LIFE HAPPENS

The following reflects the hearts of a couple of the Moms whom we are in relationship with…

“Hi Joyce,

This is my life in a nut shell. I have lived in social housing for 12 yrs. now. I am grateful to have somewhere to rest my head and feel warm when night falls, especially after living in a shelter for six months. Hiding from a man that beat me, raped me; someone who I have had four children for. A man that I now have to hide from. I’ve never felt like this is my home. I don’t feel like it’s where my children and I are supposed to be. It’s lonely. It’s cold, it’s like an institution.

My parents wanted better for me, better for my children. I have a severe learning disability and at 16, my parents pulled me out of school and got me a full time job. I hung out with young people without goals, dreams or a positive future. A few years later I was pregnant, within two years pregnant again. My parents had given up on me, were disappointed with me. This rocky lifestyle continued for well over 20yrs.

Here I am now 44 trying to put my life into perspective, as my older children are adults and my four young boys are wild and I’m scared! I’m trying to pray for forgiveness and mercy so my children don’t have to pay the price for my mistakes. It’s the toughest road and I’ve seen many don’t make it, loose their children to the system.

I give thanks every day that God gave me the strength to continue to fight. I am a good person, I just needed someone to guide me. Someone to believe in me. Now here I am struggling through this lonely day to day battle “they” call life. The only thing that keeps me from giving up is, I don’t want to fail because that is what people expect from me.” …Janice

Here is a note from a mom whom we have been in relationship for six years now…

Lynne’s family Christmases have been sponsored for the past five years by employees from a local small family owned business.

These are Lynne’s words:

“Could you let the folks who sponsored Kristen* and I throughout the years that we’re okay this year. I’m working full time as a social worker now. I really want to thank them so much for helping me all those years, I don’t know what I would have done without them. They saved our Christmases!”

Lynne suffers from clinical depression, but in spite of this, she has managed to complete her studies and has graduated at the top of her class, obtaining her MSW. Her daughter is doing well, and excelled as one of the students we had in our Camp Dakota, LIT program.

From Ron Shantz

With Christmas approaching along with the dark days of winter, you can make a difference in the lives of the Lynnes and the Janices of our community. Not only at Christmas, but all year long. Where we are present, along side of others, working together, we make a difference not only in the short term, but for the long term. Simple acts of generosity in a child’s life can be the tipping point for them to choose a healthy path or one that perpetuates the cycle of poverty.   … Ron