Would you consider lending us a hand for finish some projects at our new location? 
Here is a list of our most needed projects: 

​This month at The Nest, we have been reflecting on the image of God and creativity. Webster’s Dictionary defines creativity as “the ability to create”. We recognize God as the ultimate artist and creator, making everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
 
Focusing on this theme reminds us that we are God’s image-bearers. Genesis tells us that God created man in His own image – our essence as “image-bearers” of Christ being to reflect God’s love, truth, and character in all that we say and do.
 
We are reminded of our purpose in Ephesians 2:10, which states: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
 
Countless examples of God’s creativity exist all throughout scripture – one primary example being us! 1 Corinthians 12:27 tells us You are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. We have all been individually created, uniquely equipped with different gifts and abilities. Through these gifts, God has given us the abilities to further His kingdom. 

by Liz McMillen 

Liz McMillen - Intern
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Liz is one of our interns at The Nest this summer and works primarily on assisting with administrative tasks. She is very excited to be involved with The Nest and to gain experience in an area she is so passionate about.
 
Liz is entering her second year at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where she studies Family Social Science and Social Justice. As she continues her studies this fall, she will be interning abroad with St. Vincent’s Family Project in London. With a heart for women and children, Liz hopes to pursue a career in Social Work, specifically focusing on assisting families in crisis. She hopes to continue her involvement with The Nest upon her return Minnesota.

The Nest Maternity Home's Embracing Hope Banquet 2016 exceeded all expectations. The evening was one of great celebration as well as experiencing hope in looking towards the future. 

Guests were welcomed and invited to take part in both the Bake Sale and Silent Auction as everyone arrived. As soon as all guests were seated and welcomed, salads were served and the meal (catered by River Inn in Hanover) began. There was much excitement throughout the meal as guests checked their Silent Auction bids and discovered what flavor of Blue Egg Cakes  was on their table! 

After a short explanation by Jeff Herringshaw of how The Nest is part of Youth With A Mission, Luke McClain (Director) shared a moving testimony on how he and his wife, Cristal, were called into this mission along with their two boys. A beautiful time of worship was enjoyed and followed by keynote speaker, Mary Peterson (facilitator of the National Maternity Housing Coalition and Housing Specialist for Heartbeat International). Mary brought a very moving message concerning who the modern-day 'Orphan and Widow' are and how we can serve them, as well as what the hectic but rewarding everyday life at a maternity home includes.  

Overall, The Nest Maternity Home had a profit of just over $10,000! The Silent Auction and Bake Sale were a huge hit, and very generous donations were given in the offering envelopes. Again, all expectations were exceeded and the Embracing Hope Banquet was a true testament of an AMAZING God and community that has surrounded The Nest to make it's ministry possible.

The Nest Staff would like to extend a big thank you to all involved; donors of silent auction items, donations to make the cake centerpieces possible, community partners, event sponsors, our banquet committee team, and all the hands that helped get the room ready and beautiful. We could not have done any of this without you! 

It's Friday blog time!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

Wow, it feels good to read that verse. What a relief to hear that we don't have to worry and aren't bound to a life of anxiety arousing in our minds, our stomachs and even sometimes causing shortness of breath.

Yet, a few moments after reading those words of divine wisdom, we are struck with the reality of the statement.

There are REAL issues in our world today, both at large and in our very personal lives. Human nature is constantly knocking at our door, asking to come in (and sometimes intruding after we give a feeble no). "Do not be anxious about anything," what an extreme statement for Paul to make!!

How can we possibly NOT be anxious about anything? Maybe we confuse anxiousness with the admitting of problems and concerns. Or perhaps we are too quick in our processing of events and reactions to issues, that we skip the step of releasing our concerns to God and trusting in Him.

Now there is a big word - Trust. I once heard it said that when we choose to worry, we are telling God that we do not trust Him. Do we think that our worry will actually change the situation? That's a funny thought, because usually our worry freezes or paralyzes us instead of thrusting us into action.

