Young Mothers in Youngstown blessed by "Eagle's Nest"

When Gary and Lynette Frost joined in marriage over 45 years ago they had faith-filled expectation that God would grant them the privilege of bearing 10 children. As an anchor passage the LORD gave them Psalm 127:3 which reads, “Children are a gift from the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” We know that God is quite unpredictable as to how He answers our prayers but very predictable that He will answer in His own way and in His own time. For the Frosts, the answer came as God gave them 4 biological children, 2 adopted sons and 48 foster children. They are now the proud grandparents of 6 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

Bettering the lives of children and youth has directly and/or indirectly been the driving passion of Gary and Lynette since they were married on October 9, 1976. They pastored Rising Star Baptist Church in Youngstown for 18 years and were instrumental in developing programs that focused on children’s academic, attitudinal, athletic and artistic proficiency.

Approximately 4 years ago the Frosts became aware that the Mahoning Valley (Youngstown, Ohio) had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the state and in the nation. This rate is determined by the number of children that die before their first birthday. Many factors play into these untimely deaths, such as poor prenatal care, post-traumatic stress during pregnancy, nutrition issues, poor pediatric care, substance abuse, accidents, domestic violence and the many dynamics that grow out of poverty.

As the Frosts prayerfully sought ways to intervene in this tragic reality the Lord birthed in their hearts a ministry that has come to be known as Eagle’s Nest Life Equipping Center. Eagle’s Nest is a “dream come true” that was Lynette’s vision as she sacrificially worked with women who were members of Rising Star as well as others outside the church community who were desperate for parenting skills. Eagle’s Nest now streams Lynette’s compassion by providing residential care and round the clock support for young mothers and their infant children.

The Eagle’s Nest facility is located on the north side of Youngstown near Wick Park and Youngstown State University. The spacious building in an historic community once served as a lodge for a local synagogue before being repurposed to house the Park Vista Nursing Home. When that seniors facility relocated, the building was secured and renovation began allowing Eagle’s Nest to be housed there. The property is comprised of two buildings joined together with a total of 36 rooms that could be utilized for occupation. Current renovation of the property has brought two fifths of the building up to code for use. Over 20 women and their children have thus far benefited from this ministry.

The Frosts fully identify with the principles of 'Sanctity of Life,' however, they believe that protecting and assisting vulnerable women and their children doesn’t start at conception and end on the birth date. The Frosts are not just Pro-Life Proponents and Abortion Opponents - they are Whole Life Advocates whose vision statement goes like this: "We exist that the unborn may survive, the newborn may thrive, and parents be equipped to teach their children how to fly." At Eagle’s Nest young mothers are discipled to not trust in the broken support systems of romance and government. These Eagle Mothers are trained to depend on the stable wings of Jesus and the uplifting wind of the Holy Spirit. The Frost’s know that without Jesus this generation is doomed to helplessness, hopelessness and hell. They are obsessed with seeing these young families press forward to enjoy Help, Hope and Heaven.