BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — The Haven of Rest Family Ministries sits atop the hill along Airport Road in Debord. It was never meant to be a place of luxury, but it is beautiful and offers something far more rare: solace.

On Thursday, Linda Booth, the interim director of the Haven, stood before members of the Kiwanis Club to speak about its mission and its necessity.

The Haven is a hospitality house for those who journey to visit loved ones at the nearby federal prison, often with little more than gas money and hope.

“It is a hidden jewel,” Booth said of the facility.

The Haven features a 3,400-square-foot lodge with a communal kitchen, dining space, and guest accommodations for 60-70 people. Outside, a gazebo and broad porches with rocking chairs provide a quiet place to sit and reflect.

The Haven has become a popular place for reunions, weddings, baby showers, retreats, business meetings and other community events.

“It’s there to use if it’s not booked, for a donation of whatever you want to give us,” said Booth.

Since taking on the role of director amid a leadership transition, Booth has made it her mission to ensure the Haven remains open and thriving.

She shared the story of how the Haven began. Eileen Mullins, a retired teacher and the wife of a Baptist minister, founded the ministry after an event that would change her life forever.

Booth met Mullins years earlier when Mullins’ late husband, Rev. Carl D. Mullins, moved to Martin County to lead the Warfield Baptist Church and later the Inez First Baptist Church.

“That’s where Eileen and I got really connected,” Booth recalled.

Eileen and Carl had three children, and Eileen spoke often of their middle son, Richard.

“He was a good student, never had a speeding ticket, never got into trouble, always obeyed,” Booth said.

Richard grew up, married, and became a long-haul truck driver. His life, however, was not steady.

“He did not have a good marriage; it was very troubled,” Booth said.

One evening, Richard came home and got into an argument with his wife.

“Being a hunter, he had a lot of guns,” Booth said. “He pulled one of those out and shot and killed his wife. His little girl was home. It was a terrible tragedy and Eileen and Carl, who loved their daughter-in-law, were heartbroken.”

Richard was sentenced to prison in northern Kentucky. His parents, despite their devastation, visited him often.

“Being good parents, they visited their son,” Booth said. “On a limited income, they struggled to pay for gas, to pay for hotel rooms and to buy food. She just kept praying for God to turn that tragedy into triumph.”

Eileen, searching for a purpose within her grief, saw a need: families like hers, enduring hardship and heartbreak as they traveled to visit their incarcerated loved ones. She began researching, finding only two prison hospitality ministries in the country.

After visiting a program in Texas, she came home determined to create one in Kentucky.

From there, the Haven began with an idea—and an ask.

Booth, a longtime believer in self-sufficiency, found herself in a rare position: she needed to ask for help.

“I had been a Christian a long time and my partner was not a Christian,” she said. “So I was set in my ways and hard-headed, made it a point that I never asked for money for anything that I was involved in for God’s work. Of course, a generous person could see me doing something and often give something toward it that was not being asked for. But that one time, I thought, ‘I’ve got to do this.’”

Her partner owned land near the prison. She asked for an acre.

Instead, she was given 2.8 acres—enough space for a growing campus.

“It has been beautiful, and we have needed all of it,” Booth said. “We have a lot of buildings up there.”

Eileen ran the Haven for eight years before stepping down. She personally selected Joyce and Harold Scroggs to take her place, but their leadership was cut short when Harold passed away unexpectedly. The directorship eventually fell to Debe Polich, who led the Haven until her resignation in March 2024.

Now, the Haven finds itself in a period of transition.

For the past year, Booth has filled the role of director, though it took her time to acknowledge it.

“I guess it’s just been in the last month that I’ve had the guts to say, ‘I’m the interim director,’” she said. “We’re still looking for a director, but it has to be a person that God sends. It has to be someone who really has a heart to love on these people.”

Fundraising will be an essential part of that role.

“You all are my first gig,” she told the Kiwanis members with a small laugh.

Under Polich’s tenure, the Haven expanded its reach. It became more than a lodging space for prison visitors as it began hosting events.

“Groups just give us a donation because we’re not a business,” Booth said. “We have no set prices.”

Through tight management the Haven has remained financially stable. Over the past year, it received enough donations to sustain its operations. Thanks to a $4,000 grant from Kentucky Baptist, the Haven also provided community service, buying 50 turkeys for the Inez Elementary Family Resource Center’s food baskets. The Haven also purchased and distributed 100 Bibles through God’s Pantry.

“Good things are coming from the Haven,” Booth said. “It is growing and doing more.”

That growth includes new partnerships. Gospel Lights of Louisville will bring two healthcare fairs to the Haven this year, following a successful event in 2024. Recently, Big Sandy Community & Technical College held two days of staff meetings there.

Since Jan. 1, the Haven has welcomed 1,162 visitors—though that number does not include the National Guard, which uses the lodge as a resting place while deployed for flood recovery work in Martin and surrounding counties.

The Haven, born of tragedy, has become a place of resilience. It is a sanctuary for those who stay within its walls and those who visit. Booth believes it will endure.

“God will provide,” she said. “Maybe he’s going to use some of you all.”