“Sometimes a teen is deceptive because he is afraid to be honest. He may be scared that he will disappoint you or a friend. At some level, your teen may fear that the truth will interfere with love.  Ask if you are not letting your teen be real, or if you are controlling his life so much that he has no freedom or secrets. Reassure your teen that you will love him no matter what he says or does, and encourage him to take a risk with you to see if this is true.”   -John Townsend

ANOTHER WAY HWAM IS SERVING YOU…

Everyday we deal with difficult teen issues, so we’ve decided to start sharing tips for YOU to build a better relationship with your child. This HWAM Parenting Tip is brought to you from Boundaries With Teens by John Townsend.

Right now, as you read this, Hearts With A Mission is providing shelter for 10 local teens. Our doors have only been open for a little over 45 days and we have provided 253 nights of shelter to some of the area’s emotionally fragile youth. It’s because of you that we have been able to make this happen.

When Pam* came to Hearts With A Mission a couple of weeks ago, she said there was no way she would ever be able to forgive her father or return home. After mediation, counseling and some quality time with the HWAM staff she was reunited with her family. When we asked her what the most significant part of her stay with us was, she said Hearts With A Mission has helped give her the ability to forgive her dad.

Your support, getting the word out about what we do or donating to HWAM monthly, is making a tangible difference to so many kids who are struggling. THANK YOU!

*We have changed the teen’s name to protect her privacy.

www.heartswithamission.org

January 14, 2010

I vividly remember the November day in 2006 when I read that there were 1,500 homeless teens in Jackson County. Who knew that three years later, because of your support, Hearts With A Mission would be a fully licensed teen shelter! What hit me yesterday, as 5 more youth showed up at our door (we now have 8 kids at the shelter), is that the immediate need is so much more severe than I ever imagined.

Sarah* came to us a little over a week ago. The first night she didn’t talk, she didn’t eat, she didn’t sleep. She just curled up in the fetal position in the corner of her room. She slept on the floor for the following four nights, reminding us each day that she hated it here. Then something started to change. She started eating dinner with us and playing games and talking to the staff. A few days ago she ran up to me and said, “Kevin, you’re not going to believe what happened today. The vice principal called me into his office because this is the first full week of school that I haven’t skipped even once and he wanted to personally congratulate me.”  Not only is Sarah* doing great in school, but she is now really enjoying her stay at HWAM.

Sarah’s* story is just one of so many YOU are apart of. As we continue with counseling and mediation with her family, know that it is only because of your support that Sarah* and her family can work through their issues.
(*I changed the teen’s name to Sarah to protect her privacy.)

HWAM NEEDS:
As we move forward we are looking for Monthly Donors to help underwrite, staffing, program and utilities. Click Here to sign up now.

HWAM is looking for volunteers to prepare meals for the shelter, be a mentor or to help us get the kids where they need to be. If you’re interested in helping in any of these areas please call Shannon at 541.646.7385 or e-mailshannon@heartswithamission.org.

December 30, 2009

The day we opened our doors, I received the following e-mail from a worried mom:
(She has given us permission to share this information with you.)

“I have a runaway daughter age 15, she has been gone 9 days.
She was in ICU at Providence Hospital over Thanksgiving for trying to kill herself.  The police have been informed, and she is in the database… Please I beg of you for her safety, if she shows up there please contact the Medford police, I am a worried sick mother.”

Your support has given Hearts With A Mission the ability to go alongside the missing teen’s family in prayer, and to support them in their search. Last night the police found the 15-year-old daughter and brought her home. While she is safe for now, her mother is still reaching out to HWAM for support and services.

Hearts With A Mission is far more than a homeless teen shelter. Our desire is to serve our community in many facets, including helping parents whose children are missing, or have runaway. We offer crisis intervention, mentoring and mediation to the youth we serve, as well as, a safe place for kids to start communicating with their families again.

Last night a seventeen-year-old boy was the first teen to enter our shelter.  One of the first things he said was that he was really cold and he had not slept for four days. It’s because of YOU that Hearts With A Mission can give help, hope and now shelter to hurting kids. Thank you for choosing to make a difference!

December 17, 2009

Thanks to God, you and our amazing community of support, Hearts With A Mission was licensed to operate on Wednesday, December 9th.  The english language cannot do justice to the gratitude I have for your partnership with Hearts Wth A Mission.  You are a part of the HWAM family and our mission to reach the homeless youth in Jackson County.  We are scheduled to open our doors on Monday, December 21st. Thank you for joining us in prayer as we finish the many last minute details and tasks before our doors open.

To give a donation to HWAM as a Christmas Gift for someone special please CLICK HERE.

P.S. Please help us get the word out to any contacts you have in schools, service agencies, churches etc..