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Christian Group Helps Women New To Valley
by Michael Ferraresi
Scottsdale Republic
SCOTTSDALE - Susan Miller understands what it means to be nomadic and how unnerving a sudden shift in place can be for a family.
What"s more important, she and other volunteers at Scottsdale based N.E.W. Ministries know how to comfort women who are shaken by the transition to the Valley.
From her office near Shea Boulevard and Hayden Road, Miller operates the non-profit, non-denominational organization she founded via Scottsdale Bible Church in 1995.
N.E.W. Ministries has thousands of members around the world. Mothers and wives have formed outreach groups from Houston to Dubai. There are more than a dozen groups in the Valley.
The corporate move that transplanted Miller"s family to Scottsdale in 1981 was move No. 14, and the fist time the Millers left the South.
Miller said the "emotional downward spiral" she experienced during the move is something many women experience. Her life"s work is to help others cope with those emotions.
Question: How do you help women who move during difficult family transitions?
Answer: We try to help her transition. We try to meet her needs as a woman to help her feel not so alone. We have the arm of friendship for anyone, whether they"re single or divorced. We reach out to them, comfort them and encourage them. We are a safe place.
Q: How were you affected by your own transition to Scottsdale?
A: I was depressed, I was very angry that my husband moved me here. The loneliness was huge for me. I felt like I left my identity behind. For a woman, putting down roots is very important, and relationships are very important.
Q: What cultural differences are particularly difficult in moving to Scottsdale?
A: I went from oak trees to saguaro cactus. I went from green grass to rocks. I went from grits to guacamole. (But more important), I left all my family behind to come here...it wouldn"t matter if I moved to Timbuktu. I moved a lot through the South, but I was still close to everyone.
Q: What similarities to your own situation do you see in the women you help today?
A: The reason we can reach out and touch lives with ministry is because we have all walked in the shoes of the woman who moved.
Q: What services does your radio show provide?
A: It"s a 30-minute Christian talk show. I have guests, or I"ll just have a message of encouragement about moving, or I"ll have call-ins. It"s a means of validating those 6,000 families that move to the Valley each month.
Susan Miller
Before Scottsdale: Atlanta. She and her family lived in 12 other places in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
Business: Founder and president of non-profit N.E.W. Ministries, an international organization based in Scottsdale dedicated to helping women transition to new cities.
Family: Husband, Bill, two adult children, four grandchildren.
Books: Her first book, After The Boxes are Unpacked, encourages a woman"semotional transitioning to new places. Her second, But Mom, I Don"t Want to Move, will hit bookstores in July.
Radio Show: Miller hosts a talk show, Just Moved! on KPXQ 1360 AM every Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
N.E.W. Ministries Information
(480) 991-5268 or
www.justmoved.org
©Copyright 2004
Copyright material is used here as a resource for movers and should not be reprinted without first obtaining a Permission To Reprint from the publisher/author. |
