Refuge and Hope in Family Care
Dru and Chereta are single moms who are hard working, bright, articulate, hopeful, and loving. And for each of them, for different reasons, they found themselves homeless and scared about their futures before getting connected to our Family Care ministry in Mobile. Our new home opened last October, and house manager, Rachel Burden says, “The seven moms we have here are great; they really are buying into the program and working hard to do what they need to do for their families.”
DRU'S STORY
Dru, bright and bubbly with short, pink and black curls, is in her mid-twenties. She’s from Mobile but has moved a lot since she was 16. She began paramedic school, was unable to finish—but has thought of going back. She also has a 6-month old son, Taylor. “He’s awesome,” she says, “He’s so smart and into everything!”
As she begins to share her story, it’s easy to see that she too, is smart, as well as polite and warm. It turns out that her mom was very sick, and that brought her back to Mobile. After her mom passed away, Dru stayed and eventually became pregnant. She and Taylor had nowhere permanent to stay, and she says she ended up in Family Care because she had nowhere else to go.
In the face of much adversity in her life, she has learned to persevere and says, “I just keep going and move my feet one day at a time . . . You can’t give up. It’s okay to get down, but you’ve got to keep going.
Dru's son, Taylor
“When looking for a place to stay, I called, and this was right on time. I had called other shelters. They kept transferring me to different places, and someone finally connected me here. This is a wonderful place. I think I cried when I came here. They’ve helped us so much. I had thought about giving my child up temporarily until I could get through this . . . then I found this place. This is so helpful for single moms.
“Here, I’m able to save money, fix my credit, learn new stuff. My prayer request and main goal is stability. I hope to get a car that’s paid for and a house so my son doesn’t have to go through what I did . . . Everything happens for a reason. We now have a safe place to sleep, and I can help others know about this home after I leave here. I’m grateful we’re safe.”
CHERETA'S STORY
Also safe in our care is Chereta and her two youngest sons, Joshua (4) and Jeremiah (6). Chereta is in her 30s, somewhat shy, but very thoughtful in her words—she even dreams of writing a few books one day! She exudes a certain calm and peace, and after learning about some of the storms she’s been through, it’s clear that this peace comes from the Lord.
She’s from Mobile, but has lived most of her life in Florida. Joshua, who is medically fragile, began having a lot of health issues. She needed a better support system than what she had, so she moved back to Alabama.
Chereta son’s, Joshua and Jeremiah
She says, “We stayed with different sisters and in hotels, and at one point, were in a home. I couldn’t keep my job though because of Joshua’s sickness. My car got repossessed, and I lost my home again . . . I couldn’t find anything. I was back in the same situation.
“I was at the breaking point. I reached out to a friend and wondered if I needed to give my kids up . . . I was in over my head. I felt like a failure. I think my friend knew someone at the Children’s Homes. When I called, this home had just been open for a week. It felt like God had already worked it out, and we moved in later that month.”
Both ladies share what a blessing it is to live at our Family Care home. Chereta says, “I love staying here! The staff is so nice and caring. I’ve had a few scratches and bumps, but they’ve helped me. My son has been back in hospital a couple of times, and they’ve all been supportive. Each staff member shows genuine love and concern.
“I’m working on a budget now. I need to know how to manage those funds from work and my son’s disabilities. I’m thankful they have that in place and thankful I can talk to Abbie, the counselor here. One of the books they gave us was a book for single moms. It’s a Bible-based book that talks about the blessing on Abraham’s seed. There’s a blessing on my life too, and it will start with me staying focused here and doing what I’m supposed to do. I want to do this.”
In regard to ways to prayerfully support them, Chereta feels like this is her chance from God to get things right, and like Dru, her main prayer request is stability for her and her boys. She wants to learn from her past and raise her boys up to know God and to fear him in love and respect.
We are grateful to be a part of these journeys and ask you to remember our moms in prayer as they learn to lean on the Lord in new and stretching ways. This story, and others who have experienced new hope in their journey may be found in our new Annual Report.