Founder's Story

I will start by answering the question that most people ask in response to hearing about Sojourners Journey, “How did this idea come about?” To be honest, this question was asked by my father many times throughout my life, and my mother would look at him and say, “Bill, she’s a dreamer.” 

This dream started over 6 years ago when I returned home from Youth with a Mission Denver CO., also known as YWAM. YWAM is a six-month international youth mission program dedicated to serving Jesus thought the world. During my time there I spent 2.5 months in Thailand, we were there shortly after the tsunami hit. So we dedicated a large portion of our time to their relief. We also worked with the prostitutes in Pattya with the Tamar Center. I came home from that experience knowing I had a great desire to serve the Lord. Initially, I had dreams of God sending me somewhere amazing and exotic like Africa. But, when I came home, I knew my place was here, in Sparta, and in the beginning it was to spend the last year and ½ of my mother’s life with her. 

I struggled for a while trying to find out what it was that God wanted me to do for Him. I couldn’t identify any spectacular or obvious gifts that made it easy for me to figure out what my whole role was in this life.......in fact, like many if not all of us, I'm sure Ill spend my life time figuring out what that all entails.

I remember someone telling, if I found myself in this situation simply look at what God has given you and go find a need. In my journey to do this, I got connected with Mary Masters from Families 1st. She shared with me that she felt what Monroe County Needed desperately was an emergency shelter. To be honest I had hoped for another answer, it wasn’t quite the picture that I had hoped for. I was one of those people who had preconceived notions of poverty, welfare, homelessness, and teen pregnancy. Dare I say, I judged them, separated myself from them, even ignored they existed. Over the past five years God has softened my heart, and allowed me to see the deeper complexities of a cycle that so desperately need to be broken: “poor choices, leading to fatherless children, uneducated mothers without stable incomes, children left in shattered, broken homes and the cycle continues. God has allowed me to see the helpless, misdirect child in all of us, he called us to love the unlovable, to befriend the friendless, to achieve the unthinkable.

~Katie Bennett

Our Team

God: He is truly our all and all. He is our source of vision. To Him
be the glory and honor!

Myself, Katie Bennett: Founder
Deb Wissestad: My inspiration
Marianne Rice: Board Member, Co-founder
Megan Steele: Board Member, Co-founder
Jon Bennett: Board Member, Co-founder
Isaac Wissestad: Business planning committee team member
William Wissestad: A source of wisdom and support

Not only are these individuals my family, they are an immense source of
wisdom, support and encouragement. With out them, I would not have
had the confidence to move forward.

The FEFC Women's Ministry Team helped make this vision a reality. which allowed
the following individuals the opportunity to serve along with Sojourners
Journey. Their service humbles me.

Connie Rasmussen
Jan Hanson
Pastor Matt Miklasz
Jan Johnson
Katie Ohman
Patty Schauf
Kay Steinhoff
Stacey Shacker
Brittany Meyer

Possible Location

This is a sneak peek at the property we currently have our eye on as a possible facility. It is an enormous 6 bedroom house with great potential for even more bedrooms and an addition. We feel it could house up to 5 mothers (estimating 2 children each) It is on a 2.17 acre lot, and on the outskirts of town! We are very excited to have a property in mind and tomorrow I will be walking through the property again with a contractor, so he can tell us all that will have to be done to bring it up to code. Then we can make the big decision on whether or not it is feasible to go with an existing building such as this or just build from scratch exactly what we need. Either way this is a big T in the road for us and what follows will be very exciting. Please be praying that God would guide us in this decision.

Getting the hang of blogging :)

I'm excited to blog about what is and has been happening with Sojourner's Journey. I just have to get the hang of this first :) and once I do I can't wait to update you all on whats been going on with this exciting up and coming ministry. I really feel God at work and am so excited to see what the new year will bring for us. Thank you all for your love, prayers and support! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!