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In This Issue
Monica's Letter - A Must Read!
SAVE THE DATE!
And Introducing...
Resident Profiles
Volunteer Corner - Christina Banks
The Mary's Shelter Cookbook
Thank You!
Monica's Letter to You

This is a letter to all of you from our most recent resident, Monica.  Please read her beautifully written note:


I would like to personally thank all of you who are providing a warm shelter for myself and my three small children.  I have never known people to be so kind and concerned,  to take their hard-earned money and see to it that other peoples' families have a safe, warm, comfortable, stable environment to regain financial, mental and physical stability.

God has blessed me in so many ways, I could not name them.  But my most recent blessing, aside from waking up with my children this morning, is being adopted by such a wonderful community as yours. Mary's Shelter is so much more than a shelter, it's our home, whether temporary or not.  I can hardly express in words my gratitude.  Just when I thought I had no where to turn or anyone to turn to, your most gracious community provided me with compassion and caring.  Faith is something that I never lost, but through your blessings my faith is even stronger.  I am positive that years from now, when my children (ages 5, 2, 1 and baby who will be here soon) look back at all that you have provided for us, they will be even more thankful and grateful and follow in God's footsteps and "Help thy neighbor."  Today, though they are young, I read and explained that meaningful scripture to my children.  We appreciate, thank and love you all. 


Sincerely,

Our Little family


Please visit Fiberfads!  for beautiful hand-knit and felted items.  All proceeds are donated to Mary's Shelter!

fiberfads pic
 


For unique, hand-crafted rosaries, please visit:
Beads for Mary
40-50% of your purchase will benefit Mary's Shelter


 
Want more information about Mary's Shelter?  Please visit our website:
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 Mary's Shelter May Newsletter
Vol. 2, No. 5
Greetings!

We have had another month of blessings at Mary's Shelter.  We  welcomed home two beautiful babies, a new mother and her children have joined us, one mother has found employment, and two of our hard-working ladies will be walking in caps and gowns next week after passing the GED.  These are some of the goals we pray each of our moms will reach while staying at Mary's Shelter.  Thank you for all the support and prayers necessary for our ladies to take the next step in their lives.  We are thankful for the love and encouragement shown to all our Mary's Shelter families. 

God Bless. 

Kathleen Wilson, Director


We want to create hope for the person...we must give hope, always hope.

-Mother Teresa



SAVE THE DATE


Friday, August 13th, 2010

7-10 pm


 
Summer Soir�e Fundraiser

in support of

Mary's Shelter,

homes for women facing a crisis pregnancy

 
Guest Speaker - Ken Cuccinelli, Attorney General of Virginia

Master of Ceremonies - David Bereit, National Director of 40 Days for Life

 
Venue graciously provided by St. Michael the Archangel High School, Fredericksburg, VA

  Please contact [email protected]
or call 540 623 5778 for more information.



Proudly Introducing

Baby K, born 4/21/10


baby kylie
 


and
Baby Jonathan, born 5/12/10


baby jonathan

Photographs courtesy of Lori Elizabeth Photography
Resident Profiles

The following are profiles of some of our current residents.  All names are fictitious. 

MONICA:  We welcome Monica and her three beautiful little girls to our home.  Monica came to us from the homeless shelter where she and her girls were sharing a tiny room with another resident.  Monica was grateful to be there, however, since she had fled from an abusive relationship.  Mary's Shelter has been a true answer to prayer for her.  She is so grateful that she and her girls have a room to themselves in our beautiful shelter.   Please read her beautiful letter of thanksgiving at the top of the page.

BERNADETTE:
Bernadette began working again after 6 weeks of maternity leave.  Isabel is babysitting baby Kullin until her own baby arrives in July. 

ISABEL:  Isabel studied hard the past couple of months.  She was determined to pass the GED, and was particularly worried about the math portion.  At 33, Isabel is our oldest resident, and it has been a long time since Algebra class.  She studied for 4-6 hours everyday.  Our math-minded residents and housemother tutored her.  Her dedicated volunteer, Laura Trail, spent hours explaining math problems to her.   So on the big day, we were all rooting for her.  Imagine her joy (and ours!) when she found out that she passed!  We rejoice with Isabel that she is one step closer to taking the real estate exam and securing a living for herself and her unborn baby. 

CATHERINE:  Catherine has had a very rough and scary time since the birth of Baby K.  Just as she was being released from the hospital after her c-section, she suffered two seizures.  She was readmitted to the hospital for a few days, and even though her baby could not remain in the room with her, she insisted that they bring the baby to her to nurse.  Her volunteer Christina really encouraged her to nurse this baby, her third, and she has been very dedicated.  One month after that seizure episode and despite daily seizure medication, she suffered another one, this time in Kathleen's car.  Paramedics rushed her to the hospital, and she was released a few hours later.  On the way home, she seized again, this time in our housemother's car.  She was rushed to the hospital for the second time that day, and this time they kept her for two days.  During those two days, our residents and staff made a heroic effort to care for Catherine's newborn daughter and 5 yr. old son.  She is home now, much to everyone's relief, and we pray that her days of seizing have come to an end!

