house-of-hope

2025 Christmas Letter

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 02:23:01 GMT

2025 Christmas Letter

Dear Friends,

We hope this letter finds you surrounded by the warmth and joy of the season.

Christmas reminds us of the importance of family, friends and community. It is also a time for

reflection, renewal, gratitude, hope and goodwill.

Enkrateia turned 4 this year. We had three mothers at the same time and found out that it can

be done in our modest home.

One of our long-term guests started her journey to independence on October 22nd. We wish her

and her baby well. Mommy M is becoming fluent in English through the help of a volunteer

English teacher.

This year we had 39 applicants through November 2025.

We shared an Italian dinner for EHOH at Trinity Lutheran in Waconia. Dinner was served by

sixteen volunteers from St Therese of Deephaven under leadership of our Chair Ms. Marilyn

Olson. Ninety-four patrons were served dinner along with all the workers. Guests learned how

they can further our mission and help the families in need. We raised 25K to everyone’s delight

and gratitude.

Deacon Patrick Kirsch, our Spiritual Director, shared our Mission and Vision. Core mother

mentors, our Executive Team, briefed the patrons regarding EHOH’s Intake process, volunteer

opportunities and daily activities at the house.

We have continued to expand awareness of our home in our communities. Our hearts are full

of gratitude for each of you. Pictures speak a thousand words! Photos attached.

As we journey into New Year, May God Shower you all with His sustaining power that guides

you, protects you, and directs you toward His purpose! Let us trust His wisdom though we may

not understand His plan!

Sincerely,

Dorothy A Arockiasamy

Enkrateia's First Fund Raising Dinner!

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 01:26:01 GMT

Dear Friends,

After hearing about our progress over the last 3 years, going on 4, a patron came forward to

foster us!

A dinner for “Rooting” for Enkrateia House of Hope’s Mission.

We were obliged! Trinity Lutheran in Waconia, came forward to host! Thank you for

Championing us, Trinity! Volunteers were ready to take on another challenge! An Italian

Dinner.

The response to Enkrateia’s midyear update was extraordinary. Thank you notes

accompanied by monetary support and the guaranteed prayers for Enkrateia’s wellbeing is

greatly appreciated.

We had 94+ supporters come for dinner and found out what our wing bearers are doing to

help the displaced young women in need and how each one of you could help!

Patrick Kirsch, our Spiritual director, talked about our Mission and Vision. Core 4, our

Executive Team briefed the patrons about Enkrateia’s Intake process, Volunteers, Mother

mentors, and daily activities at the house.

Italian dinner was served by a team of volunteers from St. Therese Catholic community in

Deephaven under the leadership of our Chair, Marilyn Olson. They were troopers!

We had Lasagna (meat, veggie and gluten free), Fresh green beans off the garden, fresh

fruits (a combination of all berries, melons and grapes) Salad, Italian bread, and dessert (of

course we had chocolate) and beverages.

It was a great opportunity to meet and greet our patrons in person. The informal and laid

back setting promoted mingling. It was a gathering of people who believed in the cause!

I am happy to note that the” Italian dinner rooting for Enkrateia House of Hope’s Mission”

was a success. You, the sustaining as well as the new donors, helped us raise 25K.

Thank you for spending September 29th evening with us to show your support and making

the event a success!

Let us plan to celebrate Enkrateia’s 5th birthday in 2026 and Root for 50K?

Yours sincerely,

Team Enkrateia!

Note: Hats off to our Fundraising Chair, Marilyn Olson “The Energizer” keeping Enkrateia in

her heart and mind always and bringing awareness about Enkrateia’s mission to all whom

she comes across in her daily life! She is on a Mission!

Mid Year Update 2025

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 01:26:04 GMT

“A midyear update from Enkrateia! “

July 2025

Dear Friends,

Enkrateia reached its full capacity!

We have three moms and 3 babies! The Enkrateia team is busy! Our volunteers are busy!

