On December 11th, 5 days after she moved into a home, we delivered much-needed furnishings to a wonderful woman in the Motel to Home program we partner with -- just in time for Christmas! She decided to share her story to encourage others, something difficult for her to do. We were blessed to provide her with a full bed and bedding, a 3-piece sectional sofa, 4 bar stools, a work desk and chair, linens & kitchen cookware. Read Kendra’s story in her own words (name changed for privacy).
Telling your tough life story is never easy. No one wants the world to see them at their lowest. But once you have been inspired by someone else’s great story, you realize your story too could be one of those great stories that may help inspire others.
I am 42 years old, college educated, employed at $22 per hour, and homeless. I would have never imagined that this would be me- I knew better. I paid my bills, I took good care of my children, I always gave to charity. What have I done to end up living in an extended stay motel with my two children? I’m not on drugs, I don’t engage in criminal activity, so how did I get here was my daily question.
I wanted to blame my teenage son and all the trouble he had been causing. I wanted to blame my son’s father for never paying child support. I even wanted to blame my mother since she has been on crack for over 40 years and didn’t give me the best head start in life overall. I wanted to blame a lot of people and a lot of things, until I realized that it was choices made by only myself that landed me here, and it was time to make better choices, and heal pieces of myself that caused me to not be focused on my goals as I should.
Living in an extended stay motel was a huge challenge, but with the help of The Motel to Home program, I was able to meet others whose stories inspired me to keep striving for the best life possible for myself and my children. MTH program encouraged our family with prayer & hope as they assisted my family in some of our darkest hours. They supplied food, school supplies, financial support, educational & community resources and stayed the course from homelessness to home ownership.
After 2yrs and 3 months living in an extended stay motel, I am more than proud to say that my family will be moving into a 3-bedroom house on Sunday. It was time consuming and a more difficult challenge to find a home whilst remaining in the Norcross City limit given the housing barriers we had to overcome, so our family is moving to Douglasville, Ga. Yet the amazing MTH program & The Fully Furnished program is continuing to assist our family. MTH has made this holiday one that we will never forget. They have offered to supply our family with many much-needed household items and furniture, despite not finding a home within the Norcross City Limits.
To GOD is all the glory and may the mission of the MTH program thrive and survive for many more years to come, I honestly don’t think I could have done this without all the continued support from the MTH program, gratitude will dwell in my heart forever.
Every donation you make helps families in situations like Kendra. Families that somehow find themselves at a low in life and need help in their time of need. Children that need help for their parents to provide a real home. Thank you for your gifts in 2020 and for your continued support of our ministry, as we partner with other ministries to reach even more in need.
If you’d like to make a financial donation to help us start 2021 ready to serve more, please click here.