About Us
My Father’s Arrows, Inc. is a faith-based ministry, community driven, public charity that specializes in restoration and orphan care. MFA was established in 2014 in efforts to do a greater work for the children in foster care by our founders who had 44 yrs. cumulative experience as foster-adoptive parents and in service with special needs children. Our founders recognized that instability in placements and lack of long-term connections for the children contributed to decreased school performance, increased negative behaviors, overall poor choices, and lack of support for them as young adults. A mighty vision for change was born, and My Father’s Arrows set out to work. We educate the community on the children’s needs, recruit more caregivers and advocates for the children, and procure child-specific resources to help them reach their maximum potential. Our Children’s Home is a safe, loving, trauma-informed Christian home. My Father’s Arrows is registered with The Florida Association of Christian Child Caring Agencies as a Type II child- caring agency under Florida Statue 409.176. MFA is a private placement children’s home for boys and girls ages 0-17 who have been abused, neglected, abandoned, rejected, or are otherwise struggling with the impact of their traumatic experiences. These children are often struggling with negative behaviors, rebellion, academic issues, and dysfunctional attachments. We provide the 24 hour supervision, high structure, and low relational pressure that the children of trauma need in order to thrive. We utilize the TBRI model of parenting with focus on faithfully meeting the needs behind behaviors. We provide consistency in responding to behaviors with correction based on Christian values while making the world small for the children in a comfortable, residential farmstead setting. We focus on educational excellence, spiritual growth, and a healthy lifestyle with an abundance of recreation. By targeting the high risk, high volume population of children impacted by trauma and the foster care system, and focusing on meeting this group’s most critical needs, MFA is creating systemic change that not only impacts the youth served, but also the community at large.
Sarah Ellis is the co-founder and Executive Director of My Father’s Arrows, a Christ-centered ministry devoted to restoring hope to children from hard places. She firmly believes that children are a heritage from the Lord and must be protected, nurtured, and guided with both truth and love. With nearly three decades of experience as a Registered Nurse, Sarah brings strong leadership, crisis response skills, and trauma-informed insight to the ministry. She is also a Licensed Christian Clinical Therapist, further equipping her to support the emotional and spiritual healing of children in care. Together, her medical background and biblical foundation help shape the structured, compassionate model of My Father’s Arrows. Sarah and her husband, Jason, have been married for 28 years and are the parents of a large family. Throughout their marriage, they have faithfully served as foster and adoptive parents, welcoming many children with significant trauma backgrounds into their home. Their understanding of trauma, attachment challenges, and long-term healing is not theoretical — it has been lived out around their own kitchen table.What began as their family’s “yes” to God grew into a multi-generational ministry. The Ellis children were raised in a home centered on service and faithfulness and now actively serve within the mission. My Father’s Arrows is not simply a program, but a family-rooted ministry where children experience stability, structure, discipleship, and genuine relationship. Sarah is known for steady leadership, maternal compassion, and unwavering faith that healing is possible when Christ remains at the center. Her heart’s desire is to see vulnerable children restored to health, identity, and purpose — and to see families, churches, and communities rise up to steward what God calls precious.
Jason Ellis serves as Director of Operations at My Father’s Arrows, providing steady leadership, spiritual guidance, and hands-on oversight for the daily life of the ministry. With 25 years of experience as a Registered Nurse, Jason brings calm discernment, practical wisdom, and a servant’s heart into every area of responsibility.But more than his credentials, Jason is known for who he is — a devoted husband, a protective father, and a shepherd to the children God has entrusted to My Father’s Arrows. Throughout 28 years of marriage and foster-adoptive parenting, Jason has faithfully helped lead a large family, welcoming children from hard places into the safety of their home. His leadership has been marked by consistency, strength, and quiet faithfulness. He understands the value of structure, accountability, and steady presence in a child’s life. At My Father’s Arrows, Jason oversees daily operations, campus care, maintenance, and building projects, ensuring that the environment remains safe, secure, and well-ordered. He believes children heal best in spaces that are both structured and peaceful — and he works diligently to create that foundation. Jason also serves as a spiritual leader within the ministry. He regularly teaches and disciples the children, sharing biblical truth with clarity and conviction. When traveling to churches, he ministers alongside his family, calling others to live out the Gospel through faithful stewardship of vulnerable children. An outdoorsman at heart, Jason can often be found hunting, fishing, practicing archery, or working the land — usually with one of his children at his side. He believes time, skill, and shared work build character and connection. Jason’s life reflects what My Father’s Arrows stands for: protection, provision, discipleship, and unwavering commitment to the next generation.
