December 2016

GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH,

AN EVER-PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE.
PS 46:1

Then and Now

Nancy was one of the first women to come into the
Womens Refuges residential program. This newsletter
is about Then and Now.
Then: The Womens Refuge was incorporated as a 501
(c)3 in October 1997. Soon after, Ted Robart found a
two-story frame house on the corner of 9th Ave and
20th St. with a tiny house behind it for an office. The
owners, Joe and Dee Cameron, snowbirds from NYC,
were very generous in working with Ted and me and
our Board of Directors (aka, our Bible study group!) in
fixing up the property for occupancy. We opened the
doors in January 1998.
Having been diagnosed with
Multiple Sclerosis in 1988 at
the age of 31, Nancy walked
with difficulty up to the second floor, but she was
willing to do anything to stay
in the program, even if it
meant going up and down
twenty times a day. She
stayed three months the first
Nancy in 1998
time and came back for six
more months, finishing up the
nine-month program. Nancy met and married her second husband soon afterwards, so we didnt see her for
17 years, at which time her husband called the Refuge
to see if we could take her back until she could be admitted into an assisted living facility. He could not take
care of her any longer since he was handicapped himself from exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam
War. Also, he has significant mobility issues, while
Nancy is now wheelchair-bound.
Now: Arriving back at the Refuge, Nancy shares I was
hurting emotionally from facing the separation from
my husband. I never thought that I would have to go
through this again. My children are grown and living up
north with their own families, and my parents are
deceased, so I didnt think that I was prepared to go
through this rejection alone. My husband wanted me
to go to a place temporarily that was safe and where I
could have spiritual and emotional support. With the

help of the curriculum, support groups and the one-onone counseling, I started feeling hopeful again, even
though I knew that I couldnt go back home, much less,
get well from the MS. The Refuge has been a godsend
again for me. It is a true blessing to be here with the
staff and board who were around in 1998. Its like
going back home to me. I feel like I am really loved, and
that I am special. I have hope.
Preparing Nancy for her new life in an assisted-living
facility has not been easy on her, but the Refuge will
always be here for her. She will spend Thanksgiving
with us and quite possibly be
here even after Christmas if
the Medicaid processes are not
completed by then. God is
definitely in charge. Pray.
Most of the residents spend
time with their families over
Christmas holidays, and then
they come back in January to
finish their programs. Others
like Kayla (see testimony on
Nancy with Donna 2016
back) will have graduated and
started their new lives celebrating the peace and joy that comes from believing in
the Good News of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Then and now, the Womens Refuge and Board of
Directors pray for all the hundreds of women who have
come here for healing and hope. We pray for all the
supporters who have made this possible. Please pray
for us as we continue serving the Lord and His children.
Have a blessed Christmas and a hope-filled 2017.
Ted and Donna Lee Robart and from all of the
residents, staff and boards at the Womens Refuge.

Nancys praise report!

Renes Three month Graduation

For the past several

months, I have not been
seeking Him in His Word.
It became a chore to me,
until recently. The past
few weeks God has been
Nancy H.
speaking to me through
His Word. He has shown me that He has great and
wonderful things for me in my future. Ive been so excited
and waiting on Him to show me what He has in store for
me. God has shown me that my thinking needs to change
in the way I handle my finances. I work at the Resale Shop
and I have learned to budget my money for my bills and
needs. Just this month, God has blessed me with a great
and reliable car which I am very grateful and thankful for.
I am especially thankful to Barbara and Roy Gardner, helping me with my budget and to the staff at the Kia dealership. As Christmas is coming upon us, I am looking
forward to spending time with friends and family, here at
the Womens Refuge. ~ Nancy H.

I used to live on the phrase fake it til you make it but

over the years, I realized I was never making it
anywhere, really. My good intentions and sincere love for
God could not stand the test of
time. I was building on sinking
sand, or rather, a landfill
would be more accurate!
Waste accumulated beneath
the surface, years of issues not
dealt with, covered by fresh
green grass, hidden under a
pleasing appearance. I had
become so obsessed with
covering up my deep-seated
Rene and Cheryl
hurts and wounds with the
appearance of Im fine! There were days I was in such
emotional pain my heart would literally throb; it would
take me to Jesus, but I also went to the mirror to make
myself look as beautiful and happy as possible. But every
one knows you cant cover up the stench of landfills. You
can smell them from miles away. No, I didnt smell, but I
know that the people closest to me could smell something
was wrong, when I wouldn't let them get close to my
heart, when I would hide from them in my struggles and
my past, when I would become so debilitated by fear of
rejection that I would freeze. The Father, in His mercy,
brought me to the Refuge (thanks to my good friend
Laura, a 9 month graduate) to realize that I dont have to
hide anymore, I dont have to fake anything! I get to build
on a firm foundation and I can be raw and real. Now I tell
myself Make it to God and Hell take it from there. He
truly is the Master Architect and He is making everything
beautiful in due time. ~ Rnee

Kaylas Nine month Graduation

Before entering the Women Refuge, my life was spiraling out of control. I was suicidal, quickly becoming an
alcoholic and desperate to be deeply secure in an intimate
relationship. My pastor and leaders begged me to join the
program but I was resistant. I
was a strong-willed, perishing
woman drowning in her own
consequences and sorrows. My
life was nothing but one big
search party for deep intimacy
and unconditional acceptance in
a world full of disappointment. It
wasnt until I saw yet another
heartbreak coming my way that I
Donna and Kayla
let my defenses down and cried
out to the Lord. In such a dark time in my life, the Lord
spoke to me and guided me to the Refuge. Upon arriving,
I quickly realized that I didnt know how to read the Bible
and the Lord used this to bring me to my knees out of yet
again devastation and desperation crying out to Him to
teach me. The Refuge has been a safe place for me to get
alone with God, cry out to Him and to hear His answers
and meet me where I am. I had been a Christian for
years and within a few weeks of studying, I learned my
identity is in Christ. Ive never had such confidence and
contentment in a relationship. He used the Refuge as a
place to lay my foundation in Christ, a foundation that I
am sure of that cannot be shaken because He upholds it. I
am totally dependent on the blood of Jesus Christ to save
me from myself. As 2 Corinthians 12 states, I would
rather boast in my weaknesses and expose my desperate
need for my King to save me. I will never be perfect and
Ive learned that I dont have to be. My desire is that the
faults and cracks in me will show how much I need a
Savior to come and fill me up. I am free in Christ, to be
exactly who He has created me to be. ~ Kayla

We have a weekly Bible study open to the community

held on our campus every Friday morning from 8:30 am
to 10 am. Please make plans to join us!
As the Christmas
season is upon us, we
pray you
remember the reason
we celebrate this Holy
day. May you have
the gift of

Faith,

the blessing of

Hope, and the

We were overjoyed to receive an early Christmas present! Amy
Flickinger, founder of Surfaces Fine Flooring, saw the needs list
in our last newsletter for a plain paper fax machine. Employee
Carol Ballough presented a new
one to us this past week. In
addition, Surfaces is graciously
helping us with our new carpeting
needs in our residential houses
and counseling office. Were
extremely grateful to our friends
at Surfaces. Thank you!!
Donna and Carol