Harbor Life Ministries

A couple from Norwalk have opened their home to Mindy and daughter Emily so that Mindy can focus on completing her schooling and getting a job.

Luke 15:10 says, “…there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Recently, God’s angels had a reason to doubly rejoice as two Harbor House teen girls became Followers of Jesus Christ.

Thank the Lord for how He makes an eternal impact through the ministry of HLM!

Chelsy, 15, is from west-central Ohio, and arrived Monday, September 28, 2009.

Her baby is due to arrive in February 2010.

Chelsy is a freshman and has already gotten back into the swing of school as she’s enrolled in Ohio Virtual Academy.

Chelsy is hoping to parent her baby but will begin looking at the alternative choice of making an adoption plan, so that she can plot a course for herself that gives both her and the baby the best life possible.

Please keep Chelsy and her baby in your prayers.

Hannah is now just a few weeks away from her due date of September 7.

A doctor’s visit revealed today that her body is getting ready and the birth canal has begun to dilate.

Please keep her and her baby in prayer and we’ll be sure to keep news on Hannah posted regularly here.

?Redeemer? is a classic praise song that was written and recorded by Nicole C. Mullen in the ’90s. The original song featured powerful vocals that made the song stand out among other praise songs at the time, and are still difficult to emulate.

With permission of the song’s author, Hannah has determined to sing it as a preview of a music CD that will be available at Walk for Life ‘09. With Kara Eberle accompanying her on acoustic guitar and sung from the front porch of Harbor House Norwalk, Hannah shows that, even at (just turned) 16 years old, God has given her a beautiful but equally powerful voice.

The CD is still in the works, but it’s shaping up to be an inspiring collection of songs and hymns, and our hope is it inspires our supporters to worship our Lord God the Creator through Christ Jesus our Redeemer.

Songs From the Porch on Linwood Avenue from Harbor Life on Vimeo.

Pledge forms are available at WalkForLife09.com; the music CD will be given away as an incentive…

School’s out for Hannah! She finished work tonight in her last workbook.

Hannah is home-schooled, with her mother supplying her curriculum along with the scope and sequence. She also grades Hannah’s tests.

?It was easy.?

That’s what Sara had to say about the GED test.

Her road to getting a diploma equivalent began with a pretest in the areas where she was weak. She struggled with the calculator portion of the math test.

Sara then took a calculator class with a tutor. After that she studied the next three weeks on her own.

The actual test took around five hours to complete. When she had finished with it she wasn’t sure that she had passed. Actually, she feared she had failed.

Five days when by before the results arrived.

So now what?

?I want to get my STNA certification from the state and then look for a job,? she said.

Sara is staying at Harbor House until she has met certain requirements established by the county court. She had her baby last August, a boy named Bryce, whom she placed for adoption.

After experiencing the death of her son Keith, born prematurely on April 18th, Lysa has gone home to her family.

She arrived on April 4 and it was an absolute joy to have her; she brightened every conversation and never seemed to be grumpy or ill-tempered. Her attitude was positive even about coming to Harbor House. She wanted to be here and and wanted to get help with her situation.

Please keep Lysa and her family in your prayers. There is also a memorial fund set up in her son’s name for anyone wishing to contribute (Paypal alternate site).

Unlike Chrissy Hynde and the Pretenders, Natasha returned to Ohio and her city was here. Along with the temporary home and family she had for most of last year.

What had changed was that Tasha was no longer pregnant nor showing signs that she had been. She has been busy back home taking ballet lessons and showed off some of her moves.

She doesn’t have a boyfriend, either, which was one of the stipulations for living back around the crowd who were her friends at the time she got pregnant.

She’s not even hanging around them. Instead of going back into a brick-and-mortar school and seeing hundreds of kids her own age during the school year, Tasha is learning online via a virtual charter school.

She also become very integrated into her church. She has a mentor who asks her hard questions on a regular basis.

Are her parents being too cautious?

“If my daughter got pregnant at 15, and had to go through all that Tasha had to go through, I’m sure I’d be maybe a bit more restrictive,” said Karla Eberle, housemother at Harbor House.

Does Natasha miss her previous before-pregnancy lifestyle?

