In Genesis 16, Hagar has finally had enough of the harsh treatment and the pressures she was facing as Sarai and Abram’s servant. She had given up her body in order to bring them a child. And she was in turn being treated poorly.  The scripture read that “Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.” (Who’s been there? When the only answer feels like you should just run away? ) In the midst of her running, an angel of the Lord chases after her. He finds her next to a spring of water (later named Beer-lahai-roi). He tells her that the Lord had heard her cries of distress (v. 11). She instantly recognizes the lengths God had taken just for her and she instantly uses another name to refer to the Lord...

Genesis 16:13a reads “She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’”

This story is about an expecting mother who doesn’t know where to turn. This narrative is the story of so many even today. God’s word was relative then, it’s relative now, and it will be relative for eternity. Our desire through El Roi’s Nursery is that each and every mom we interact with walks away feeling seen by us but most importantly seen by her Savior. After all, He is the God who Sees—El Roi.

Even before our founder's son, Oliver, was born, his nursery quickly became her favorite room in the house. When everything in new motherhood felt chaotic, his room felt calm. She could spend hours sitting in his nursery rocking him and experiencing the serenity that space provides. Her prayer is that the items we can provide to a mom facing hardship will fill up a space in her home and her heart just like his nursery did for our her.

Put them together and there you have it—El Roi’s Nursery. The name that we pray impacts generations to come.