Our new drop-in centers in Stark County will be a beacon that shines Truth and Love to women in darkness.
These centers are crucial — they allow RAHAB’s staff and volunteers to be there, be available, and speak Truth into broken lives every day.
Our Director of Outreach Debbie Lingenhoel’s experience with a friend named Faith is prime evidence of why our drop-ins are key to restoration …
We have a friend in Canton who goes by the street name “Faith.” Yesterday, while praying with another set of friends, I noticed her walking toward us. She stood behind me in our prayer circle, and I reached back to grab her hand so she could join us.
Afterward, she urgently took me to the side and asked, “What’s going on out here?” Faith is someone who has a keen awareness of the spiritual realm. I’m not sure how or why, but more than once we have had conversations in which she has sensed things in the spiritual realm that are true.
With fear in her eyes, she continued, “The darkness … the darkness is trembling. I can feel it — it’s struggling to be in control, and it’s coming at us with all it’s got right now. The darkness is trembling because Jesus is here, and the darkness knows its time is short. Standing next to Jesus, being hidden in Him, is the only way to be protected from the darkness.”
Finally, Faith asked us, “Can you pray for me?”
And, then the walls started to tumble down. Angel prayed with such strength and Truth. It was a beautiful moment in which I witnessed fear being traded for strength and assurance.
The darkness is trembling because the King of Kings is about to say “enough!”.
Thank you all for what you do so that we can be on the streets and having the honor of speaking Truth to our friends like Faith.
(Faith’s name has been changed to protect her privacy)
If you haven’t yet had a chance to help with providing housewarming gifts, there are still needed items on each list!
RAHAB also wants to express our sincere appreciation for the many churches that have linked arms with us to prepare both drop-in locations in Stark County. Big “thank yous” to:
- 3rd Street Community Church — a group that has been storing food for our Canton street outreach
- Crossroads — for contributing food and manpower for outreach that has laid some amazing relational groundwork for these centers.
- Faith Family Church — for sending teams to do landscaping.
- Grace Church in Bath — for the many workers who offered skilled help in order to put in flooring and sinks, paint cupboards, and more.
- Cuyahoga Valley Church — for providing a box truck and movers.
- CCC Hudson — who donated all the furniture for our Portage location, plus wall hangings, curtains, and more.
- North Canton Chapel — whose people came to build shelves.
- Chapel in Green — for donating items and clothes.
- RiverTree — for the generous Christmas Eve offering, as well as for providing items from our Amazon Wish Lists.
- Chapel in Marlboro — for all the donated items!
We are so grateful to each and every individual, group, and church for the outpouring of compassion and love. You are helping make these drop-in centers feel like real homes!
May God bless you for shining His light into the darkness!
RAHAB Ministries is so excited to be a part of Love Akron’s Annual Breakfast September 29!
We are partnering with Love Akron to announce a brand-new initiative. In all our years of working with survivors, we have found that we need to provide more than just mentoring for women who are graduating from our safe houses.
This new initiative will be a life-changing next step for survivors transitioning out of our Adult Safe House and into their communities … and we can’t wait to share all the details with you!
Please join us virtually for Love Akron’s Annual Breakfast the morning of September 29th. Click here to register and find out more!
RAHAB’s Drop-In center on Matthew Street in Akron has a reputation of being a place where women feel “safe” and “not judged.”
These are not just merely titles or descriptions we’ve come up with ourselves … no. Rather, this is the feedback we hear regularly from the women we serve.
One woman recently shared a story with us about how when she was on the streets, she rarely felt safe anywhere, either physically or emotionally. She had walls built up and was unsure about connecting with RAHAB.
But after being to a “Soup and Shop,” and receiving a meal and necessary items like clothes and hygiene, those walls slowly began to erode. She was becoming more and more open to Bible study, asking questions, and receiving prayer.
Soon she was spending more time with us to seek peace off the streets.
From the Drop-In, she was able to connect with our long-term residential safe house … and RAHAB was blessed to send her on her first international mission trip — a lifelong dream fulfilled.
Now she’s not only a friend of RAHAB, she’s part of our family. She shares openly about her story and what the Drop-In center means to her.
We would love to hear your story about how RAHAB has impacted you. Whether through volunteering, reading our emails, or the result of interaction with one of our compassionate staff members or volunteers — we want to hear it! Click here to tell your story!
Special announcement!
RAHAB is excited to share that Nichole Terrett, our Director of Development, has been named as a recipient of The Greater Akron Chamber “30 for the Future” award.
This award honors young professionals whose stellar contributions impact their industries and the Greater Akron area.
Independent committees selected the recipients based on the finalists’ professional accomplishments, leadership, and community service. Recipients were nominated by members of the Greater Akron Chamber and regional profit and non-profit organizations, including many of the region’s young professional organizations.
This year’s award recipients will be recognized in a week-long virtual celebration in September. The celebrations will be open to the public to view online.
We are so thankful to have Nichole on the RAHAB team and for her servant leadership both at RAHAB and in the Akron community!
Great job, Nichole — very well deserved! Thank you for all the work you do at RAHAB!
Recently our leadership team made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 golf outing fundraisers due to Coronavirus complications.
However … our work to bring Truth and Love to victims and survivors of sex trafficking continues — and you can help by playing a “Round for RAHAB!”
Find out all the details here. Thank you for making hope and healing a reality for women and children in need!
Thank you again for partnering with RAHAB.
It’s the support of caring, compassionate people like you that allows us to make a difference!