16 Guests have reached out to us this year in 6 months. We did help all of them in the little

ways that we could. Quite a few of the Guests had a toddler along with the baby that they were

carrying. Though we had a small room open, we could not help the mothers with toddlers, since

our home is not toddler friendly!

One Guest moved out in January and is settled with her own apartment. Her mother mentor

Tami has done a wonderful job of settling and following up with her.

Guest “C” had baby boy “D” in March. Mom and baby are warming up to their roles. Mother

mentor Kim is on her toes darting between her work, family and Enkrateia!

Second Guest “M” moved in as soon as our second room opened. Mama “M” and baby girl “M”

are keeping House of Hope busy. Mama M had her wisdom tooth (3 of them) surgically

removed and her mother mentor Jennifer and volunteers were busy taking care of Mama and

the baby. Mama M is being tutored by a volunteer English teacher to accomplish proficiency in

English and Mama is making strides in communicating in English.

Third Guest “A” came in on June 4th. She started her onward journey on July 2nd after a short

stay with us. We wish her and the sweet baby Boy “D” all the best in their journey forward.

We need you!

E nkrateia House of Hope is a mission run by Volunteers! God and Angels are priceless so are

our wing bearing volunteers!

Enkrateia is often run off with doctor’s appointments, Gather and Grow, Walgreens and Target

visits. Mother mentors are on call 24/7. Our awesome volunteers are trying to be available as

much as they can. The care coordinator is available only on 3 days during the day. Garden was

planted in mid-May! Grateful to Melinda and Helene for taking charge of the garden. It looks

beautiful.

As we express our gratitude to all of you, for your support, I would like to share with you a kind

note that one of our Guests “DJ” and the little boy “I “(you might recollect) sent to their mother

mentor Jennifer. Jennifer has been in touch with DJ for the past three years. DJ lives out of

state, bought a small house, had a baby girl, boyfriend works 2 jobs and planning a summer

wedding with 18 guests. Jennifer is planning to crash the wedding party!

Dear Enkrateia, I would be lost without my experience with y’all. You guys gave

me and my son a safe place, a beautiful town and yard and love. With your

help I was able to take the time to think about my future and my hopes and

dreams. While I did not finish college the knowledge I did obtain is helping me

plan our family business and that would not have been possible without the

encouragement of everyone that's a part of House of Hope. You guys helped

bring our Heavenly father into our family and into our everyday lives. My life

and the life of my family have changed so much from the knowledge I gained

being around such amazing people. I hope you guys get to help so many other

mothers and family on your journey. What you guys did for me still matters

to this day ��

We wish her joy and peace filled family life!

God Bless,

Dorothy A Arockiasamy (Executive Director)

2024 Christmas Letter

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 15:00:14 GMT

Dear friends,

Warm greetings to you and your family from Enkrateia family as we embrace the festive spirit of Christmas and reflect and renew to welcome the year 2025!

As another year draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment for reflection and express Enkrateia’s gratitude to all of you. Your kindness, your generosity, your gift of time and talents resonate in our hearts and have created beautiful memories that will last a lifetime for all of us.

2024 was busy.

We hosted 5 guests this year. And assisted 29 callers.

Currently we have two guests.

Mom” N” baby “A” are doing well. Baby A is now 6 months old and is doing great! Mom passed her CNA exam, and is in college full time, pursuing a career in Nursing. She was awarded a $ 2000 scholarship from her high school toward her college education. Her boyfriend is also in college full-time and holds two jobs. They are doing a great job as parents! She is exploring her options for independent housing through Carver County.

Guest” K”, moved in on September 20 ^th . We are looking forward to welcoming a little one in February 2025. She’s in college full time for missionary studies. Very busy gal!

We have space for a 3 ^rd guest when we find a good fit for our mission.

The moms who moved on with their lives after Enkrateia are doing well and are in touch with their mother-mentors. Mentors were even invited to a couple of birthday parties!

