February 2024 Newsletter

New Director of Operations: Armand Paladino

Armand Paladino became His Mansion’s Director of Operations in September 2023. However, Armand and his wife Madeline had not heard of His Mansion before June. His story shows how God uniquely prepares each staff member to serve at His Mansion.

Armand worked for over thirty years in corporate America, particularly in consulting. After accepting Christ in 1994, he gradually discovered how Christ calls His followers to serve. “It’s more about the kingdom and expanding the kingdom,” Armand explains.

In 2013 God led him into a ministry called Man in the Mirror, where he served as the area director for New England, aiding churches in discipleship strategies for men. To supplement his ministry income he started working as a licensed home inspector in 2015. He later became an elder in his local church in Cape Cod, where he helped his church consider and implement its long-term goals and mission.

At a mission’s conference in 2022, God called Armand and Madeline to explore deeper ministry opportunities. While searching for somewhere to serve, they moved to Peterborough, New Hampshire to be closer to family, where they discovered His Mansion nearby. After an in-depth interview process and several visits to The Hill, Armand joined staff in the autumn of 2023. “I love not just directing the projects and traffic,” Armand says, “but also getting involved shoulder to shoulder with the residents and staff, hearing their stories, as well as speaking into their lives. I think that God has prepared me for relational ministry with my experience at Man in the Mirror: just how to engage individuals and to come alongside them. That whole part of the ministry is exciting to me.”

A hot day on The Hill

This past December 2nd, fifty members of seven different fire companies came together for a controlled burn of the old Chalet building. Led by the Deering Fire Department and the Capital Area Mutual Aid Fire Compact, the firefighters practiced on several live fire scenarios using tools and techniques designed to save lives and property. At the burn, several company members experienced live fire for the first time, which enabled them to become New Hampshire State Certified Firefighters.

The controlled burn also saved His Mansion nearly $30,000 in demolition and removal fees in preparation for building the new pavilion this spring. So the burn was able to both help train firefighters and prepare the ground for new construction.

A day in the life

“When God’s children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.” Romans 12:13

At His Mansion, residents choose to come and live together for a year, and during that time the men’s and women’s dorms serve as their home. Servant Leaders also live in the dorms for a period of one year and they provide loving care, accountability, and participate in the grit of daily life with our residents. Guests who visit His Mansion sometimes ask, “What is it like to live inside our dorms?”

The dorm is without a doubt a place of “beautiful chaos.” Residents live alongside others like themselves who are seeking a deeper healing in Christ. Servant Leaders and Residents alike grow in selfless love by the experiences of life which take place in the dorm. Those in the dorm serve as a family for one another.

Residents heal not only from walking though their own grief, but also by stepping outside of themselves to walk with their brothers and sisters. Moments of laughter and communal joy are experienced in the dorm. Painful past experiences are healed through new experiences of loving relationships. The dorm is often a place where residents learn how to give and receive the words “I love you,” not as an empty phrase, but as a richly true declaration. It is a place of real-life miracles and there is always a reason for celebration as men and women experience breakthroughs in their view of God, self, and others.

Living together creates a place of transparency where problems are worked out through authentic relationships. Men and women learn to speak what is true to each other and this is rarely neat and put-together. God chooses to work healing through what can appear, at times, to be a complete mess. Here, Residents and Servant Leaders learn how to forge secure relationship as they learn how to bear with one another, as Christ would.

In both the men’s and women’s dorm, God’s word rings true: “Therefore welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” It is not just classes and Bible study where lives are renewed; living together in active Christian community is an essential ingredient for restoring broken lives.

A look ahead

Here is what is on the horizon for 2024.

• More residents are arriving in February.
• At the end of February, phase 3 residents will graduate.
• A new seed germination room is being built in the barn.
• This spring, construction will begin on a new three-season pavilion.
• Thanks to generous partners, a Ford Transit will be purchased, adding much needed transportation options to the growing programs.
• Work groups are already booking trips to The Hill.

Prayer requests

• For the February graduates.
• New Residents are arriving, so pray that they will adjust to life on The Hill and commit themselves to trusting God for the next year.
• For safety on The Hill during snow season.
• For the Lord to send more female Servant Leaders as the program is growing.
• For the current residents, that their hearts would be open to God’s redemptive work.