Take some time to explore the journey the Lord is taking us on

 2013

Jay Arntzen, along with his middle son Jared, joined a team from Sanctuary Church on a mission trip to Cambodia.  

At Bileg Solid Rock children’s home, Jay met a young orphaned girl named Vichika. Exhausted by the long flights and time change, Jay couldn’t pronounce her name and called her “Susan.”  Jay and Susan bonded instantly and he wanted to adopt her, but he learned that Cambodia's borders were closed to adoption.

2014

After a full year of prayer, searching God’s will and talking with mentors, Jay and his wife Tracy traveled to Cambodia to introduce the idea of Parent-Partnering to Dr. & Mrs. Castro of Bileg Solid Rock..

Vichika, aka “Susan,” and her brother Mesa became the first children Parent-Partnered through Saving Susan Ministry. This trip strengthened the Arntzen’s relationship with the siblings and they grew even closer over the next year through video calls.

2015

Saving Susan Ministry became a 501(c)(3) entity, forming our Board of Directors and committing that every dollar donated would reach the child, thanks to a corporate commitment to cover administrative costs.  

In March we hosted our Inaugural Gala with a group of generous individuals. From this evening came our first Parent Partners, funds to support the children’s homes, and the creation of the “Baskin-Bowler Fund”  This fund provides college or trade school education for orphaned and abandoned children once they graduate and age out of the children’s home. Our prayer is that this next step will give them the opportunity to become Christian leaders in their countries of origin.  

In June we traveled with a group from Sanctuary Church to where our second children’s home, Haley’s House of Hope, was officially brought into the Saving Susan Ministry program.

2016

Three Parent-Partnered children graduated from high school and began preparing for college!

In June the Saving Susan Ministry team lead a mission trip to Cambodia to serve our partners.  While there, the Lord connected many of the team members to children who needed Parent Partners.

In January we traveled to House of Hope in Guatemala to officially partner with our third children’s home. Northstar Church in Kennesaw led us to this beautiful place and we anticipate God bringing Parent Partners for these children, too.

2017

This was another year of immeasurably more for this ministry. We started off with our biggest fundraising event to date, Songs For Susan. In partnership with a local church, several talented musicians, and some great vendors, we put on a music concert to benefit the Baskin-Bowler Scholarship Fund and our Music Academies.

This year we lead the biggest mission trip we have had to date. We took 30 people to two cities in Cambodia and served several different mission partners. It was a joy to watch the Lord work in each team member’s life as well as the communities they served.

On the education front, three Cambodian students who had graduated from high school and the Parent Partner program officially started their college careers. We also had a student successfully complete his Liberty University Online English course. 

2019

This year started out with the addition of another new staff member. Kristi Laughlin joined our team in January as our Ministry Coordinator. As in 2018, 2019 was another year of growth as we added staff, as well as partnered with a new children’s home in Cambodia. We took on Imparting Smiles in October and are prioritizing Parent Partnering the children in this children’s home and House of Hope Zacapa, as God has faithfully Parent Partnered all the children at Bileg Solid Rock.

We also made improvements in our English Learning Program by switching the students to Rosetta Stone. We have seen tremendous progress through this program and are thrilled to continue. Additionally, there are now 9 students attending University through the aid of our Baskin-Bowler Scholarship. What an accomplishment!

Thank you for all your support in 2019, we look forward to continuing the growth in the next year!

2021

During 2021 we continued to navigate the pandemic, and God was abundantly good to us! We were unable to take regularly scheduled field trips, however we were able to visit Manos de Compasion on-site in Guatemala. It is clear that our hearts are aligned in raising these children to reach their full potential in Christ. We officially added them as our newest children’s home partner in August and are so excited for all that God will do in those relationships.

Saving Susan continued to experience growth in Guatemala as we brought on Discipleship Mentors Mario and Rose Morales to mentor and disciple our Next Steps Students. We had 12 students in the Next Steps program and celebrated Sopheak as the first graduate of both the Parent Partner and Next Steps Program.

New staff members Allyson Overstreet and Emily Westbrook were brought on as our Partner Relations Director and Ministry Coordinator. We also celebrated eight new Parent Partnerships including the first child partnered from our newest children’s home Manos de Compasion. This brings us to 51 children with loving Parent Partners.

2023

This year was a year of tremendous blessings and growth. We brought a team to Cambodia and two teams to Guatemala, saw the blossoming of our Music Academy under Oliver Rafael in Cambodia, and agreed to a partnership with a new children’s home, Casa Bernabe in Guatemala. This home will have 100 new children for us to serve, including over 60 who will need Parent Partners.

As the Lord expanded our borders we saw him move mountains to provide for this ministry. Our Green Tie Gala and Tennis & Pickle for Susan events were big successes, and Champions of our ministry stepped up to donate over $750,000!

Finally, the Lord provided 11 Parent Partner families for our children. The biggest celebration for our ministry happens when we can connect a child with a loving family.

2018

2018 was a growing year for Saving Susan Ministry. We hired 2 new staff people: Nancy was brought on as our Financial Coordinator in June and just a short while later, Adam joined the team as the Operations Manager in October. The growth of our staff has been such a blessing and we’re praying Saving Susan continues expanding from here!

Our staff isn’t the only thing that grew in this past year though! We launched our First Steps Program, providing a way for those interested in becoming a Parent Partner in the future to dip their toes in the ministry, and had 13 new children sponsored! The Liberty Online Learning program has expanded as well, with 17 children enrolled in 2018.

God is blessing Saving Susan Ministry in so many different ways and we are so excited to see what 2019 holds! Thank you for journeying with us!

2020

2020 was an interesting year to say the least! We started out excited and began planning our visits to Cambodia and Guatemala, but were quickly faced with the reality that those trips would not be happening as COVID-19 began spreading. We took a step back and brainstormed on how to still do ministry during a global pandemic, and through the goodness and favor of the Lord, we had a very fruitful year.

In 2020, we hosted a virtual luncheon for Pastors and gained 3 new church partnerships! Through creativity in the online world, we also partnered 9 new children, totaling 44 children with loving Parent Partners. We were able to bring on a Discipleship Pastor in Cambodia for our Next Steps Students through a meeting at a conference here in the States (thank you God!) and now have 11 students in the Next Steps Program working towards finishing University or Trade School.

2020 might have started out crazy, but God took our plans and made them even better. We are so grateful for your support and prayers, and look forward to seeing what God continues to do through this ministry!

2022

In 2022 we were able to get back to a sense of normalcy and continue to grow as a ministry. We resumed field trips to both Guatemala and Cambodia, taking teams to each country twice. These trips allowed our teams to connect with the children and form strong bonds, leading to multiple team members becoming new Parent Partners. In total, 2022 brought six new children Parent Partners, meaning a total of 57 children are now in supportive Parent Partner relationships. 

Saving Susan Ministry also expanded our programs to our newest children’s home partner, Manos de Compasion. We implemented our English Learning program and our Music Academy at this home and have seen a great deal of success in these areas. Manos de Compasion also hosted our intern, Carly, for three months over the summer. While there, Carly was able to help out around the home and connect deeply with the children and staff on-site, giving us a better picture of their needs and how we can serve them best. Our Next Steps scholarship program continued to thrive, adding six new students at the end of the year. We now have 18 students going to University or trade school and pursuing their dreams for the future.

On the administrative side, Saving Susan Ministry took steps forward by becoming accredited by the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) and acceptance into CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans). These accomplishments help to affirm our ministry and how it operates and seeks excellence in every area, including stewardship, board practices, best practices in orphan care, and more.