Building Strong Families in Marshalltown...
At Guiding Star Marshalltown, we believe that strong families start with support, care, and guidance at every stage of life. Our Family Life Services are designed to nurture your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being, whether you’re navigating parenthood, coping with loss, focusing on personal health, or capturing life’s precious moments.
From compassionate counseling and peer support to wellness coaching, CPR training, and photography, our dedicated team is here to walk alongside you. Every service is offered with care, expertise, and a commitment to helping you and your family thrive.
Explore our services below to find the support that’s right for you.
Mugs and Mamas
Sarah Trosen
A Casual Hangout for Moms
Mugs & Mamas is a relaxed monthly gathering for moms to connect, chat, and enjoy a warm drink together in a welcoming space. Babies and kids are welcome, but moms are also free to come solo for a little break and community. Coffee is provided! Childcare may be available pending volunteer availability.
Meet Our Group Leader:
Sarah has worked for 15 years in the role of Children and Family pastor. She is a mom to 3, which were added to her family through adoption. She enjoys seeing people connect, creating space for learning especially about Jesus and developing friendships. She likes the outdoors, reading and baking. She currently spends weekends at sporting events watching the family play basketball and football.
Christian Mental Health Counseling
Support for your emotional well-being. Our licensed faith-based counselor provides guidance for trauma and abuse recovery, infertility and postpartum support, anxiety and depression management, and marriage and relationship guidance. Sessions are tailored to help you navigate challenges, build resilience, and find hope in a safe, confidential environment.
Meet Our Counselor: Brooke has her Master’s in Christian Counseling and specializes in trauma-informed care. With experience in pastoral counseling and behavioral health, she is passionate about supporting individuals from all walks of life.
Brooke Bensema, MA
Infant Loss & Misscarriage Support
Jenny Butler, MAE
Holly Erbes, MAE
Healing through shared experience
Holly Erbes and Jenny Butler are educators, wives, and mothers who have personally experienced miscarriage and infant loss. Through their own healing journeys, they now provide compassionate, peer-to-peer support by appointment for women and couples grieving the loss of a child.
Support Beyond Appointments
Together, Holly and Jenny lead Too Beautiful for Earth, an annual community shared burial and memorial service honoring babies lost in pregnancy and infancy. They also coordinate the Tree of Remembrance display, where families can add an ornament in memory of a little one gone too soon.
Grace Restored: Post-Abortion Support
Compassionate support for your healing journey
We offer a safe, confidential space for women and men who have experienced abortion. With compassion, understanding, and faith-informed guidance, Carrie helps individuals navigate grief, find hope, and begin their journey toward healing and restoration.
About Carrie:
Carrie is a wife and mother from State Center, with grown children and nine grandchildren. Inspired by speakers at her church and guided by her faith, she felt called to support others walking a similar path. Carrie provides peer support sessions, offering encouragement and understanding to those in need.
Carrie Lippencott
Nutrition Coaching
Jenny English, MS
Empowering women to take charge of their health
Jenny English offers personalized nutrition coaching and education to help women improve their relationship with food, create sustainable healthy habits, and elevate their overall well-being. She also teaches Harnessing Your Hormones for Health and Weight Loss, guiding women to understand their bodies and achieve wellness goals through knowledge and practical strategies.
About Jenny:
Jenny is a health and wellness coach and the owner of A Well + Fed Life. Her mission is to help women gain freedom with food and take ownership of their health through personal coaching, education, and community support.
Child CPR Classes
Preparedness for every parent
Learn essential life-saving skills in our hands-on CPR classes for infants and children. Parents and caregivers gain confidence and knowledge to respond effectively in emergencies.
Meet Our Instructor:
Julie is a Registered Nurse, Certified Health & Wellness Coach, and FertilityCare Practitioner. She teaches CPR classes and wellness programs, helping families feel prepared and empowered.
Julie Grunklee, RN, MCH
Photography
Amy Snyder, BSHRM
Capture life’s precious moments
Our photography service preserves family milestones, maternity and newborn moments, and special events.
Meet Our Photographer:
Amy has a lifelong passion for photography and over a decade of experience, including awards for Photographer of the Year and display at the Iowa State Fair. She enjoys capturing memories that will last a lifetime.
Adoption & Foster Support
Navigating Adoption
Join other new or expecting adoption and foster parents in thier journey. This faith-based support group is rooted in Jesus and aims to provide guidance for those looking to make an addition to thier family.
Meet Our Instructor:
Sarah has worked for 15 years in the role of Children and Family pastor. She is a mom to 3, which were added to her family through adoption. She enjoys seeing people connect, creating space for learning especially about Jesus and developing friendships. She likes the outdoors, reading and baking. She currently spends weekends at sporting events watching the family play basketball and football.
Sarah Trosen
Parenting with Love & Logic
Mrs. Karen Mussig
Feeling the frustration of parenting?
Want to learn how to set limits without using anger or threats? Want to learn tips on how to set expectations that will help your child? Mrs. Karen Mussig, will provide a parenting class based on the book, Parenting with Love and Logic. The class is based on the Love and Logic parenting theory, which is a gentle parenting strategy that emphasizes empathy, acceptance, and natural consequences. Geared for parents toddler through adolescent.
Meet Our Instructor:
Mrs. Karen Mussig is a school counselor and mother of six. She has a heart for helping parents guide thier children and making every day struggles easier.