Have you met Tarren? If not, you're missing out! So we'd like to take a few minutes to introduce you to her. She is not only the amazing Staff Manager at Abba's House (who is most definitely keeping the ministry going these days while Auntie Kris is away), but she is also a living testimony to how God is working through Abba's House to change more lives than just the babies who stay with us.
Tarren Salter came to Abba's House over two years ago. In fact, she was our first housemother when the ministry was quite literally just Auntie Kris, one baby, and a rented home on a good friends' farm. Auntie Kris took the night shift with our first child, a newborn baby only 1 week old when he arrived, and Auntie Tarren took the day shift. But that's not even where her story begins. When Auntie Kris first stopped arguing with God about opening a baby safe house and moved to the Porter family's farm, Tarren was already there.
At the time, Tarren had a career in retail where she was working her way up the corporate ladder. But she realized that she didn't have time to see her husband or daughter (or other family members) with such a demanding job and she wanted that to change. She chose to leave her career and start over. She left that job and went to being a house cleaner at farms in Loerie, where she lived, so that she could be home with her family at nights. This is where we met her. She was working a couple of days a week at the farm before the Porter's purchased the farm. When they moved in, she continued to clean for the Porter's more regularly and for the gentleman that was renting the home that would become Abba's House in the future. When that gentleman moved out and Auntie Kris moved in, Tarren was there.
Auntie Kris spent a lot of time with the Porters and others on the farm. This allowed her to see the character and potential Tarren exhibited in her daily work, and led them both to become friends. When Auntie Kris and Auntie Jess started the mountain of permissions needed to take in our first child, Tarren was there. Auntie Kris already knew that God had a role for Tarren at Abba's House. So when our first baby, "Prince," arrived, she negotiated with Tarren to become our first housemother and still be available to help Jess with her babies as well.
Fast forward a couple of years, and Tarren was promoted to be our Staff Manager in January of 2023. Little did we know how valuable this promotion would be for the ministry as a whole. When Auntie Kris's dad passed away in October of that year, she rushed home to America. She has been stuck in America awaiting paperwork corrections since then, leaving the daily running of the baby home, the staff, the social workers, the court appearances, the supplies management, and so much more all on the amazingly strong shoulders of Tarren. And, she has risen to the challenge in amazing ways simply because she believes that God is at work in everything that Abba's House does. And she wants to serve Him well every day that she is there.
In asking Tarren a few questions for this blog post, we realized that some of her answers just needed to be shared in her own words. Please enjoy getting a small glimpse into the heart of the wonderful Auntie Tarren below:
Question: What is your family life like?
Tarren's Answer: "I had a single parent household (growing up) and my mother has always been my rock. I am married with 2 beautiful kids (one long-term fostered from Abba's House) and sisters that love my kids. We enjoy spending time together whether it is only having dinner together."
Question: How does God play a role in your daily life?
Tarren's Answer: "I start each day praying, seeking God's wisdom and strength to face whatever comes my way, trusting God's plan for my life to make a difference in other lives."
Question: What do you like about working with Abba's House?
Tarren's Answer: "I am making a positive impact in the lives of the children and seeing the children learn, develop, and overcome challenges is incredibly rewarding."
Question: Why do you think God brought you to be a part of this ministry?
Tarren's Answer: "I believe God brought me to Abba's House to make a difference in the lives of these precious children and the team that I am working with, and to grow in my own faith."
Question: Do you see Abba's House making a difference in the community around you?
Tarren's Answer: "Yes! We do provide a safe and Godly home for these children and help them to learn what love is. Finding them stable homes as well as forever homes.
Question: Where do you see yourself being in 5 years time?
Tarren's Answer: "I believe that God is my director in my life. So I can not see where God will place me in 5 years time. My hope for my own life is that I can make a difference in other people's lives and have a positive impact on those around me. My goal is to become an expert in God's work and the field that I am working in now. In order for others to see really what God can do if you believe and obey Him. My dream is to make a positive impact on those I leave behind my community and also my family and friends."
As you can see, Abba's House is truly blessed to have such a wonderful person on our team! Please join us in praying for Tarren, her family, and her dreams for the future. We are so grateful that God would allow us to work together for His purposes and His glory!
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