FELICITY:  Felicity is one of those stories that we tell with a heavy heart.  It is with great sadness that we report Felicity's departure from our homes.  We all liked Felicity, and she never caused any problems at all.  She was great at crocheting, dedicated to her GED classes, and kind to the other residents.  We were surprised when she decided to leave just days after giving birth to her son.  We were disappointed to learn that she plans to live with the baby's father, who has treated her horribly and has shown no signs of change.  We don't expect this situation to last long, and unfortunately, expect Felicity to be homeless again in a few months.  Such rash decisions are really heart-breaking to those of us who have put so much time and energy into the ladies and the program.  What we need to remember is that many of our ladies make poor decisions, always have, and will likely continue to do so.   But the one, and perhaps only, good decision they have made is to give life to their unborn child.  This remains the heart of our mission, and so we rejoice in the birth of Felicity's baby Jonathan and pray that his guardian angel will keep an eye on him in the difficult years to come.

baby jonathan


In addition to the moms you have read about, Mary's Shelter provides homes to other mothers and children.  Please keep them ALL in your prayers.



Volunteer Corner

christinaAn Interview with Christina Banks 

Christina worked as a Catholic school teacher for six years until she became a stay-at-home mom.  She is married to Jeffrey and has three children.

 

 

Q: What do your volunteer duties involve? 

I am a mentor to one of the mothers.  I offer any assistance that is helpful to her: driving her to appointments, helping her with her resume, teaching her how to breastfeed, etc... I had the honor of assisting her through her c-section and being with the baby in the nursery while she was in the recovery room.


Q: How did you first get involved with Mary's Shelter and begin volunteering?

I asked to be on the volunteer e-mail list 2 years ago.  This year I was finally able to step in and become a mentor.

Q: As a mother of 3 young children, how do you find time to volunteer?

I drive my oldest to school every day, so I'm already out and able to go on errands when necessary.  I will take a break after I'm done mentoring with this mom, but I'm very glad I volunteered.  It has given my children a lesson in gratitude.

Q: What is the best part of volunteering at Mary's Shelter? What have you learned from your volunteer experience?

The best part is knowing that I've answered God's call.  I've learned how to become a good mentor

Q: What would you recommend for others who want to get more involved in Mary's Shelter through volunteer work?

I recommend finding an opportunity that matches your time and talents.  If you don't have the time to be a mentor, there are other opportunities.

Q: What is the best thing about Mary's Shelter?

The best thing about Mary's Shelter is that it follows Jesus' command to help those in need, particularly Matthew 25: 35-36; 40 "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me....And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' "

The Mary's Shelter Cookbook Project

If you haven't submitted your recipe to Tanya for the Mary's Shelter cookbook, it is not too late! Please email Tanya Guthrie at

Please submit your recipes soon! Even our Mary's Shelter ladies are submitting recipes. If they can do it, you can too!


Thank You!


*Thanks to Tibor Baksy, a financial planner with Baksy and Associates, for coming to speak to our ladies as part of our Saturday Night Speaker Series.  Tibor brought each lady a user-friendly book about financial planning, and has offered to counsel our ladies on an individual basis.  We are touched by your generosity, and have already seen the fruits of your expertise with one of our residents.  Thank you very much!

*Thank you to Rachel Schamel for leading our cooking class this month.  Rachel taught the ladies how to make Honey-Curry Chicken with brown rice and broccoli.  They were very impressed and are anxious to have you back!

*Thanks to Lori Fowlkes, as always, for two baby photo shoots, one just two days before Lori had her own baby!  Congratulations on the arrival of baby #5, Zachary Glen Sixtus!

*Thanks to Regina Hiney for the monthly book club meetings!  Since we have been meeting with Regina for almost a year, she thinks the ladies are ready for more of a challenge.  Wish them luck as they embark upon "The Great Gatsby"!

*Thank you to the youth of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Triangle for all the donations of clothes, diapers, soaps, shampoos, and so much more!  Kathleen's huge van was packed!

*Thank  you to St. Michael the Archangel High School for the recent baby shower and especially for generously allowing us to use their space for our Summer Soire Fundraiser.



A Final Thank You

We are very grateful to the wonderful volunteers, prayer warriors, and donors who are crucial to the survival of Mary's Shelter. Through your ongoing support, we pray that this ministry will continue to foster a culture of life in our community for many years to come.

We hope you will continuing praying for the success of our "Fulfill the Promise" Campaign. Please help us by spreading word!

For more information about our "Fulfill the Promise" Campaign, please visit our website at www.marysshelterva.org, or simply press the button below.

Thank you and may God Bless you!

Sincerely,
The Directors and Staff of Mary's Shelter