Grace and Grit

The following is from one of my moms. It's always better when you can hear their story in their own words rather than mine.  The face of every mother and child is imprinted on my heart, including this one.  These stories continue long after they leave the "sheltered life."  Although not every woman that enters our shelter leaves with her life in order and her kids healthy and happy, it is good to remember that each of them experienced Love while they were with us. That is my purpose: Love God, Love People. By the way, I'm ok with spending my whole life perfecting that pursuit.  <3 “A new command  I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35 ________________________________________________ When I was asked to write about what led me to The Sheepfold my mind started cycling through old memories. I began ...

A little while ago we had a new mom come to the shelter. She and her 5 year old son were homeless, with nothing to their names but a trash bag of clothes and an old kid's backpack. The son was happy, easy-going, and had a silver-toothed smile that lit up a room. I loved him instantly. His mom was a private person who was not accustomed to the structure and accountability The Sheepfold had. Her first night was especially difficult (which is common for most new families) and conversation around the dinner table was awkward. I tried to draw her into conversation, but didn't get anywhere. I wanted so badly to put her at ease, but nothing worked. When I'm working I try to make meal time engaging for the kids, keeping conversations light-hearted and requiring them to use their imaginations. I have so many great and hilarious memories of the crazy things that have come out of some of these kid's mouths. It's so ridiculously fun that sometimes I marvel at the fact that I ...

I have a story to share with you. My first Sunday as a house manager was a couple weeks ago. The plan was to go to church, stop at a park for lunch, go to a carnival hosted by the Anaheim Fire Dept (they gave us tickets), and then pick up pizza on the way home for dinner as a special treat. Quite an unusually busy day for the weekend, but one that everyone was looking forward to. In order to prepare for this long day we had to cancel a Sunday evening pick-up. Every Sunday without fail a local restaurant in Brea donates all their leftover food at the end of their Sunday brunch. This food is a wonderful gift that is usually worth hundreds of dollars and provides meals and partial meals throughout the week. It is such a blessing to receive this! Our fridges and freezers are usually filled to the brim by the time Monday rolls around. Every once in awhile we are unable to make our usual pick-up due to events or sickness. This was that kind of situation and we had no problem cancelling the ...