Testimonials

This home has truly been a blessing for me and my family this week. We came into Rochester the week of Thanksgiving and I began treatment first thing Monday morning. Everything about this house made me feel like home. My husband had a chair, my daughter had room to play, and my mother – a kitchen to cook Thanksgiving dinner! Me…comfort in each room for my healing. We truly serve a “Big God”. The blessings on my life, trials and healing have been abundant this week. Thank you, Jesus, for the Serenity House Network, Greg and Jodie and all the families that help make this possible.

For the families coming in: may God bless you, heal you, comfort you, and bring “peace that transcends all understanding” to you.

Discovering Serenity House Network on the Mayo website, then being placed at the Red River House was the hand of God. When I began to look for accommodations, I prayed to find an inexpensive accommodation with a Baptist affiliation. I knew it might not be Southern Baptist, but if were, it would be the icing on the cake. As I read the summaries of each accommodation, I was so thankful to come across Serenity House Network. As a lifelong Southern Baptist and actively involved in my church wherever we lived, I knew I would be among people who believed in and valued those things which have been an integral part of my life for all of my life. In short, it would be like being home. This is just what Red River House has provided. It seemed as though I was at home among people who loved me, cared about me and were friends. When facing what we came here to face that gives a peace that only God could provide. Thank-you for opening up your home to provide this ministry.

Thank you!

Dear Greg and Jodie,

In a situation that feels utterly powerless, when your body betrays you, when you need endless med

ical and scientific treatment, when you’re at the mercy of insurance companies and God to keep you alive -amongst all this – are a couple of “angels” and the Serenity House. We couldn’t ever have made it without your support, compassion, and your wonderful place of refuge. It became our “home” for almost 3 months.

All of this made each day of this journey a deliberate choice to live. Psalm 57 says, “In the shadow of Your wings, I will make my refuge until these calamities have passed by.” The “wings” and “angels” of the Serenity House have created and fulfilled such a wonderful mission. Thank you for the multitude of thoughts, prayers, and kindnesses. You are both truly servants of God – thanks much for being the angels.

Always remembered in our hearts,

Our son, AJ, who is now 21 has had a heart condition since the day he was born. By age 3, he was due to have his 4th surgery, a modified Fontan at Mayo Clinic – St. Mary’s Hospital. Years have passed as it was time again to update AJ’s Fontan with the “new” type of bypass surgery they now do.

While searching for long-term housing via the internet, I came across Serenity House and contacted Greg to get all the information. It didn’t take long into our phone conversation for all of us to realize this was the place for us to stay.

We arrived June 10th, 2009 with a wonderful welcome from Greg and Jodie! It was so much more than we expected; our prayers were answered as we settled in for the long haul. AJ had surgery Friday June 12th and Greg called to make sure all went well. He kept in touch with us and even left us a great treat, just when we needed it. I cannot tell or express how wonderful it has been to be able to stay in an atmosphere that you can leave all your worries at the door and just be able to concentrate on the reason we were here – AJ’s recovery.

We are able to head back to Kansas today, June 22nd – two weeks earlier than we anticipated. AJ is well enough to travel and we are so very sad to leave the friends we have made here at Serenity House. We wish Greg and Jodie the best on their health and THANK YOU both for starting this wonderful home for all that have been and that will continue to stay for the same reasons we have.

God Bless you both!

All of a sudden there we were — faced with mounds of information, most of which we didn’t understand. There were all kinds of medical terms, life-threatening treatments, and acronyms like MDS, AML, BMT, and GVHD. We looked at each other wondering what to do and trying to comprehend everything. We realized that we’d have to reside in a strange city, trusting doctors we didn’t even know while being at the mercy of an insurance company. We felt like we’d been uprooted from anything familiar until Mike’s sister found the Serenity House Network website. We reviewed the information on the website and called Serenity House Network to talk with Greg and Jodie. We immediately knew, without even looking at the apartment, that this was the place for us. We called Greg on a Thursday night and met with him in Rochester at the Patrick apartment that following Saturday. We signed a rental contract that very day. He made us feel so comfortable even though we had just met. We instantly felt a bond and comfortable in “our new home”.

We were in a situation where we felt utterly powerless over Mike’s health, endless medical and scientific treatments, and insurance companies. Amongst all this were a couple of “angels” and the Serenity House Network. We would never have made it without Serenity House Network’s support, compassion, and their wonderful place of refuge. It became our “home” for almost 3 months.

The support from Jodie and Greg was astounding. They knew when the time was right to talk, smile or leave us be which is a true testament to their compassion for the stressful medical situation we were experiencing. My husband was able to do the post-transplant procedures on an out-patient basis only because of Serenity House’s environment and close proximity to the Mayo Clinic. We truly believe that Serenity House played a very important part in Mike’s recovery. The Patrick apartment was close to a bike trail which provided the environment for the exercise required for Mike’s recovery. It felt like home and had everything from a beautiful deck to a BBQ grill to a crock pot. All the simple things, the “homey” things we had at home were at Serenity House, available for our use.

All of this made each day of this journey a deliberate choice to live. Psalm 57 says, “In the shadow of Your wings, I will make my refuge until these calamities have passed by.” The “wings” and “angels” of the Serenity House Network have helped fulfill such a wonderful mission. We are so thankful for the multitude of thoughts, prayers, and kindnesses provided by Greg and Jodie. They are both truly servants of God.

Believe it or not, the hardest thing for us to do at the end of 90 days was to leave the security of Serenity House, Rochester, and Mayo Clinic. Indeed, Greg and Jodie were our angels and we highly recommend their facilities.