GENESIS HOUSE

Contact the Genesis House of SE Wisconsin, Inc.
9302 39 th Ave.
Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158
(262) 697-1510
A Safe Place For First Steps and Second Chances
Potential Partnership
with YFC Teen
Parent Program
The Genesis House has long been known as a
place for new beginnings. At this time, we
have a “new beginning” we are happy to tell
you about! We are in the exploration stages of
a partnership with the Youth For Christ Teen
Parent Program.
This program has been a vital ministry in the
Racine area for many years. Newly re-named
“Parent Life,” this partnership would be a
collaboration working to reach parenting teens
in our Kenosha community.
For more information, email
yfcfrontdesk@gmail.com and put “Parent
Life” in the subject line. You may also call
Youth For Christ at 262-633-9016.
Steinhafel’s supplies new furniture
Once again Steinhafel’s has donated furniture to the
Genesis House via their Community Giving program.
They give back to the community by participating with
non-profit organizations. We received furniture to update
the Genesis House and fill in some empty spaces, as well
as have some new things for our clients in need.
Interim house parent Marissa, Cecelia and “Jaay” try out the new
sofa we were given.
Your Life-Changing Help
Is Needed and Appreciated!
Please accept my monthly gift of:
G $20
G $50
G $100
G $250
G $500
G Other $________
G Please accept my special one-time
gift of: $_______________
Make Checks Payable to:
Genesis House
9302 - 39 th Avenue
Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158
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GENESIS HOUSE
Web: www.genesishousewi.com
Email: ghousesewi@gmail.com
Facebook: The Genesis House of Southeast Wisconsin
Former resident Stacy and daughter Kha’leya came for a visit.
Maggie hosted a dinner for her and a number of volunteers who
had gotten close to Stacy. Stacy left the Genesis House in March,
but continues to stay in contact. From left: Sharon Cortes,
Kha’leya, Stacy, Susan Robbins, and Tammy Caddy.
A Safe Place For First Steps and Second Chances
Equipping young mothers spiritually for life, motherhood and success
Volume 14 Issue 2
Summer 2014
Greetings From The Board
Greetings in the name of our Lord.
We thank the Lord every day for the
continued generosity and favor that has
been poured out on the Genesis House.
We are blessed that the Lord has used
wonderful people like you to be a
blessing to this ministry and the people
that it serves day-in and day-out.
These last few months have brought a
lot of changes to the house. We are
excited to see how God is working in
this ministry and the direction that he is
taking it in.
The last few months we have seen
increased interest from many people
who just want to help serve at the house.
We have been so blessed to offer new
programs and welcome new people with
a variety of skill sets to prepare our
residents for their future. If you have
ever wanted to use your special gifts or
had a desire to serve at the house, we
have a place for you.
It is also our sad duty to announce
that Alan Hall, who has been a long-time
board member at Genesis House, has
recently resigned his position. Due to
scheduling conflicts and a variety of
other responsibilities, Alan felt it was his
time to move on from GH. Alan was a
tremendous asset to the house, and his
perspective and guidance will be greatly
missed. Therefore, we would like
everyone to know that we are actively
seeking to fill a couple more openings
on our board of directors.
Please prayerfully consider if this is
a ministry to which God is calling you.
You are welcome to sit in on a board
meeting to get a feel for the house
operations.
See
Board on page 2
Interim houseparent “jumps in”
Hello, my name is Marissa Brandies, the
interim housemother at the Genesis House.
I jumped right into the mix of things in June
and have loved every moment here at the
house since then. It really has been such a
learning experience.
While rewarding and enriching, it has also
shown me the heartbreak, hurt, and sadness in
Marissa and Cecelia the lives of the women who have been touched
by Genesis House, and how God can use those
past experiences to turn lives around and bring great healing.
I have seen a transformation not only in Jazmine, but also in
myself as I learn and am taught new things of how to love and lead
by Christ's example. God has truly done great work in this house
and I am speechless when I see Him working here daily.
I am beyond blessed to be here and am so grateful for the chance
to touch the lives of the residents here, but also the chance to be
used by God in this ministry. The Genesis House has been such an
amazing experience for my family and I am so grateful that I have
been able to be a part of God's work here. Thank you.
Welcome alternate house parent
Benita Thorat, our new alternate house parent,
started serving with Genesis House in July. She
graduated from Trinity International University
with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministries and
an emphasis in Counseling and Social Services.
Benita has also studied abroad in Uganda and
worked with the Child Survival Program for
Compassion International, where she assisted
Benita Thorat
pregnant mothers in slum areas of Uganda, Africa.
She will also be attending Living Light School of Worship this fall.