Perhaps Paul was trying to help us with a solution to anxiety and worry, which I am sure he was also tempted with. "In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

1. In every situation: Admit what is before us, challenges and all
2. by prayer and petition: quickly turn back to God and communicate with Him instead of our own fleshly thoughts
3. with thanksgiving: there's no better way to cast out fear than remembering God's blessings
4. present your requests to God: stop thinking we have power to change the situation through anxiety and present the situation, challenges and our request to God.
5. When the worry returns, repeat steps 1-4

Lord, help us practice immediately releasing potentially worrisome situations to you instead of letting fear take root in our hearts!

I’ve never been proud of my lack of self-control or self-discipline (which are pretty much the same thing). Over and over again, I set goals for myself- big and small- and am continually disappointed when I fail to reach them. Well, I decided that I am giving up.
My household (The Nest Maternity Home) had been bringing up this idea of doing the Whole30 Cleanse (curious? visit whole30.com) for a few months but had never committed to a time we would start this bad boy. Until February 1st when we did.
Every time I heard about what this cleanse entails, my mind would immediately think, ‘Yeah right, I could never do that…I would just complain and cheat my way through it.’ Honestly, throughout the first days I was wondering when I’d have my first breakdown or cheat. Then, when I went to church the next Sunday I was reminded that the Lenten season was to begin that week with Ash Wednesday on the 10th.
My heart began to shift, and I realized what a great opportunity was in front of me. Because of my lack of self-control, I had always given a wave to sacrificing anything from my life throughout the Lenten season (although I am a good Lutheran at my roots). Sure, I had many years where I would desire so deeply within myself to actually sacrifice something for Jesus but would never even attempt because I knew I’d fail. Well, here was my chance.
I decided then and there that I was going to do this thing, and do it right. There was a definite decision made in the depths of my soul to give this cleanse to Jesus as my sacrifice to Him. He has sacrificed so much more for me than abstaining from bread or sugar or yummy cheesecake. The least I can do for him is give up on my self-indulging tendencies.
I’m not seeing this as a 30 day challenge, but a ‘from here on out’ challenge. Sure, I will add some grains (gotta have that pizza crust), dairy (oh my stars, I love cheese) and yes lots of sugar-loaded brownies into my diet, but I see this as my opportunity to give up. It takes a lot of energy to be disappointed in myself, and it takes Jesus a lot of forgiving every time I come to him in repentance. The fact that I have lived a life of being ashamed at my lack of self-control affects much more than just my personal thought life. It has shaped part of who I am today, how I relate to people and also what I could accomplish in the future.
So, here it is, I GIVE UP on laziness and lack of self-control. Sure, I will probably have setbacks and will fail a few times in the future, but there is always grace to cover our insufficiencies. For now, I will live day-by-day and refuse to give into those tasty temptations (maybe I will also abstain from Pinterest for awhile).
-Kallie

​(taken from Kallie's blog - kalliekristine.wordpress.com)

8:40 had struck the clock this morning by the time I realized it would be a great morning for a walk. In my room, I could hear cars whizzing by which, as much as I dislike, sometimes limits my ability to concentrate on hearing God during my quiet times.
Calculating how much time I had before our Nest meeting, I knew I had roughly 30 minutes to get out of the house for a walk on this decent 30 degree winter morning. Scrambling to get my things together, I left the house with a goal of speed walking to one of my favorite spots on the St. Michael walking path where I would enjoy a good 3 minutes of silence, birds and peace before speed walking back to the office for our meeting. 

This morning in our prayer time, the Lord brought to my mind something He had spoken to us as a team last week - a vision of Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, where Luke and Cristal had visited while in India a few years ago. They had recalled the time it took to get to the top of the hill in order to enjoy the sunrise from the highest vantage point in the area. Once on the hill, you also had to choose which angle and area you wanted to enjoy the sunrise from, for there were many options and all were beautiful.
Last week, God was speaking to us about perseverance and what we needed to push through to keep moving forward. This week, as I waited on the Lord to speak, he showed me the connection between Tiger Hill and my experience this morning on my walk.

Why is it that I am willing to speed walk 6+ blocks in order to enjoy a short 180 seconds before rushing the 6+ blocks back? Why is it that people all over India are willing to walk all the way up a large hill in the cold to witness a sunrise when the sun would have risen regardless of whether or not they were on top of the hill or watching out the windows of their homes?

