Bethany Reformed Church
705 Cajon Street, Redlands CA  92373  (909)793-1966

  Getting to Know… 

They Haywood Family

The Mothers Of  Preschoolers program is phenomenal here at Bethany Church, and once again, MOPS has brought new members into our Bethany family.Tiffany, Ariana and Rebecca Haywood heard about MOPS at a Children’s Fair when Shaney Mayo introduced herself and invited them to participate. So come along and get to know three of our newest members.

Tiffany was born to Gwenetta Haywood, an office administrator, and Clifford Turner, a land developer, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the middle of five children….all the rest were boys: Tony, Michael, Steven and Chris. (Now, that had to be intimidating to her dates in her teen years!)  During her childhood, she enjoyed working with animals on a farm during the summer months and during the school year, she loved playing basketball. (With four brothers it stands to reason her favorite pastime would be sports!) When Tiffany was 13 years old the family moved to San Jose, California, for her mother’s job, and later she attended Washington High School in Freemont, California. Her love of basketball led to a full scholarship at Holy Names University in Oakland, California, where she received a ring for her team by winning the Nationals one year! She also received a Bachelor of Science degree there. Over the years, Tiffany has held many jobs including student aid, a claims specialist for an insurance company, and as a server at many restaurants. Currently, she is working at Applebee’s here in Redlands.

Tiffany has two adorable little girls: Ariana, nine years old, who loves anything “girly”, cheerleading, animals, go-carting and would like to become an actress someday; and Rebecca, 2 years old, who loves Elmo, singing ABC’s and 1,2,3’s. “She has her Daddy’s personality,” Tiffany says.

Tiffany and her husband Robert, after two years of marriage, had plans to move the family to this area so that she could enroll in medical school while he supported the family. But, sadly, this was not to be as Robert died tragically in an accident on January 1, 2008. Tiffany had come on ahead of her husband and was staying with his mother, Margie Gillroy, while he finished up his work in Portland, Oregon. He was to have joined them here shortly. Tiffany says that her Bethany family surrounded her and her family with love and offers of help during her time of sorrow. She told me that Robert, a former Marine, was a “man’s man” who loved dirt biking, the military and his family. They miss him greatly and talk about him daily, remembering the wonderful Daddy that he was.

Tiffany is looking to the future now and supporting her little ones as she tries to prepare herself for a career in the medical field. Towards that end, she will apply for nursing school this fall with the eventual goal of becoming a trauma surgeon. She will have a double major in Spanish, as she loves different languages. She also wants to learn Chinese, German, French and Hindi. Wow! And I have trouble with English! Tiffany is currently using her two days off from work to explore new territory with the girls-learning to bowl and fish, go-carting and traveling around the state. She also has a passion for Chevy trucks and would love to learn more about them.

Tiffany’s Mom is her cheerleader and always seems to be the person who pulls her up, supports her and makes her feel good about herself, even when she made some unfortunate choices. She calls her Mom her hero. Gwenetta lives in Tennessee now, and they talk almost every day on the phone. Another very positive person in her life is her mother-in-law, Margie Gillroy, with whom she is currently living. Some of you may know Margie, as she has been attending Bethany and even singing in the choir.

As a relatively new Christian, Tiffany has learned that she can’t do it on her own, and when she puts things all on her own shoulders it doesn’t work. But when she shares it with God, whatever outcome He chooses, it makes more sense. Her favorite Bible story comes from Ezekiel 37:1-14, where the dry bones are lying in the valley, and God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to them and God would make them live again. Tiffany says these verses remind her that relationships, as well as life itself, can be renewed thru God’s power.

Tiffany calls Bethany her home now, and says that she can’t imagine leaving after the way people came to her aid after Robert’s death. She really appreciates how Bethany has taken her and the girls “under our wing” and the many offers of help. We pray that Bethany will be a healing place for Tiffany, Ariana and Rebecca. May they feel the love of Christ here in this family of God.

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