About Us
New Life Statement of Faith
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
- We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
- We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man through Jesus Christ, regeneration of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
- We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Loving Staff
Melissa Hardy (President & Executive Director)
Melissa Hardy was married at age fifteen and became a mother to her beautiful daughter at age 16; she later had an abortion at age 18, and then subsequent miscarriages. She was later blessed to have another child at age 21. Melissa later struggled with endometriosis and had a full hysterectomy at age 25. She had failed marriage after failed marriage and never understood the correlation between her abortion, abuse, and addiction that resulted in self-sabotage and self-destructive thinking patterns.
In desperation, Melissa asked God to help her overcome her suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, and poor health at the age of 29. She said, “God if you are real, now is the time to show me, or I am done.” God then led her to a Bible and Calvary Chapel Boise where she attended a Healed and Set Free study. This was her first Bible study, and it helped her work through the abuse that she’d experienced, and the pain that she’d caused others; she learned to receive and offer forgiveness. She then decided to get baptized at Calvary Chapel Boise, and as she did, she felt the dread of something she’d buried and forgotten about at the age of 18. She recalled thinking, “I may be a new creation, and I may be forgiven, but nobody knows about my abortion,” and the dread of what she’d done flooded her. A few weeks after her baptism, a healing retreat was announced for women who’d had an abortion(s). She recalls wanting to climb under the seats, “I thought that someone would see me looking at the bulletin and know my secret. I wanted to go, but I was scared to go, and share my long-held secret.” Melissa did end up going, and at that retreat, she heard the voice of God asking her to help others find healing, “I felt this huge weight lift off of me, I felt so free, something so foreign to me.”
She began preparing to serve in this ministry right away, later she met many women who would come alongside her and help her lead these retreats and Bible Studies for past abortion healing.
Melissa has seen the hand of God moving people to keep this ministry available. One of the women that God moved to Boise to help birth this ministry is Yvonne Brewer. Yvonne and Melissa met and felt God moving them to go into the prison with this ministry. Together, they believed that God would allow them to open a non-profit ministry that would offer healing to those in need, as well as to train, and equip the churches and partnering ministries.
“It is an honor to serve Jesus through this ministry and to freely give, what I have freely received.” Melissa said.
Melissa has worked as a medical assistant for over twenty years and later became a peer support specialist for mental health and addiction recovery. She worked for the non-profit, Love INC of Treasure Valley, as a transformational program coordinator. At Love INC, she learned how to help with redemptive compassion from Lois Tupyi.
She has completed her Substance Use Disorder Associate certification and will be completing her Bachelor of Social Work in 2024.
Melissa enjoys blending evidence-based practices with the Bible and believes that the Holy Spirit is the counselor and comforter, that is led by the Word of God, Jesus.
Today, she is honored to be gratefully married, and serving God, her family, and her community.
Yvonne Brewer (Vice President)
Yvonne Brewer served in a pregnancy center ministry for over 20 years. She helped found and later became the director of a PRC in Wilmington, OH. In 2006, she moved to Slovenia to help that country establish its first PRC. On her return, she moved to her home state of Idaho and has since been solely active in past abortion recovery ministry and helping with responders from HerChoicetoHeal.com. She has led Bible studies in prison and area pregnancy centers, mentored PRC volunteers in PA ministry and led PA recovery retreats.
Martie Oestman (Treasurer)
Martie Oestman is honored and privileged to be a part of New Life Support Services. As a pastor’s wife and worship leader, she is and has been involved in many different aspects of ministry including women’s Bible studies, Encounter weekends, and leading music groups. She volunteered with support and training with the pregnancy center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She is looking forward with great expectation to seeing God moving in the communities of Idaho.
Connie Livingston
Written by Melissa Hardy:
New Life Support Services is blessed to have the counsel, guidance, and knowledge that Connie Livingston brings to the board. Connie served as the President of Hope’s Place of Salmon and was instrumental in the development, and faithful services that were provided to the community through this loving ministry. Connie and the board of Hope’s Place offered crisis pregnancy testing, counsel, adoption resources, a food and diaper bank, and Bible Studies for young moms and those who’d suffered silently from grief and loss related to an abortion decision.
A little about Connie:
Connie Livingston is a wife, a mother to three, and she currently has three beautiful grandchildren. Connie worked as a schoolteacher in the Salmon School District, and later helped form Hope’s Place Pregnancy Center.
Connie says that she wasn’t sure at first why God was asking her to help bring this ministry to Salmon, Idaho, but she knew that God was guiding her steps. Connie has faithfully served Hope’s Place Pregnancy Center of Salmon from nearly the beginning, until the day she knew the Lord was asking her to merge with Women From the Well. She and the board members felt that God was calling them to help serve those who were facing unplanned pregnancy, as well as the women who’d already made an abortion, or adoption decision, and were seeking healing for their wounded hearts.
While Connie has never experienced the pain of abortion, or the complex feelings associated with adoption, she has experienced the pain and grief associated with the loss of a child and loved one; Connie has a heart to serve the women who need this healing.
Friends of Connie would say that she loves her family, her friends, the ministry, and her church community at Calvary Chapel of Salmon. Lastly, Connie faithfully prays each week with others from Calvary Chapel Salmon for local, and national concerns that believers are commissioned to pray for, and that includes praying for the life of unborn babies, and for the healing of the hurt and lost.
Kellie Penn
Kellie was born and raised in Boise, Idaho and has been an educator for over 13 years. She and her husband, Chris, have been married for over 20 years and have a beautiful adult daughter and 2 rambunctious dogs. She also currently serves as the Children’s Ministry Director at her local church in Boise. Having experienced the healing of Christ first-hand through the services provided by New Life, she has joined this ministry in her desire to help bring the same beautiful and miraculous healing opportunities and freedom to others. As a board member, Kellie works to help plan and facilitate post-abortion healing Bible studies and retreats in the Treasure Valley and Southern Idaho area.