Madilyn + Joseph: A Family Care Story
Back in 2016, we met a kind and hopeful single mom named Madilyn and her son, Joseph. The Lord led them to our Family Care home in Alabaster after a season of homelessness, and the wonderful impact it had on them then is still apparent in their lives today.
THE START OF THE JOURNEY
Madilyn and Joseph had been living with a family member, whose home at that time, became unsafe to live in due to what Madilyn describes as “an unhealthy environment.” She says this house, “…Was making my son (physically) sick. At the time, I didn't know that. For months, I would work full time, then work overtime at the house trying to keep the main areas clean for Joseph.”
To avoid the most problematic areas in the home, she says they often just stayed in their room. She then shared how Joseph eventually got so sick that she had to call 911. Not long after some of the first responders saw the condition of the home, Madilyn got a visit from a social worker from the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) to check on the conditions in the house. “Needless to say, I was so scared and a nervous wreck. To keep Joseph and I together, we both had to leave the house.”
In the days that followed, they found themselves sleeping in the homes of various friends. Madilyn recalls at one of the lowest moments in this part of their journey, being at a friend’s home and crying so hard she said it was difficult for her to breathe, as she was so fearful of how things were going to work out. Feeling sure that they would most likely need to begin sleeping in their car, she wondered how she would protect Joseph from fear of the dark. With hope and confidence though, her friend looked at her that night and said, "Oh, God's not going to let y’all sleep in your car,” and she was right.
GOD WILL MAKE A WAY
Madilyn and Joseph never did have to sleep in their car, as she saw God provide financially for them through loved ones. Through these gifts, they were able to stay in hotels until they could find something more permanent. In this time, she began reaching out to local women and children’s shelters and in doing so, was referred to our Family Care ministry. She called immediately to begin the application process and says, “During the process, God continued to make a way through people to keep us in different hotels until we were able to get approved to move into the Family Care program.”
Once she got the call that they were approved, life took on a whole new course. At this point they had been staying in hotel rooms for three weeks. Madilyn shares, “We moved in on October 7, 2016. I have never forgotten the date . . . When we got there, I will never forget it. Joseph being not yet three, looked at the entry way of the house in Alabaster and ran around through the living room, dining room, kitchen, then back to the entry way three times. It brought me joy to see my son for the very first time have so much space to run around in.”
LIFE IN FAMILY CARE
Over the next 12 months of the program, Madilyn and Joseph were able to rest and enjoy life. They made new friendships and happy memories, and they found a renewed focus and hope for their future. She says that being in Family Care gave her the tools she needed to get on her own two feet. Some of those tools included learning how to save money and budget, skills she previously had not been taught.
“For a long time, I believed that I wouldn't be able to make it out on my own, being a single mom and all. However, God showed me that trusting in Him through the process, I am more than capable of making it out on our own,” she shares.
On the social side of living in the home, she says, “It was a joy for me, getting to meet all the other moms and for Joseph to have buddies to play with out on the playground.”
In addition to learning how to be financially stable, Madilyn also shares how she grew in her understanding of the Lord’s care and provision for her and her family while in Family Care, “God will always make a way. He did that for us through the Family Care program. And I would say to any mother entering Family Care, to trust in the Lord, (that) He has brought you to the right place and that you are never alone in the process . . . Proverbs 3:5–6”
LIFE TODAY
Since moving out in 2017, they have been living on their own, doing well and staying busy. Madilyn says, “We have been living on our (own) since we moved out of the Family Care program, and I am still employed at the same restaurant that I worked at when we were living at Family Care. Joseph is a thriving 7-going-on-8-year-old. I now have joint legal custody of my oldest son, and I am currently enrolled in ministry school. So, my life is very busy and constantly going.”
“I am extremely grateful to God for this program. Through Him, He laid this program on someone’s heart way back when and now look at all the families it has helped, including mine. And it will continue to help many more families in the future!”
She adds, “I am extremely grateful to God for this program. Through Him, He laid this program on someone's heart way back when and now look at all the families it has helped, including mine. And it will continue to help many more families in the future!”
To learn more about how you can impact the lives of hurting families in need, visit our Family Care page.