My name is Angela Kinder. I have been married to my husband, Joshua, for 21 years and we have eight wonderful children together. We are originally from Michigan but enjoy the slower pace and warm weather Florida provides. We enjoy rodeo, soccer and spending time as a family. I have always had a calling to work with children and it is a blessing to be doing what I do now.
Hey y’all, I’m Betty Melvin, I have been married to my husband Dan Melvin for 30 years. Dan and I love the Lord and love our 4 beautiful children and their families especially the grand babies and our 6 dogs. I have worked with MFA for over 7 years. I started out volunteering at the MFA thrift store and I loved the ministry so much, I’ve worked full time ever since. Due to the pandemic we had to close our store and God told me it was time to work with His children in need of spiritual, mental and physical healing. So here I am; doctor’s appointments, cooking meals, cutting hair and anything else that God needs me to do for these broken spirits. Children are a precious gift from God. “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these”. Matthew 19:13
Our medical director, Dr. Teresa Mahaffey's journey to pediatrics began at the University of Notre Dame as an undergraduate and then the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. I completed my pediatric internship, residency and chief residency at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland , California. In 2015 and 2017, Dr. Mahaffey was recognized by Professional Research Consultants (PRC) as a "Five Star" healthcare provider who scored in the top 10% nationally on patient surveys where patients were asked to rate the care they received. Awards are based on how often patients gave their physician or provider a rating of excellent on the PRC survey question. PRC is a national healthcare marketing research firm that works directly with more than 2,000 hospitals and healthcare organizations. She specializes in autism and children with behaviors, and truly see the preciousness in every child she treats.
Saida Gilmore serves as Executive Assistant at My Father’s Arrows, bringing strength, clarity, and steady leadership to the daily life of the ministry. Having grown up alongside My Father’s Arrows from its earliest days, she carries a deep, firsthand understanding of its mission and culture. Saida plays a key role in supporting the ministry’s structure, accountability, and compliance. She oversees background clearances, human resources processes, licensing coordination, and essential administrative systems that ensure excellence behind the scenes. Her flexibility and comprehensive understanding of operations allow her to respond quickly and wisely as needs arise. Trained in TBRI, CPR, and behavior management, Saida is especially gifted in de-escalating children during difficult moments. Children often gravitate toward her because they sense both safety and strength. She listens well, maintains clear boundaries, and leads with confidence — fostering trust and stability. Alongside her husband, Aiden, Saida has served as the primary caregiver to little ones in My Father’s Arrows care, stepping in when immediate protection and nurture were needed. Her willingness to act decisively reflects the compassion and leadership that have marked her life from a young age. Saida enjoys the outdoors, horseback riding, barrel racing, and rodeo. As part of the next generation of leadership at My Father’s Arrows, she is committed to the long-term vision of seeing children restored and rooted in healthy, Christ-centered families.
Coming Soon
My name is Deneen Goforth I love the Lord and want to serve Him anyway I can. My husband Robbie and I have been married since 1983, we have 2 kids Seth (Shyanne)and Daniel (Haley), 2 grandkids Nathaniel and Blakelyn, and a foster son named Austin. I never thought I would go back to work after being a stay at home mom for 21 years, but when the Lord spoke to me I listened. My career before motherhood included jobs in sales, banking, working as an office manager in media/public relations. God knew way back then, that I would need to use those skills again 21 years later here I am living life and doing God’s work in a ministry that I love. I will add that one of my daughter in laws is in the ministry at MFA also serving in direct care.
Denise Hudson is a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) who is also recognized as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and an Internationally Credentialed Sandtray Therapist (ICST). Denise has over 20 years of experience working with adolescents and families, first as a trauma-informed teacher and school counselor, and then as a mental health counselor. She is trained in EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, CBT, play therapy, and sandtray therapy, specializing in treating trauma and using right-brain modalities that assist in healing trauma injuries. As a parent of a child with special needs, Denise also has lived experience in walking through those times when parenting becomes uncomfortable, and change is needed for the family to heal. She has three children, ages 20, 15, and 10, and has been married for 25 years to a firefighter. She is humbled and honored to be joining the My Father’s Arrows team and excited to see where God is leading us in therapeutic interventions.
My Father’s Arrows (MFA) is an inter-denominational Christian ministry uniting believers who love Jesus Christ and desire to serve Him by providing compassionate care to orphans. We desire to remain united in the salvation and love of Christ, avoiding the dissension that may be caused by denominational distinctive. We hold to scripture mandate James 1:27; Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
