Meet the New House Parents

Please join us in welcoming Tim & Vickie Holley to the Ruth Harbor team! The Holleys recently began their new role as House Parents.

For Tim & Vickie, the path that led them to Ruth Harbor was both a surprise and a blessing.

“From early on in our marriage, we felt the calling to work with young people in need,” Vickie said. After years of working in church ministry and then as church planters, they found God leading them in a new direction to serve as house parents. However, they never imagined what God had in store, moving them halfway across the country from their home in South Carolina to Iowa – not once, but twice!
From 2008 to 2010, Tim & Vickie served as house parents at Cherish House, a Christ-centered maternity home in Spirit Lake, IA. While there, the Holleys helped to establish Cherish House Creations, a “cottage industry” designed to teach business skills to house residents, giving them the opportunity to learn how to make soy candles and wax bears to sell to the public.
After returning to South Carolina, the Holleys had no idea they'd be back in Iowa again so soon! “That was a God thing,” Tim said, “because we weren't looking for it.” When Executive Director Mark McDougal contacted them this spring about the open position for house parents at Ruth Harbor, they weren't sure what God had in mind but watched in amazement as one obstacle after another was removed from their path. “God's timing was clear,” Tim said. “There are some confirmations that you just can't ignore, and we knew that Ruth Harbor is where God wanted us to be.”

As the new house parents, Tim & Vickie are working prayerfully through this period of adjustment, as they establish relationships with the current Ruth Harbor residents. “We are excited to be serving them,” Vickie said, “and hoping to model a healthy Christian home.”

The Holleys are excited for what lies ahead at Ruth Harbor and feel blessed to have seen God's hand so clearly throughout the journey that brought them here. “When God puts it on your heart, it's hard to deny,” Tim said. “Every day is a faith walk. We love what we do. It takes a lot of grace and a lot of patience, but where God calls us, He equips us.”

Join us in welcoming Tim & Vickie to Ruth Harbor! Click here (insert link) to send them a greeting, commitment to pray, or a note of encouragement.

Click here to learn more about the Holleys