We hosted a fall gathering for our women volunteers to thank them for their unconditional support. It was a fun evening learning “how to paint” and enjoying dinner together.

The big storm on August 27 ^th knocked the maple tree down in front of the house. Power lines went down, and the house was without power for several days. Volunteers worked faster than the storm cleaning up the mess. Another Sugar Maple has taken the spot.

The garden was very productive all summer, and the guests and volunteers were able to enjoy the produce. House Mother encourages the guests to partake in cooking/baking with her. Apple crisps were extraordinary!

Despite the challenges, our home, Enkrateia was filled with the love of family, the warmth of friends, and the joy that came with the accomplishments of our guests. We embraced the challenges with hope and positivity.

Your unconditional generosity makes us move forward with confidence being “His” hands and feet.

I close this letter with a heartfelt THANK YOU for your continued commitment, dedication, hard work, and thoughtful gifts you extended throughout the year to” Enkrateia House of Hope”, you lovingly call “House of hope”

Fall gathering of volunteers for a fun evening learning “How to paint”

May the love you give always come back to you!

Wishing you a season of reflection and renewal with a grateful heart,

Dorothy Arockiasamy (Executive Director) 612.508.0217

Mid Year Update 2024

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 22:30:21 GMT

Dear Friends,

Enkrateia had a very busy six months and is continuing to be busy!

We have had four guests in the last 6 months. Among the four, one mother opted to be a single mom and moved on. The second one placed the baby girl for adoption through an agency of her choice. She has a plan to finish schooling. A professional social worker is working with her on becoming independent!

Currently we have two guests living in Enkrateia.

The first “Guest N” gave birth to a healthy baby girl on April 27th. She is a darting intelligent 18-year-old who has a lot of irons on the fire. She went to school and worked till she checked into hospital for her labor and delivery. Amid this she was pursuing her “CNA” Certification exam also. She had her high school graduation on June 7th. She received a $ 2000 scholarship to apply towards her college education. She is an all-hands-on mom. Very quiet and reserved. She has great plans for her future! Mother Mentor is working with her on the next steps.

The second “Guest L” is 25 and is due in late July. She has picked up two part-time jobs closer to Enkrateia. She walks to work. Her Mother mentor tends to her needs and is walking with “Guest L” on her journey to motherhood!

We have two other prospective guests also on the horizon.

The OB Gyn attending the Guests from Enkrateia takes pride in accommodating and serving the Guests with very short notice. She is one of our awesome volunteers!

Our Care Co- Ordinator is transitioning into her Housemother/ Care coordinator duties and enjoying the guests and tending to their needs without any hesitation. She wears quite a few hats during the day.

The Executive Team consists of 4 full-time / on-call volunteers. Two of the ladies hold full-time jobs also. Their time commitment to Enkrateia’s mission is extraordinary. They are Enkrateia’s pride and joy.

We have two ladies volunteer to be housemothers on call to serve new mothers and babies in need at night. A very special ministry! We are looking for at least two more special ladies.

Garden was planted in mid-May! Grateful to all who helped with weeding, tilling, planting, and procuring plants. The Rhubarb apple crisp by our Care coordinator at the house is scrumptious. Now we need to fend off the deer to protect the vegies.

As we express our gratitude to all of you, for your support, I remember Jacquess Rousseau’s words “What Wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

I would like to assure you that “No act of kindness”, no matter how small or big is never wasted at Enkrateia House of Hope.

Thank you for seeing the world differently with a Heart filled with Kindness!

Baby “A”

Team Enkrateia wishes all of you a happy, healthy and safe Summer!

God Bless,

Dorothy A Arockiasamy

(Executive Director)

Note: Executive Team meets every Monday morning 10:00 am at Enkrateia. If you would like to visit the home or have questions, please do not hesitate to call at 612.508.0217.

2023 in Review

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:26:41 GMT

December 2023

Dear Friends,

“As we look back with Gratitude, look upwards with Confidence and look forward with Hope, we are lighting our way to embrace one another in Love, and we pause to count our blessings.”