“I miss being able to be by myself, I miss hanging out with out friends, but that doesnt’ mean it was good for me. Just because I did those things–it wasn’t right but that doesnt’ mean i dont miss it.”

For now, until the trust returns–which will happen eventually as long as Tasha obeys her parents and other authorities–she will have to live with restrictions. But life has restrictions and God wants us to learn that His restrictions are designed ultimately to benefit us. That’s one lesson that has stuck with Tasha after experiencing teen pregnancy.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 ESV

Sara has gradually but steadily grown in her walk with Christ. She is learning what it means to be a follower of the forgiver. Without having been baptized though, the church body local has been privileged to watch her plunge under the water to symbolize her washing by Christ’s blood of the old sin nature, the coming out as her rebirth, and got to hear her testify publicly of what Jesus Christ has done for her and how her hope is now in Him, not in herself.

That changed on Sunday, April 26th, 2009, when she allowed Pastor Bruce Rzengota of Norwalk Alliance Church to baptize her in front of the church.

“I was a sinner who got pregnant, did drugs, stole things, and disobeyed authority including my parents. When I got pregnant my parents brought me to Harbor House. Here I got to find out about God, and learn what the Bible teaches, but I also saw it modeled by Doug and Karla [Eberle]. They are perfect examples of what a Christian is supposed to be, so I’ve tried to act like I see them act. And I go to Erik and Kim’s [Phillips], they’re great, I love them so much. And their kids, the Eberle kids, they’re all such good people, so I know I wouldn’t be able to do this without what they’ve done for me, and they’ve put up with a lot.”

Well, I have to rebut her testifying that I’m perfect. My wife Karla is near perfect but I…well…I’ll just keep those things between God and me and the people I need to seek forgiveness from.

Anyway, very cool to watch Sara get baptized. I love to watch baptisms, especially when testimony is shared. Sara does have a great testimony. Please pray that she continues to grow in her relationship with our Savior.

Today is Hannah’s birthday as she turns “sweet” 16.

Please comment below if you’d like to wish her a happy birthday.

Her baby is due to arrive in September and she is working on what her plans will be after the baby is born.

The funeral has been scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 21 April, 2009, for Lysa’s baby Keith Louis, who was born early Saturday morning 13 weeks early but survived only less than two hours.

If you are interested in attending, please contact us and we will email the details.

Thanks to all those who have lifted Lysa up in prayer as well as our household. Lysa seems to be doing well through this. As for us, although we know that everything first passes through God’s hands and that He loves and comforts us through Christ in our loss, it is still sad when death enters a home that has as its purpose saving life.

Natasha is on her way back to Orange County, California, after living quietly for six months at Harbor House.

Coming all the way from the west coast?unwillingly at first?she was 15-just-turned-16, pregnant, and her parents needed some help. They wanted Tasha away from the peer influence that had helped turn their sweet Christian teen into a rebellious daughter they didn?t seem to know any more. Her parents, both Christian physicians, knew what might happen if they didn?t find help for her.

In Tasha?s own words:

?Before I came to [Harbor House] my life was a wreck. I had become sexually active with my boyfriend, intimate with other boys, abused alcohol, lied to my parents? To add to my mess I became pregnant?

“Thankfully, my parents loved me enough to send me to Doug and Karla?s [Harbor House] to get the help I need. After I came, my life got turned around. I learned to be independent from boys, my walk with God became stronger, my relationship with my parents is slowly healing and I am giving my body?and my life?the respect it deserves.?

Tasha gave birth on December 12 to Korbyn Alexzander, a healthy baby boy who she placed for adoption.

Natasha was able to spend Thanksgiving with her adoptive parents.

This past Saturday her mom Susan arrived from Delaware (the state). Susan is staying in the guest room at the house until the baby arrives.

Tasha is rapidly approaching the end of her pregnancy and is doing very well handling things at this point.

Although she is due Dec. 8th, her doctor indicated at Tasha’s exam today that she might deliver before the end of this week.

Everyone is ready: parents, adoptive parents and, of course, Tasha.

India is just thriving in shepherding care living with Craig and Connie McEldowney and their family in Russia, Ohio. This has been so good for both the McEldowney family and for India.

