dr. shauna and Doug Habel
Doug and Shauna Habel have been members of Saddleback Church for eleven years. Marrying in 2010, Doug and Shauna had four teenagers between them ranging in age from 13-15. Seeking ways to navigate these teenage years, Doug discovered the men’s group, The Herd, and mission’s trips through Saddleback Church. Over the next five years, the family made monthly treks to build homes for the poorest of the poor in Tecate, Mexico. These journeys of faith, outside the comfort zone of SoCal, marked the greatest spiritual transformation in their family. All four children gave their hearts to the Lord and graduated from Christian universities.
In 2016, the pain of a gay friend recounting his struggles with molestation and addiction haunted Shauna, but she didn’t have anyone with whom she could talk. Googling, she found and attended The Reformation Project conference in Long Beach, California that year. There she saw gay Christians studying the Bible and worshipping God. She saw their vibrant faith, despite the pain they faced. This moved her to tears and to a newfound understanding of the great, unending, unbroken love of our Savior.
In 2017, as their family meandered on a six-week trip through Europe, Hannah came out to Shauna on a train in England. In that moment, Shauna knew that God was on that train with Hannah, and that He had been on this journey with her from the very beginning. It would be yet another year before Hannah told her dad. During that time, Shauna took Hannah to a gay, Christian support group and counselor where her faith came alive.
In 2020, Doug and Shauna, along with Chris and Elisa Clark, started the first Embracing the Journey support groups at Saddleback church and the ministry is thriving. In their spare time, Doug and Shauna like to travel and to research the life of Apostle Paul. Recently they traveled through Greece and Italy, meeting with archaeologists at seven ancient cities of Paul’s. They are blessed and grateful, having their beautiful gay daughter, and finding even deeper faith in Christ together on this journey.
In 2016, the pain of a gay friend recounting his struggles with molestation and addiction haunted Shauna, but she didn’t have anyone with whom she could talk. Googling, she found and attended The Reformation Project conference in Long Beach, California that year. There she saw gay Christians studying the Bible and worshipping God. She saw their vibrant faith, despite the pain they faced. This moved her to tears and to a newfound understanding of the great, unending, unbroken love of our Savior.
In 2017, as their family meandered on a six-week trip through Europe, Hannah came out to Shauna on a train in England. In that moment, Shauna knew that God was on that train with Hannah, and that He had been on this journey with her from the very beginning. It would be yet another year before Hannah told her dad. During that time, Shauna took Hannah to a gay, Christian support group and counselor where her faith came alive.
In 2020, Doug and Shauna, along with Chris and Elisa Clark, started the first Embracing the Journey support groups at Saddleback church and the ministry is thriving. In their spare time, Doug and Shauna like to travel and to research the life of Apostle Paul. Recently they traveled through Greece and Italy, meeting with archaeologists at seven ancient cities of Paul’s. They are blessed and grateful, having their beautiful gay daughter, and finding even deeper faith in Christ together on this journey.