If we truly want to experience God, we must put ourselves in a position to see Him move.  We must persevere to get there and we must do the work, whether it's speed walking through town, climbing a hill, or laying aside what other people think and actually kneeling in worship. If we are just sitting in our rooms listening to the cars go by or watching the sunrise out of our windows because we are not willing to put forth the effort of exertion, we will never experience the fullness of God.

So, here at The Nest we are asking God how we can position ourselves to anticipate and be ready to see God move. What position can we put ourselves in, in order to experience His hand in our work and personal lives.

What position can you place yourself in to better see and experience the movement of God in your life?

-Kallie

Everyone can relate to money. We all have our stories of hard times, and nobody today can live a life where money is not prevalent to every day living.
Here at The Nest, we are blessed to be provided for by God through friends, family and churches who believe in our cause. We have many stories of provision for things like our home, heating and cooling needs, funds for an office space and even the little things like gas money and household cleaning supplies.

Beyond the testimonies about God providing for our home and ministry to function, we are also blessed to be a part of our resident's walk with Him. ​
There are not many sweeter things than watching Jesus' pursuit of those he loves. ​If we keep our eyes open, we daily see little and big miracles in our resident's lives. It is as if he is leaving trails of little gifts for them to open along their path of seeking truth and unconditional love.
From reconnecting with lost family members and healing of hurt relationships​ to surprise Christmas gifts for their children and help right when it's needed, God's provision is so evident.

Our stories are all different; some of us need to be stripped of everything we rely on that is NOT God so that he can give us what we truly need. Others of us are desperately needing to be shown miraculous signs to put our faith in God​. No matter where we are or what we need, God knows our hearts as well as our physical needs. Although His help doesn't always come in the form that we anticipate, it always brings him glory and fulfills our needs.

Bonnie Wos, a licensed psychologist, has joined our Nest Core Team! As described by others, Bonnie is a bubbly, optimistic and loyal friend; exactly what one looks for in a confidant. Bonnie has been with Youth With A Mission Minneapolis for years, so we feel that we know her quite well, but we decided to sit down with Bonnie and ask her some questions so you could get to know her too.
 
Bonnie sees herself as caring, energetic & Christ-centered, and anyone who knows her personally could confirm those qualities. To her, the most important things in life are her relationship with God and family. She has 5 children, 12 grandchildren and has been a widow for 13 years.
 
Before coming to The Nest, Bonnie was the campus counselor with YWAM Minneapolis for 8 years. While at YWAM Minneapolis, she cared for the staff’s emotional needs and took part in overseeing the spiritual aspects of the ministry as well as staff development. Everyone knew that Bonnie’s office was a safe place to decompress and seek advice, support and prayer.
 
After eight years of living and working at the YWAM Minneapolis campus in Buffalo MN, Bonnie described the tug she felt on her heart:
“I felt like God was stirring something in me, and I wasn’t sure what it was. I went on a long walk and asked, “What are you doing? What do you want?”, and all of a sudden, The Nest came into my vision. I was so surprised. I would have never thought about it, it simply wasn’t in my brain. This was God-inspired.”
When she approached Luke and Cristal McClain, the founders of The Nest Maternity Home, they had no questions as to whether or not Bonnie was needed or qualified to be a part of this team.
 
Bonnie is a licensed psychologist and has done clinical work for years (although, she is not currently providing 3rd party coverage or therapy at The Nest). In the past, Bonnie worked as a student advocate at an alternative high school in the Anoka school district. The school had a program for teen moms with an on-site daycare, and she counseled young women in the school’s program every day. At The Nest, she provides a reduced form of counseling similar to what she did in the school system.
 
Bonnie expressed her excitement for her new job:
“I feel like God called me to this, and I also like challenges. I’m learning something new and pray that I can be at service to these young women, however that might look. I see myself as the counselor but also a case manager to help connect the women to different services. I formally meet with girls on Mondays, but I want to join them with my life. I do this by taking them to church and to the recovery program I work at. This relationship is continuously evolving.”
 
Bonnie has been a great addition to our Nest Core Team, and we are so thankful that she sought God about the stirring He placed in her heart and was willing to follow Him. She provides solid advice, experiential knowledge and of course a good laugh here and there when things get a bit too serious!
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