Haven Seattle

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Home for the fatherless, the foreigner, and those in need of connection.

Haven Seattle is a new location for the continuation of the Hostetler family ministry. For ten years in China, it has been our joy to welcome hundreds of students, parents, travelers and various weary hearts into our home to provide them with love and family-connection. God has given clear direction that this ministry is to continue and expand in Seattle, Washington. Haven Seattle will not only be a home for the Hostetler family, but it will be a home for international students, Third-culture kids, and people in need of respite.

The vision that God has given for Haven Seattle is that it will be a “House of Acts,” where people arrive disconnected or broken and there receive the healing touch of God’s love through family. We have had 30-40 students gathering in our home weekly for many years and we envision a space in Haven Seattle large enough for such groups to worship and join together in life and leadership training. Just as we have hosted many dinners with dozens of guests while in China, our dream is that Haven Seattle would have a dining area and kitchen adequate to serve many guests.

We have lived as foreigners in Asia, and we know how it feels to be on the outside of culture or community and far from family. We have seen the epidemic of loneliness in our world today; many people feel out of place or untethered. Recent studies show that 90% of international students who come to the United States for education will never be invited as a guest to an American home. In 2015 it was reported that Washington State had 29,000 international students enrolled! There are thousands of solitary students who are yearning for connection and desire to discover meaning and purpose in their lives.

Another group that is vulnerable and in need of a haven are so-called, Third-culture kids. Many are young adults who have grown up in foreign mission fields and have returned to the US for higher education. They often find themselves utterly unprepared for the cultural change that leaves them feeling as outsiders, even though by appearance and language they should “fit in.”

Haven Seattle will be a relaxed meeting place for international students and Third-culture kids as well as a homestay opportunity for those in need; a refuge for vulnerable and weary hearts and for cross-cultural workers in need of respite.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.

 

Psalm 107:28-30 New International Version (NIV)

 

 

 

Our family will arrive in Seattle on June 30, 2018.

 

We believe that the Lord will provide the necessary resources for Haven Seattle. Some of those needs are:

 

  • Prayer warriors to cover our family and the ministry daily.

  • People willing to serve on an advisory board.

  • Mentors and friends with hearts for international students.

  • Finances to help secure necessary real estate.

  • A vehicle for the ministry.

If you have questions, want to get involved, or can share some encouragement from the Word with us, we’re eager to hear from you!

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Account code = HavenSeattle.001