A few months ago, staff member Yuliana got a call from one of our Stop the Cycle moms. “I really need your help,” she said. “I can’t live here anymore.”
In her childhood, Victoria experienced verbal abuse, neglect, abandonment, and a difficult foster home. We met her when she was in trade school, and she began coming to the Day Center.
But Victoria’s troubled childhood continued to follow her. At eighteen, she married someone who was neglectful and violent. After her daughter K. was born, she knew she had to make a change.
“I endured for a long time, but this could not continue…. I shared my experiences with Yuliana and she offered me a place in the Shelter,” she said. “It was the only way out.”
Our Shelter program is a vital refuge for orphaned moms. In this safe, loving crisis housing facility, our staff offered Victoria: • Hands-on parenting advice and modeling • Practical help, so she can save money and plan for the future • Gentle, consistent witnessing about Jesus’ love for her
Here’s what Victoria has to say about her months at the Shelter so far:
“I really like the Christian environment and fellowship…. I’m learning about communicating with my daughter and everyone around me. Now I can even look the interlocutor in the eyes, which I couldn’t do before. I also feel like I’ve grown up by moving here.”
Victoria and K. like to take walks and cook with the other families. K. loves the special Shelter playroom! “The fact that we don’t have to worry about our financial security here allows us to relax and look at our life from a new perspective,” Victoria said. She’s trying to place her daughter in kindergarten so she can find a job.
I’m extremely grateful to the people who support the Shelter,” Victoria said. “I’m sure that thanks to this help, my daughter and I will be happy. May the Lord bless you so that you can continue to change lives!”