December 2015 Newsletter

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A Fighting Chance

Recovery seemed to be going well enough for Alysha and her husband. They have two terrific sons, Hayden (5) and Hudson (3). They were a family and were renting a house. She has a full-time job. Life was stabilizing for them, until the day she went home only to find her spouse under the influence again. All that she had worked so hard for had just been taken away. Suddenly, everything was in jeopardy: her marriage, custody of her children, her own recovery, the house, maybe her job. But the worst fear though was going back to the physical and verbal domestic violence against her and her children of just a year earlier. Never again did she want the police in her home and the boys in the middle of a domestic dispute. Last year, he was charged with domestic violence, harassment as well as drug possession and use. Alysha’s mom helped kick him out, and this time there would be no reconciliation.

Alysha and her boys survived that round of trouble only to face yet another. They were in their home with the assistance of a government subsidy program. When their six months expired, they would have qualified for a different program, because of their family situation, but the owner of the house did not want the difficulty and paperwork of a new government program. So they moved to a family member’s home.

It lasted for three very rocky weeks. The boys are very active to begin with, plus they were responding to their new environment by misbehaving. Other family member issues compounded the situation.

A new plan had to be found. Alysha said, “I prayed. I called Samaritan Inn. There were beds open. I was here in mid-July and checked in with the kids. It was scary. The rule sheet really intimidated me. I was afraid to fail the rules. After checking in, it was a lot; it was emotional, a fear of the unknown about life and a new atmosphere. Having relationships with other women has never been a strong point for me, and there were a lot of them here. It stems from my relationship with my mother.”

Job and income remained a source of security and means of independence for Alysha. Still, there was the burden of paying $900 per month for child care expense. What a relief it was to discover Employment Related Day Care. She qualified for the state ERDC program and now pays a $170 per month co-payment for child care. That program gives her the ability to work and not be stuck in the state welfare system.

Alysha is a Christian. She had gone to church as a child, but as she said, “I got away from it.” She now attends our children’s chapel with her young, restless boys, so that the children will learn and not disrupt the adult chapel. She said, “I get a lot out of children’s chapel. It helps break it down for me, so I can explain it to them. We have a family verse, ‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.’ Philippians 4:13.” Five-year-old Hayden quoted it with just a little help from his mom. She has rediscovered a greater peace and joy in life from the Lord than in any empty substitute in the world.

The timing of this family’s arrival was just a month before our move to the new, larger Samaritan Inn. Alysha expressed, “I am really grateful that this place is here. I like the atmosphere here. Everybody is a lot less crabby, because we are a lot less crammed (than the old facility). It is amazing to see so many children here, knowing the babies have a safe place to sleep and moms have a fighting chance.”