November 2019 Newsletter

Download a PDF to read the full newsletter. Or read our featured article below.

Tipping and Turning Points

Samantha, known as Sam, was married for 25 years. They had three children, a mortgage payment, a car, a cat and a dog. Her husband worked in the field of education, she worked in retail. She said, “I thought we had the perfect life, we even went to church.” But after 23 years of marriage, he met someone else online. She stayed for two more years, afraid that no one else would love her. Some residual fear of abandonment remained with her from years of living in foster care as a child. The tipping point was losing her job after 20 years. When Sam could not find another job soon enough and could not make the house payment, the family split. Her husband pursued his new relationship, their children (ages 18, 20, and 24) went their own ways, and Sam was left with no place to go but to live homeless. She was too embarrassed to tell her children, too deeply hurt and depressed to even seek proper help. The focus of her life was the emotional response to rejection and loneliness. She settled for unhealthy, codependent, even abusive relationships. Living on the streets, she would return to a violent partner for protection, rather than be lonely and vulnerable. For six years, she lived an uncertain life based on fear. Much of the time, she was employed, but bounced between living on the streets, in motels, an unheated garage, and with family or friends.

Her turning point happened in a Celebrate Recovery group on physical/emotional/sexual abuse. She began breaking the bondage of abusive relationships, damaged emotions, and poor identity. There, she met people that recommended the Mission’s Samaritan Inn. Sam said, “I wanted my children to have a peace of mind (about me), get my life together, and be a person my sons and grandchildren could be proud of.” Here, she has a stable, supportive environment. She said, “Samaritan Inn is a blessing. I have a roof over my head, showers, food, feeling safe, a good place to start life over. There is good support from staff and program.” Then, Sam discovered that she had a serious, internal medical problem, that required surgery and hospitalization. Even though she was now on the right track of building a new life, it was undoubtedly a consequence of living homeless that remained. After recovering from the illness, she had to find a new job. She has been working at a gas station for a year now. Sam said, “I like learning more about God. My kids were brought up in church, but now I can talk to them about it.” Here, she has developed an assurance of her salvation. During a recent thunder and lightning storm, she was talking to her granddaughter on the phone. The child was afraid for herself and the homeless on the street, knowing that her grandma used to be out in storms. Sam was able to talk to her about God in the midst of her fear, whereas before she would not. Sam has not only grown in her own faith, she is now sharing it through generations.