Letter From The CEO: Summer 2022
Chief Executive Officer
In the spirit of vulnerability and transparency, I am sharing openly with you in this article. We are all very willing to share when great things are happening, but, how about when there are challenges? How willing are we as partners, collaborators, and friends, to rally around one another in support when things are less than great, as they often can be in this work? Do we take advantage of those hard times our partners are experiencing to imagine the worst and whisper it among ourselves, or do we come to their aid and let them know we are supporting them and trusting that they will come out of difficulties better than before they entered? The WellHouse culture is one of Prayer, Excellence, and Grace. We know we are not perfect, but we strive for excellence while covering our work and our people in prayer. Sometimes I wonder if we fall short in the area of grace - showing grace to those with whom we share the common bond of service specifically.
I have been guilty of, and I deeply regret, not being more empathetic and supportive of those in this fight with us. For it is indeed a fight – a war actually. I now look for opportunities to support and build up rather than participate in tearing down. May God help us all to do so. Imagine how many more victims will become survivors who transition to Overcomers if we all unite!
Regarding The WellHouse, we have experienced a season of change and transition and quite frankly, one that has held some deep trials. But out of this has emerged a team dedicated to leading the way, as opportunities arise to serve like never before.
I think of our WellHouse Child program. Wow! Who knew how hard this would be? Well, those who have actually plowed that concrete and opened residential facilities for trafficked youth knew! We sought their advice and guidance, but there is nothing like actually doing it yourself to understand the tremendous challenges. I am pleased to humbly report that we are on our way to a newly revised WellHouse Child with tremendous leaders who are experienced and committed. We hope to begin receiving youth again by July 18th, 2022 as we have now secured needed staff and are in the process of onboarding and training.
Speaking of staff, as we recently shared in a meeting with other service providers from around the country, finding and retaining employees for this work is a major challenge for us all. During that same meeting, one director reported that a staff member was retiring that day, and another reported that a newly hired case manager quit that day after one week on the job with no notice. While we have lost some staff, we are blessed that we have also gained some great ones! This is indeed the nature of this work.
Finally, while there is value in long-range planning, I have come to see greater value in what Randy Parrott describes in his book Opportunity Leadership. Even when we do not know that we need something, God will provide the opportunity and make a way for it to happen. By recognizing and redeeming the special opportunities God has prepared in advance, those unexpected opportunities that we may otherwise be missing, we see our success could be greater. I can think of many ways in which He has done so at The WellHouse, the actual campus being one. We originally planned to remain in a different location five years ago, but God had another opportunity that included this beautiful campus! We were planning another option for the children’s home, but God had better plans and gave us the means to build it debt-free on this campus. I could go on and on with unexpected opportunities that turned into successes. We have to be open and not wed to our plans, regardless of how carefully thought out they are.
After all of this reflection, The WellHouse pledges to be transparent and vulnerable as well as supportive of our collaborators and partners as never before moving forward. Will you join us in unity on behalf of the vulnerable we serve? Imagine what opportunities God will provide!