I haven’t prepared for: I don’t know what to say and do, or how to say and do it for that matter! I walk into conversations with perhaps some expectation or hint of the girl’s struggle; but as I wade deeper, I lose whatever foothold I thought was mine: I realize this is over my head. In these moments of time-sensitive uncertainty, passages like Psalm 119:105 are most real to me: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve desired to help a girl who’s struggling, but—once hearing the struggle–am at a complete loss as to wisdom or encouragement. There are other times when I would rather keep peace than admonish, confront, or train a girl who’s not living in the fullness of what God has for her. In both circumstances, I am tempted to impart human wisdom, because I want to find the solution or feel I have something academic to offer on my own. I’ve learned, often through failure, that using my own words is a risky business, as I am liable to create incredible misunderstanding or dichotomous arguments. In these moments, it’s comforting to know that when I use God’s words instead of my own, I will never be lying to someone or advising them in a harmful way. God’s word and His truth have illuminated a path on which I can walk, and lead others to follow. In my darkness, in my uncertainty, I have a lamp at my disposal. I have a light.

This lesson applies not only to my interactions with the residents, but also in my personal life, specifically my thought life. When I have a hard day, a hard shift, or am confronted with hard news, I can respond in a variety of ways: I can attempt to “make myself feel better,” I can numb out the stress, or I can repeat Truth to myself, even when it doesn’t feel true. If I use my own words, I’m in danger of lying to myself or perpetuating despair (i.e., “This isn’t really that bad, it will be over soon. Everything will be ok. There’s nothing I can do. I can’t seem to shake this. I want out”). It is important to remind myself that ALL truth minus the Word of God—even irrefutable reality or science—is a hollow chorus. It only leads to a hopeless end. On the contrary, God’s word—living and active, a light and a lamp—leads to an endless hope, even in my wandering.

Related posts:

1. Staff Commentary: First Loved

Over the years we have had quite a few ladies come to us with unresolved trauma. By “unresolved” I mean that they come with abuse and difficult things in their past that they have never worked through. Sometimes a lady will come to us who has trained herself to forget what happened in her past by using drugs, alcohol, or other tools. Once these tools are stripped away, sometimes these memories present themselves in nightmares or instances of intrusive memories where the lady is remembering and reliving the event in their mind and body. As the staff and counselors of Vision of Hope have sought wisdom in how to serve these ladies well, they have found that one of the most important things to do is to process through the trauma, allowing yourself to remember what happened and admit it to be true, no matter how difficult that may be.

We strive to teach our ladies how to process trauma in a biblical way, as we walk through it with them. We have found that once someone remembers what happened and is willing to admit the reality of it, the memory becomes less intrusive and more manageable.

But we don’t stop there.

We make it our goal to not only help these ladies recognize the memories and traumatic events as true, but then to hold that event up to the truth of Scripture and who God is. What does the bible say about abuse? What does the Bible say about God, and how does that apply to this horrible event in my past? These are just a few of the questions that our counselors work through with their counselees to gently guide these broken ladies to Christ, the only One who can save them and bind them up again.

Processing through trauma in a biblical way is just that: a process. It takes time and hard work for our ladies to work through these things, but in the end there is such hope and healing, as we know that our Savior is waiting for them with open arms, ready to grieve with them over what has happened and to bind up their brokenness. What I have described here is but a taste of what our staff and counselors have discovered as they have driven themselves deep into the Bible for answers.

So if you or someone you know has experienced abuse or other trauma, just know this: there is hope in the scarred hands of our Savior. He offers healing and freedom. Yes, it is a long and very difficult process, but His arms are strong as He “upholds you with His righteous right hand”…His beautiful, nail-pierced hand.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

-Isaiah 41:10

Related posts:

1. Summer “Break”
2. The End of an Era
3. Resident Reflection: Processing Salvation

The first thing I asked our ladies is: what are some ways you keep yourself accountable when you are away from Vision of Hope that you would like to share with others who are struggling? Here are the responses I received:

• Journaling what you are eating. One of our ladies shared that it has been very helpful for her to write down what she is eating and show it to her counselor (or parent/godly friend) for accountability. This has helped her to make healthy food choices during her trips home.
• Staying consious of your thoughts. When you have a bad thought, pray and ask God to help you take captive that thought and work hard to replace those ungodly thoughts with godly ones.
• Set up boundaries for youself, and alert your friends and family of those boundaries so that they can help you uphold them.
• Own up to the fact that you are sinning, and that it is your responsibility as a follower of Christ to own up to it.
• Family and godly friends are huge. Seek out their support.

There are many books and resources we offer our ladies here, and I have asked some of our ladies to share the ones they have come across that have been most helpful for them in the area of eating disorders. Here’s what they recommend:

• Redeemed from the Pit by Marie Notcheva.
• The booklet Christ and Your Problems by Jay E. Adams. One lady commented that this booklet was extremely helpful, as Adams is very blunt and to the point in challenging his readers to own up to their problems in a biblical way.
• Love to Eat, Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick. One lady shared that the DISCIPLINED EATING acronym that Elyse shares in her book was a huge help for her during her visits home where temptation would be great. She shares that this book is encouraging and practical.

If you or a loved one is struggling with destructive eating habits, I would like to encourage you that there is hope! It takes a lot of hard work, but perhaps these quick tips from ladies who have been where you are at will be your first steps to making a lasting change!

Related posts:

1. Accountability: The Basics
2. Counseling Resource: Eating Disorders
3. Book Review: Love to Eat, Hate to Eat