India has finished two of her three school subjects with 93 or better, and has only a bit to go in biology to finish?it should be completed next week?and is carrying a 98 in that!

She got to see her mother and brothers who came down from Chicago for a Thanksgiving visit.

She is still planning to parent and will begin ?Bootie Camp? after Christmas, per Connie?s request.

India is seeing a midwife (one who is prolife and is also adopted) from the Sidney, Ohio, area. She will deliver at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Sidney.

We loaded the van with our family of 5, two resident teens, and three teenage friends of our daughters, and we headed to the pumpkin patch and corn maze. We started at the pumpkin patch, we divided up in teams, four teams. The goal was to be the first group through the maze with the most correct answers to their questions. It was so much fun?

Then we headed to the other part and grabbed wagons. We went up and down the rows, searching for just the right pumpkin. Everyone picked a pumpkin and we loaded the wagons, it took two. When we weighted them all in it was over 150 lbs of pumpkin.

We then headed into their country store, to taste the apples and see all the things you can make with apples as well as to pick up a gallon of apple cider. We all headed to the van and loaded up and headed home.

By the time we got home the Buckeyes game was about to come on, so carving and cleaning pumpkins would have to wait until Sunday. Later after the Buckeyes game, we had more house guests arrive. Our prior midwife and her daughter came over for the weekend on their way to college visits on Monday.

- Karla

Sara’s bus ticket has arrived from Job Corps, which means she will be leaving here for certain.

The whole process of getting her enrolled has been quite a… well, process.

Testing, doctors’ slips, criminal background check, etc. etc., and several unexpected delays since the whole application process was put into motion back around August 20th or so.

Sara can now be free to pursue her G.E.D. and then follow her plan: get a job, make money, get a home, go back to school, become a pharmacist’s assistant, pursue a social work degree and… wow, I can’t believe how tired I get thinking about that. It was really tiring just to arrive at step one, the Job Corps.

Keep Sara in your prayers. God has done wonderful things in her life to grow her spiritually while she’s stayed with us. Pray she continues to pursue Him and His kingdom first, so that all these things will then be added to her.

Saturday often is a day to sleep in but, being away from home, the plan was to get up at 7:30 and be ready for breakfast at 8:30.

Well, we all did end up sleeping in and got up at 8:30, but were ready for breakfast by 9 AM, with everyone showered and dressed. The day was spent at the Ohio State Fairgrounds where the Quarter Horse Congress was being held. We walked a great deal looking at all the exhibits and then watched the horse events. It was a few of the girls? first time at a horse event. We had fun. We returned back home, on our way stopping by a shoe store, every girl?s dream. We spent about half-an-hour trying on and playing with shoes… what fun!!!

It’s two hours from Norwalk to Columbus, Ohio (a little longer than the Celina to Columbus trip) but even so, two of our family’s children have great Christian doctors in Worthington, a north-Columbus suburb, so it’s a trip we continue to make at least once every three months. Sara, Natasha and India went along this time on a planned overnight excursion.

We met up with some other family members and friends, then doctor visits and, finally, just hung out. After a second straight day in the car, however, everyone was very tired. We made a quick trip to the mall, but it was very quick; then to dinner where we had Chinese; and swimming; and finally at 11:00 off to bed.

Sleeping arrangements at somewhere other than our own home is always a challenge. Who sleeps with who?? Very interesting how they come to that arrangement.

Well, it’s been almost 8 weeks since Sara gave birth to Bryce, and most of the time since there’s been a concerted but futile (so far) effort to get her into the Jobs Corps program.

She was (again) supposed to leave today, but we didn’t have her bus ticket which Jobs Corp was supposed to send via email. Finally, at the end of the work day they called to say that they still were waiting on one of her medical forms to be approved. Since Job Corps only does intakes on Tuesday, it would have to be postponed for another week (Tuesday, Oct. 14).

Don’t misunderstand, we love having Sara with us, and I think she’s grown to like being here too, but these several times now when she has planned to move on to the next chapter, said her “good byes” and then had the process halted… it’s hard to be ready to go but then not go.