July 2022

Good Morning and welcome to our first newsletter!

We have had a lot going on in all of our lives lately so we basically took June off from Covered Waters to get our feet back under us. We are back and working hard to continue getting this wonderful ministry off the ground!

Our goal for newsletters is to keep you informed on what is happening behind the scenes, share stories where we see God at work, introduce you to who we are, share the heart for CW and the reasons for doing this, request your prayers, and post opportunities for helping/giving.
We promise to not only share the amazing things that happen (we definitely want to praise God for what He is doing) but also what is hard. We know that this ministry is going to be hard. There will be struggles among the amazing things happening. We want you to walk alongside us in prayer and encouragement.

Currently, we are:
- Playing the waiting game as paperwork moves through state and national offices. Getting all of the paperwork correct hasn’t been easy, but we persevere.
- We have been fortunate to connect with like-minded ministries. It is encouraging that there are others doing similar things. But, even more so, it is super beneficial to talk through things that we didn’t even know we needed to think about.
- Working on all the details that need to be done: handbooks, bylaws, building a board of directors, creating our program, utilizing our contacts, etc. Basically all the non-glamorous parts of starting a non-profit
- We are also in the process of getting our website up and running! We are so excited about how it is turning out and can not wait to share it with you. Our goal is to publish it on September 1st along with the beginning of our fundraising efforts. So much has to happen in order for that to work, we would appreciate your prayers!

We did officially open our Facebook and Instagram pages! Go check us out, like our pages, comment on our posts, and share!

This month we wanted to share our mission/vision/values/etc for Covered Waters. Please read below for that information!
Next month we will introduce you to our team. =)

One more thing, we have received several questions about when we will be opening the doors.
Short answer, we have no idea. We have a goal of sometime in 2024 but we are holding that time frame very loosely. We are trying to be faithful and continue taking the steps that need to be done. We are united in making sure we are READY (or as ready as we can be) for the ministry before we open, with no shortcuts. We will need to get all the legal stuff taken care of, raise money, buy a house, likely renovate the house, hire some staff, etc. All of that takes so much time! And ultimately this is God’s ministry and we will continue to follow His leading for timing.

We thank you for being part of this ministry. We appreciate and love every one of you. We could not do this without our amazing support systems.

We would love to hear from you! If you have questions, connections we should make, suggestions… or even how we can be praying for you, send an email!

In Him,
Tina, Bailey and Katie

Mission/Vision/ Why we are doing this:

Tag line: Empowering Generations

Verse:
Psalm 107:29-31
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Mission:
We strive to walk alongside young women who are seeking support in order to guide them forward with strength, wisdom, and dignity as they enter adulthood and motherhood.

Vision:
To embrace young women and their born/unborn child(ren) who don’t have the support needed to create a sustainable life for them and their children. We want to help them perfect the necessary life skills for everyday living in hopes that they can reach their full potential. They will learn essential tools such as obtaining housing, a job, and education. As well as creating healthy routines and schedules for her and her child, setting up and getting to doctors’ visits, child care, and using the tools they have learned to advocate for themselves and their children. Our hope is to rewrite the future for generations to come.

Values:

• Demonstrate the love of Christ in all we do.

• Understand the different levels of healing and education that need to take place for the participants before they can thrive in society. This happens only in trusting relationships and mutual respect.

• Honor the mothers and what they need. Meet them where they are at to show them love regardless.

• Promote the welfare, rights, safety, dignity, justice, and intrinsic worth of the young women in our care.

• Be trustworthy, responsible, and act with integrity.

What we do:
Isaiah 1:17 gives us three actions: “Learn to do good; seek justice; correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless and plead the widow’s cause” (ESV). Do good. Seek justice. Correct oppression. These may seem vague, but there are big implications for each one. To do good is to bring joy or gladness to others. What would bring joy to a young woman facing a lonely, uncertain future? To bring justice can mean to seek or demand justice. How can we advocate justice for them? Correcting oppression is to relieve or to bring prosperity to those whom the strong exploit. What/who is oppressing these women as they enter the world alone? Many problems in our world seem so far beyond our reach, but God has given us the capacity to make progress in addressing a true need that is right here in our community.