Enkrateia turned two this year! A toddler. Our team is holding hands and moving forward steadily. We are learning that often; our house guests have had traumatic experiences in their lives before coming to Enkrateia. I have nothing but admiration and respect for our Executive team in the manner they conducted themselves during the process of working with the guests in stressful situations and taking Enkrateia forward.

Our mother mentors are in touch with the mothers and babies who have moved on to lead an independent life.

I extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for making Enkrateia’s mission possible. Your generous spiritual and financial contributions are playing a critical role in our mission.

On the home front, we are still looking for a Care coordinator and candidates are being interviewed. We are getting our own curriculum ready for the guests with the help of a volunteer life coach. Open house sessions and training are being planned. One session was conducted and a second one is scheduled.

We are getting calls from mothers who already have children while expecting another. We might be able to help an expectant mom with one child up to the age of 5, depending on the occupancy status of our home.

I am extremely thankful to all of you for the unconditional love and support you have extended towards us as we are treading challenges with our health. All the team members who had health issues are doing well. Please continue to remember us in your daily devotions.

God is watching over us! He is Kind and Merciful

With this in my heart, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and peaceful 2024.

Your sister in Christ,

Dorothy Arockiasamy

Executive Director

Mid-Year Update 2023

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:17:36 GMT

Dear Friends,

A midyear update on Enkrateia with Heart Filled Gratitude!

The year 2023 greeted us with a lot of challenges. Our unwavering team members faced overwhelming challenges in their personal wellbeing!

Three of our teammates underwent open heart surgeries and another one had a hip replacement. I had a triple bypass on April 17, and my husband Bill slipped and fell on the ice and had the left hip replacement on Feb 20. We are recouping slowly and it looks like God has plans for us, and we are grateful!

Our new mother (Guest P) moved in on March 2. The intake team did an awesome job of taking care of the moving in process. “Guest P” became “Mom P” on June 17. We welcomed an awesome healthy baby boy to our Enkrateia House of Hope! A very joyful occasion. Hats off to our Executive Committee again!

We thank each one of our supporters for making this possible. Please keep us in your daily devotions, we need your help physically and financially! If your financial contributions should be earmarked towards a specific need that you would like to support please call 612.508.0217 .

For the last 18 months, I was the housemother living at the house with the guests. I had a volunteer relieve me for a couple of days a week. Now, I am home bound trying to recoup from my surgery, while Bill is tending to my needs with his repaired hip. It looks like it will be a while before I can physically be available at EHOH. We are in search of a House Mother. We will be glad to have two to share one week.

We have hired help to be at the house for the nights. Our dedicated Executive Team members are keeping Enkrateia moving forward. The team meets every Monday morning at 9:00 a.m.; if any of you would like to attend, please give me a call at 612.508.0217 .

I sincerely hope and pray with hands on my heart, that your compassionate hearts will find a way to come forward to meet our needs as always!

With a grateful heart,

Dorothy Arockiasamy

Executive Director

2022 in Review

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 13:17:35 GMT

Dear friends,

Looks like we fast tracked through 2022. The New Year, 2023, is around the corner. It was a great experience to lead Enkrateia. Definitely, Enkrateia has already proven to be a “House of Hope”

The appreciation dinner for our patrons to celebrate our first birthday was a success! Our Patrons were excited and participated in the informal gathering emceed by Grand Knight, John Short. Our patrons were ecstatic to sing “Happy Birthday Enkrateia”! Thanks, Paul, for leading! Chef Asha’s Chicken Creation followed by the Birthday cake and Ice cream was a hit.

Team Enkrateia was introduced to our patrons and the team had an opportunity to answer the fielded questions. Patrons enquired about our progress, our needs, our fears, our joys, our challenges, our accomplishments, and our Blessings!

Our Progress: Our house has become a home. Reconditioning is completed. Rooms furnished and are beautifully decorated. We are ready with a garden patch for the coming years. Hydrangeas are taking roots in front of the house!

