Creation Through Astronomy
In March of 2007, Youth Haven received a phone call from the widow of a former NASA employee who lives near the Michigan campus. She shared that her husband had passed away in October of 2006 and that she desired to donate his complete observatory and all of the astronomical equipment he had. This included a motorized dome, 11" SCT telescope, an astrophotography camera along with many eyepieces and other equipment needed to observe the night sky. We were excited to think of how we could use this awesome gift to teach the children at Youth Haven about the Universe and God's creation and show them things they may have never seen before.
In June we proceeded with moving the entire structure to the campus in Michigan from where it stood, about 9 miles away. We had to prepare the site, erect a foundation of concrete blocks, pour a concrete floor and seek some professional assistance to move the building. After many of hours of work by our staff, volunteers and a local moving company, the building now stands on the Michigan campus in a field where the stars will shine bright in the night sky.
We are very excited to be able to use this awesome gift to show disadvantaged children the planets, stars, galaxies and other objects in the night sky. 
It provides an opportunity for our staff to share how God has created everything and how the same awesome God that made the stars loves each of them and has a special plan for their lives.
We are convinced that He has placed this opportunity in front of Youth Haven and has given us a chance to teach the children in new ways. As we explore how we can use astronomy to share His creation with the kids, we've now started the process of looking at some planetarium systems to incorporate into this new program. A planetarium would allow us to teach the kids throughout the year, regardless of the weather or sky conditions. We are trusting Him to provide the resources to make all of this possible.
If you'd like to have a part in helping Youth Haven teach the kids about God's creation, we would be grateful. We need help recovering the costs of setting up and moving this facility and purchasing additional equipment for using the observatory with the kids. Would you consider giving a gift right here on our website to help with this project? Or maybe you'd like to help with the planetarium project. You can make a donation here on our website and simply mark "observatory" or "planetarium" in the comments box.
Thank you for your interest in this new and exciting part of the Youth Haven program!