The Blog

Did you know that over 1,000 American-born children are forced into the sex trade in Ohio each year?  Toledo, Ohio which is located only a couple short hours north of Dayton is the third largest gateway city for sex trafficking in America.  This modern day form of slavery often goes unseen, but it is a billion dollar industry on the rise.  It’s even expected to pass the issue of drug trafficking very soon.

There is clearly a need for help and that’s why right now Harvest House is exploring the idea of working with victims of the sex trade industry.  Unlike homeless shelters, we believe our home offers these victims the safety and security they would need to recover and move forward with their lives.  We want to take an active role is overcoming this heartbreaking issue.  We are currently working with individuals and groups within our community to make this happen.  We understand this is not an easy task so please keep us in your prayers.  Also, pray for the young ladies in our area that are being subjected to this crime.  We know one of the biggest obstacles will be locating these victims, because often they do not see themselves as such.

We are also still taking applications from any young ladies in need which you can locate here.

Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.  Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.  You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.  Psalm 10:17-18 NLT

We hope this video will give you a better idea of what we do here at Harvest House.  We used it to share with a church group a couple of weeks ago.  

We encourage you to share it with friends and family as well!

Harvest House 2011 from casey spitnale on Vimeo.

This past weekend we had the pleasure of visiting Free Christian Church of God in Continental, Ohio.  This is the hometown of my husband, Casey. They have helped with our ministry for several months now and we got to share with the congregation what is going on at the house.  We’ll be posting a updated video soon that we got to share with them.   

If you’d be interested in meeting with us to learn more about this ministry, please email us at harvestdayton@gmail.com.  We’d love to meet with individuals, groups, and churches to share more about our ministry and mission!

Blessings,

Christine Spitnale

Harvest Houseparent

We wanted to give a huge thank you to the Life Enrichment Center in Dayton, Ohio.  They recently helped fill our freezer, fridge, and pantry with lots of goodies.  Their support is such a blessing!

The Life Enrichment Center provides such a great service to the Dayton community.  They provide hot meals and groceries for the needy.  They offer a range of classes to help people make their way into the work force.  They also have a program for kids where they can earn their own bike.  They are continuing to grow and expand their services!  I got to opportunity to see their newly renovated hair salon which they will open for women in need of showers or haircuts.  It’s so exciting! 

We encourage you to check out their website here to learn more!

God Bless,

Christine 

We have officially moved two girls into Harvest House!  It’s been a huge adjustment for everyone including the house parents, but everything is going really well so far.  We had a lot of fun unpacking and putting together their rooms.  The girls especially liked picking out their new bedding!

Once they got settled we reviewed and set the expectations for the home.  We also began working on developing their Individual Development Plan.  As house parents one of our primary jobs is to help the young ladies set and meet their goals.  Their goals touch on topics such as education, career, money management, and faith.  Our goal is to set them up for success once they leave the home.  

Saturday mornings at Harvest House are the best in my opinion.  We start the day with a big breakfast as a family.  Then we get together to talk about our week and how the Lord is work in our lives.  Chocolate chip pancakes are good, but even better when you have people to share them with

Over the last couple of months we have had several other girls apply or show interest in Harvest House.  At this point we still do not have enough monthly financial support to bring in anyone else.  If you are able to help out financially we would so appreciate it, because we are still behind.  A number of you have supported us financially and we can’t thank you enough.  We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you!

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Blessings,

Christine Spitnale

Harvest House Parent

We have some very exciting news!  Last week two girls were approved by our Board of Directors to move into Harvest House!  It’s taken us longer than expected to reach this point, but we are so thankful for everyone who has supported us along the way.  We wouldn’t be able to do this without you.

We have already started to work with the girls on developing their goals.  This will be a focus throughout their stay at Harvest House.  We look forward to seeing change in their lives and we can’t wait to share it with you. 

On a side note, last night we celebrated the end of another Princess Program.  The Princess Program is a 10 week study put on by Harvest Youth Ministries that teaches young women valuable life lessons such as purity and self worth.  After the girls got their hair and nails done they were escorted by limo to one of Dayton’s finest restaurants.  Pictured below are the girls.  Even though the Princess Program is technically over the girls want to continue the study which is great!  Thanks to HYM supporters for making this happen!  Also a special thanks to H & A Limousines and The Racquet Club

We have so much to be thankful for at Harvest House.  Although we don’t have girls in the house and we haven’t raised all of our monthly support, we are moving forward and it may not be long until we have our first residents.

Over the last month we had our annual fundraiser dinner for Harvest Youth Ministries at the Attic, our first meeting with the Harvest House Board of Directors, and the start of the Princess Program.  The Princess Program is a Bible study for young women that volunteer at the Attic.  At the end of the 10 week program we reward the girls with a night out to a fancy restaurant.  This time we are working through the book Every Young Woman’s Battle.

We have also began to accept applications online for girls interested in living at the house.  Please pray that the Lord would make it clear which girls we should accept into the house, because there are several that we have been praying about. 

As far as financial support, right now we are at $900 in monthly support out of our $3,000 projected goal.  Over the last month we have received a couple substantial one time gifts that have significantly helped, but we are still struggling to meet our monthly goal.  If you’re interested in giving, there is a donate link on our site.

If you’re interested in meeting with us to learn more about Harvest House or you’re interested in a tour of the home please don’t hesitate to email us at harvestdayton@gmail.com.  We’d love to meet you!

Blessings,

Casey & Christine

Harvest House Parents

When:  Saturday, October 30th 

    9am to 2pm

Where: Salem Church of God

    6500 Southway Rd #2

    Clayton, Ohio 45315

What:   The Miami Valley Adoption Fair and New Family Tree Orphan Outreach Ministry collaborate to present a one-day comprehensive adoption, foster care and orphan care educational experience. Community professionals and adoptive families will be available to answer questions and give information on adoption and foster care opportunities.

Harvest House will be in attendance at this year’s fair.  We are excited to meet other ministries in the area and share the mission of Harvest House with others!

More information can be found on their website.

http://www.miamivalleyadoptionfair.org/

What: Harvest Youth Ministries Update Dinner

When: November 11th 7pm – 9:30pm

Where: The Attic 2852 Wilmington Pike Kettering, OH

Harvest Youth Ministries will be holding its annual dinner November 11th at the Attic.  This is a great opportunity to learn about Harvest House, The Attic, and other ministries in the Dayton area.  You’ll meet staff members as well as hear from youth that this ministry has worked with.

Please RSVP to Elizabeth Kilby at beth@harvestyouth.org by Wednesday November 4th with your name and the number of guests that will be attending.

This is a free dinner and we would really like to tell as many people as possible about this awesome ministry. Invite your friends and family!  Whether you’ve been a part of this ministry for some time or would just like to learn more we’d love to see all of you!

If you’d like to learn more about Harvest Youth Ministries, you can also visit their website by clicking here.