Grace and Grit

Goodbye to a place I once called hom e Now to a new strangers place, to learn Learn how to live on my own Yet I yearned for just a stable home I had never felt so alone Accompanied by two new black garbage bags With a couple rags, and old memories Goodbye to my friends with just These two black garbage bags and some accessories " It'll be ok," my caseworker assured  As I was lured into the system Swallowed by the courts Consumed by the placements Goodbye to a place I once called my home. -  by AHTIYA As some of you may know, last year we began the process of becoming trained and cleared to house transitional youth. These are young adults who have “aged out” of foster care, who are currently experiencing homelessness. This is a group that both Josh and I have felt a call to serve and partner with for a long time. It must be so scary and lonely to turn 18 and be forced to survive in a world that offers little to no support system. I am excite...

Just over two years ago I said "I Do" to my husband Joshua. The journey leading to that day was a stressful one, as I imagine it is for most people who are blending two separate lives into one. It felt especially crazy for me since I was job hunting and house hunting along with planning our wedding, working, and being in grad school...hard to believe I didn't drive Josh insane with all the unknowns we had going on at once. God definitely gave us some extra grace through all that... and being in premarital counseling certainly helped. It still feels very new to be married and living in our home in the Antelope Valley. It's weird to come home after work to a husband, the dogs, and a *real* house with a yard and garden (I lived in an apartment for 7 years). Don't get me wrong, it's a GOOD weird but weird none the less. :-) I also still feel like a newlywed...when does that go away?  For our anniversary this year we said our vows to each other again and it w...

This season at the shelter has been quite full. We've had a house full of non-typical and difficult cases that have required more from me as a manager than I have ever experienced before. Challenge, although not often sought, is something that God uses to bring me to a place of more dependence on Him. This is definitely true for me this past year. I have transferred houses within the Sheepfold ministry and it has taken much longer to adjust than I thought it would. Every home has its idiosyncrasies so it's been fun and stretching adjusting to new families, coworkers, commute, neighborhood, etc. If I could sum up these past 8 months into a few words I would say: Change brings lots of opportunity to practice fully relying on God...not putting my trust or joy in a person, circumstances, or state of mind. I know this is a really short post and that it doesn't really contain any interesting or useful info. It was just time to start blogging again. God is good. He is showing ...