In the course of this four year struggle to open the doors of My Father's House, many people have asked us a simple question - why bother when our state already has other teen living programs?

The answer is found in two words - Jesus Christ. As the one of the only privately funded, licensed teen living programs in Massachusetts, we are free from the restrictions that come with state funding that would severely limit our ability to present the Gospel and introduce our young mothers to the person of Jesus Christ.

If we accepted state money tomorrow - and there are millions available for just our situation - we could no longer base our program on the Bible. The reason Life Saver Ministries has been so effective in helping young women turn their lives around is that we encourage them to seek God's will in every decision they make, and to discover the plans he has for their lives.

There is another important reason that My Father's House is desperately needed. You see, many of the young women seeking our help have been turned away from state financed homes on unfortunate technicalities. We, as well as many of the wonderful people who operate the homes financed by the state, are dismayed that a large number of young women who desperately need to be in a safe, nurturing environment are not eligible for these homes because of the state's "closed application" policy. We try to catch at least some of the ones that "fall through the cracks."

• Fifteen year-old Cindi is a perfect example. When she was three months pregnant, she was turned away from a state funded home because she wasn't in her third trimester, as is required by the state for their homes. Where was she supposed to go for three months?
• Seventeen year-old Amy, who was living on her deceased father's Social Security income, was denied entry to a state funded home because she was receiving assistance from the wrong public agency.
• Leia was also seventeen and in the custody of the Department of Social Services. Though the Department of Transitional Assistance had a vacant bed available for her in a state funded home, she was denied help because all the beds allocated for DSS girls were full.

My Father's House is needed for teen age girls who require long-term care and education in order to become self sufficient, loving, and productive parents. At My Father's House, we can devote our full attention to seeing that their medical, educational, financial, and spiritual needs are met.

Our goal is to help these young women become self-sufficient and responsible adults. With the assistance of her assigned advisor, a "client" will set realistic goals for herself and her child in the following areas:

• reintegrating with family (parents)
• continuing her education
• ensuring proper prenatal care
• ensuring her own medical care
• developing sound parenting skills
• providing for her financial needs
• establishing a support network
• securing independent housing

As a ministry we are also committed to leading our clients to a deeper maturity in their concept of proper relationships - between a man and a women (before and during marriage); between themselves and their parents, their child (both in utero and after birth), and the father of their child.