March 2013 Newsletter

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When Tragedy Strikes

Suddenly, tragically, Dianna’s husband died. She was left in shock, depression, fear. She had two children and was just a couple of weeks pregnant. It was too emotional for them to stay in their home. To make matters worse, her children were temporarily taken from her during an investigation into the cause of death. She quickly ran out of money with no place to go. Today the situation has been resolved. She has her children back, is receiving widow’s benefits and they have their own home again. Her husband had been a professional forester and she was a retail store manager. She was on unpaid leave at the time due to a medical condition. Circumstances had collided into a terrible storm in her life.

What Dianna needed was a temporary, safe, stable environment to reunite with her children. She needed time to mend emotionally, time for the courts and children’s services to process her case. She needed grief support. Her needs were met at the Mission’s Samaritan Inn. Dianna said, “Without this place, there was no way I was going to get my kids back. They said, if I moved into Samaritan Inn, I would get my kids back.” She had a room of her own in one of our houses, a place big enough for her and her children, a place approved by children’s services. Kim, our Samaritan Inn manager, went to Family Development meetings to help make a plan for getting the family back together. It started with visits here and ended with full custody.

When tragedy strikes, where is the hope to see us through the crisis to a new normal and a better future? Dianna did not need to hope in hope itself, but in a solid, assured knowledge, experience, relationship. Kim was able to relate to her through her own life’s tragic experience. Dianna was directed to the Scriptures and to the Lord. She said, “I’ve been a Christian since childhood, but as an adult I stopped everything. The tragedy brought me back. It turned me closer to God, where there is hope. Now I have conversations with God.” Her children, River (6) and Ruby (4 – not pictured), learned Christian songs they love to sing throughout the day. She befriended another woman guest here. They go to church together, fellowship, encourage each other. Baby Andrew is three months old in the photo, a reminder of her late husband and a son to raise knowing the Lord Who heals when tragedy strikes.