Our quiet “Rose Room” turned into a “Study”. The room remains quiet and Rosie! Our Baby’s musical swing is an addition to the quietness while moms do their homework.

Our family room is for “Chilling”, watching TV, playing DVD’s, homework and playing card games. No food and beverages are allowed outside our kitchen and dining area. There are occasional exemptions!

Downstairs living room has been transformed into a “Day Care” setting where volunteers can spend time with babies, comfortably enjoying the Seasons through our beautiful large windows. There is also an office, bedroom and a bathroom downstairs dedicated to the needs of our volunteers as they spend their precious time to serve “Enkrateia”!

Our needs: We need Volunteers to run “Enkrateia” household smoothly. Babysitting, house sitting, mother’s companion, secretarial duties, baby laundry, occasional house cleaning, gardening, shopping, custodial services would be areas to help. Help is occasionally needed with Electrical, Plumbing, Heating, and Carpentry.

Everyone is gifted with a talent, and we need your gift. Please give us a call! 612.508.0217

Our fears: We answered 53 calls to date. We could not assist all of them. We do not have the capability or facilities to provide the kind of help many of the callers needed. The callers were directed to appropriate resources. We are always praying for Guidance!

Our Joys: We encouraged a few expectant mothers to contact their families and start the dialogue about their pregnancy status with their loved ones, which culminated into better relationships with immediate or extended families. This enabled a few women to remain in their own family circle for love and support.

Enkrateia was able to plant the seeds of our mission in two young mothers. One found out that Enkrateia was not a fit for her, after spending three weeks with us. We were able to serve the second mother and baby for 6 months. She started online schooling and is progressing. This young lady wants to move on with her ambitious goal of becoming an “Entrepreneur”. We wish her well!

Providing companionship during their stressful time is very challenging but also rewarding! Lending our ears, providing rides for Ultrasounds, Prenatal Checkup, Urgent care, ER or just sharing a meal with them are a few occasions to cherish! Forgot about the trip to Dairy Queen on a hot Sunday afternoon!

Our accomplishments! Enkrateia office is updated with a HP laptop, additional large monitor, and a multifunction Laser Printer. Laser printer will help us to crank out our brochures as needed. This printer saves both time and money. Another tower model computer is being added to our study/library room to aid our mothers who do not own a laptop.

Our Blessings! Of all the Blessings that God sends our way, the volunteers HE sends are among the most treasured! Jennifer Tjernagel and Jill Flood joined “Team Enkrateia”. They truly are “Our Blessings”. Another star added is “Larson Family”

It is the time of year that our friends, local organizations, and places of worship have shown their unwavering support towards “Enkrateia House of Hope”. We are grateful and obliged for your continued support!

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers, enquiring about our progress, our needs, our fears, our joys, our accomplishments, and our Blessings!

As we celebrate the birth of our “Prince of Peace” I hope, your hearts are full of reasons to be thankful. May God fill you with more Blessings than your heart can possibly hold.

With a grateful heart,

Dorothy Arockiasamy

Executive Director

Enkrateia Turns One!

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 22:44:59 GMT

Thank you for helping us grow through our first year.

“Enkrateia House of Hope turned “One” on October 20, 2022!”

Our friends, local organizations and places of worship have shown their unwavering support towards “Enkrateia House of Hope” on our journey. We are grateful and obliged

Our appreciation dinner for our patrons to celebrate Enkrateia’s first birthday was a joyful occasion!

St Joe’s Catholic School was kind enough to offer their Education Center for us to gather and celebrate Enkrateia’s first birthday on Oct 15th, 2022, at 4:00 pm.

Everyone enjoyed Chef Asha’s Chicken Creation followed by Birthday Cake and Ice Cream. Thanks, Paul, for singing “Happy Birthday” and John for artfully emceeing!

