In Marysville there is a life house that ministers to women who find themselves in places where they never wanted to be.

These women are without work and homeless. Some lack the abililty to maintain homes and families and are in need of temporary assistance to learn those vital life skills. The life skills are taught through interaction with the women in various ways and at different levels. On Monday nights during the school year, the leadership of the house offers workshops and has discussions on the importance of life skills.

Some of the topics include Parenting and Child Care, House Maintenance, Simple Sewing, Cooking and Nutrition, and Mindfulness. All women are invited to participate in the classes.

The workshops begin at 5:30 p.m. Everyone shares a meal, then the children are taken to daycare and the circle time begins. Circle time opens up with questions to help the women get to know each other. Some of the subjects taught are boundaries and safe people.

Boundaries spell out responsibilities and ownership. When women understand what they are responsible for they can begin the process of letting go of people and problems that they do not own. Because of the lack of understanding of boundaries many women find it hard to say no, even to abusive people and situations. When women learn about boundaries they learn about respect for themselves and how to protect what belongs to them. The life house has four bedrooms and has the capacity to house three women and their children. The ages of the children range from 18 months to 12 years. The house is led by Kathy Hudec. At the present time, there is a need for a house mother/mentor to live at the house with the women. The purpose for the house mother/mentor is to be available to the women for training, advice and input while daily life is happening.

Teaching life skills is a hands-on approach and being there in the moments and minutes is important to establish good habits. Hudec said leading the life house is rewarding, but it has its challenges. One is how to meet the needs of each woman. Every person is different. One may need a strong foundation in boundaries, whereas another needs to learn how to boil an egg. Hudec said the greatest reward is seeing the women whole and healed of their wounds; when they try new things – big or small – that brings great joy to her. The life house is a 501 (c) (3) and located behind Life Church 360. They are looking to expand to a larger house within the next two years. Contact Hudec for details at kathyhudec@gmail.com.

Mary Salamon writes a monthly faith column for these newspapers.