Benita is looking forward to experiencing new adventures with
Genesis House. She says, “Genesis House is a great place, designed
to empower and equip young pregnant women. I am thrilled to be
able to love and pour into the lives of these girls, while being a part
of this wonderful organization.”
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Board (from page 1)
In closing, we would like to thank all of
you, once again, for your generous
outpouring of blessings on Genesis House.
Please continue to pray for the house, our
residents, and the staff and volunteers who
work so diligently to bring honor to our
Lord. ^
In the service of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Brad Henry c John Stampfl
Wayne Graff
Genesis House Board of Directors
God brings workers
We are so delighted that many of
our supporting churches have
individuals and groups that are “at the
ready” when we have a need! Josh
Ortiz, Youth leader at Crossway
Church, responded to our need for a
serious van cleaning! He and a couple
of the youth cleaned it inside and out,
and were gracious to also clean our
playground structures.
Jay Butler, from Prayer House
(following the organizational skills of
Mike Miller from Living Light
Christian Church – Kenosha) has
been faithfully mowing our lawn all
summer! This is quite a task,
considering our property is over two
acres!
See Workers on page 3
Needs
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!
!
!
!
!
Non-perishable food
Paper towels
Toilet paper
Laundry detergent
Gas cards
!
7-Passenger van
“Hello” and “Goodbye”
We have been saying ‘goodbye’ to friends, and ‘hello’ to some
new faces in the past several months. In April
we welcomed Jazmine, “Jaay,” whose daughter
is due in October. Jazmine has her high school
diploma and has worked a bit here and there,
but is still looking for something more
consistent.
In June Jessie and Michael moved on from
here, and we pray God’s very best for them as
they continue on their “journey.” Would you
please join us in praying for her family
Jazmine
situation, as well?
In June we welcomed Marissa Brandies as our new Interim
HouseMom. She and daughter Cecelia are a delight! Marissa
jumped in with both feet and has been busy learning the ropes,
seeing that all the house classes are being scheduled, organizing
donations, and greeting volunteers. We are so thankful for her
upbeat personality and relationship-building skills.
In July, we welcomed Benita Thorat as our Alternate
HouseMom, and she has moved into the lower level apartment.
Benita recently graduated from Trinity International University,
and plans on attending the School of Worship here in Kenosha in
the fall, as well as continuing her duties here. We are happy to
have her help, and her sweet gentle spirit here!
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Maggie Graff, Executive Director
Hawkes depart Genesis House
and welcome second son
We are so grateful to have had Jill and Josh Hawke step in at
the Genesis House when interim
houseparents were needed! They
really want to be involved in a
ministry helping young women
some day, so this was a great
way for them to get their feet
wet.
The month of June saw them
transitioning out as Marissa was
coming in. Thank you so much
to the Hawkes and
congratulations to Jill, Josh and
big brother Jonah on the birth of
Josh, Jill, Jonah and Kalvin
Kalvin on July 4th!
God sends his volunteers to our doorstep
For four days during the week of
July 7, five ambitious teens and a
chaperone, Stephanie Stephenson,
were here serving at the Genesis
House. They were all part of “Week
of Hope,” a summer mission’s trip
packed with practical acts of love and
service.
We were grateful to be able to
partner with Journey Church as an
organization to be on the receiving
end of this wonderful program! These
out-of-state teens served us 6 hours a
day. The “assignment” for the week
was a dining room make-over. They
emptied the room, stripped
wallpaper, scraped peeling paint,
primed and painted walls, window
cases and baseboard trim. They
cleaned the furniture, and even
tacked down the loose flooring. They
gave the dining room a wonderful
face-lift!
They all worked so hard with
cheerful hearts. We were especially
blessed to be able to share in one of
their devotion times. May God bless
each one of them for their willingness
to serve!
These teen
missionaries
provided a
“Week of Hope”
for Genesis House
this summer,
brightening up
the dining room
and our lives.
Is this the same dining room? Gone is the old wallpaper. A brighter shade of paint
covers the walls and woodwork, and everything is clean and fresh! Many hands make
work light, and these teen missionaries seemed to enjoy their work as much as we did!
Workers (from page 2)
A group of ladies from Daybreak Church came and spent hours
helping Marissa organize the donation area. We had received
many boxes of baby things that needed to be sorted and stored;
they saved us hours of work!
We had a huge tree blown down in a storm, and a few men from
Crossway Church, Daybreak Church, and Living Light Christian
Church, came with chainsaws to cut it up and haul it away.
Our flower gardens were in serious need of some weed pulling
and defining, and Maria Portalatin from Living Light Christian
Church came to the rescue!
Thank you all so much for helping us maintain this God-given
property to keep the residents’ environment spruced up and
inviting!
Josh Ortiz and his volunteer cleaning crew
from Crossway Church.
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