Team Enkrateia was introduced to our patrons and the team seized the opportunity to answer the fielded questions. Thank you for enquiring about our progress, our needs, our fears, our joys, our accomplishments and for keeping us in your prayers!

Our Progress: Our house has become a home. Reconditioning is completed. Rooms furnished and are beautifully decorated.

We have a young mother and a baby boy in our home! Mom started college in the fall. She is doing well.

Our quiet “Rose Room” turned into a “Study”. The room is still quiet and Rosie! Our babies musical swing is an addition to the quietness while mom does her homework.

Family room is for chilling out, watching TV, playing DVD’s, homework and playing with baby.

Downstairs living room has been transformed into a “Day Care” setting where volunteers can spend time with our babies comfortably enjoying the Seasons through our beautiful large windows! There is also an office, bedroom and a bathroom downstairs dedicated to the needs of our volunteers as they spend their precious time to serve “Enkrateia”!

Our needs: We need volunteers to run “Enkrateia” household smoothly. Babysitting, house sitting, mother’s companion, office work, baby laundry, occasional house cleaning, gardening, shopping, and occasional custodial services would be of great help to us. and We occasionally need help from a licensed electrician, plumber and HVC person. Some carpentry work has also been needed.

Our fears: We answered 53 calls to date. Could not assist all of them, because we do not have the capability or facilities to provide the kind of help many of the callers needed. The callers were directed to appropriate resources. We are always praying for Guidance!

Our Joys: Baby is 7 months old and is a joy to be with. He brings laughter and warms our heart with his antics and smile.

We encouraged a few expectant mothers to contact their families and start the dialogue about their pregnancy status with their loved ones, which culminated into better relationships with immediate or extended families. This enabled a few women to remain in their own family circle for love and support.

Providing companionship during their stressful time by just lending our ears or providing transportation to meet their immediate needs like ultrasounds and prenatal checkups gives us joy. Sometimes just sharing a meal together is reward enough.

Our accomplishments ! Our office is updated with a laptop and a color printer. We have a garden patch to raise vegetables next summer!

All of you have been playing key roles in Enkrateia’s life and we thank you for being a part of our mission and walking the talk! We appreciate YOU!

Gratefully,

Dorothy Arockiasamy

2021 in Review

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 13:17:35 GMT

Dear friends,

As we complete our journey through 2021 and looking forward to embracing 2022, I am settling down to write my first “Christmas letter” ever in my life!

We, the “Team Enkrateia” want to thank all of you for your generous support in making “Enkrateia”( en-‘krah-tay-a ) a reality in October 2021. Looking back over the past year, we are humbled by the multitude of blessings that continually poured over Enkrateia House of Hope!

Reconditioning the house which we are blessed with to create an expectant mom friendly home was a challenge. Most of the immediate needs are being met and we are almost ready to greet our guests!

Referral sources have started visiting Enkrateia. There have been a few inquiries, but not all women who inquire about our home are a good match for our program. We had five inquiries that we were not yet able to support; however, we were able to direct them to other appropriate resources.

This does not mean that we do not have any challenges ahead. We are still in search of a Resident House Mother to stay in the house with our guests. The good news is that we have quite a few volunteer mothers coming forward to provide support in the short term.

We are marching forward to reach our operating budget. We trust that our good Lord, who brought us this far in nine months, will walk us forward while we do what we are called to do!

As we celebrate the birth of our Counselor, we are reminded that the “Life is a gift”.

Together we can witness the great wonder that He has called us to accomplish! Serving mothers who “Choose Life” by providing a home and building a future!

I acknowledge and greatly appreciate all of you walking with me in this road less travelled!

May our lives and actions reflect the gratitude for all we have been given.

I wish you and your family all the Blessings that hold Health, Peace, Love and Caring during this “Season of Miracles” and in the New Year ahead.

Therefore, I say THANK YOU for all the love and memories that all of you have given to “Enkrateia House of Hope” to cherish for the years to come.

With gratitude,

Dorothy Arockiasamy

Executive Director