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 ...

If you were a fly on the wall tonight you would have heard some interesting conversation around our dinner table. One of our (or should I say MY) favorite games to play after dinner is trying to come up with the grossest...yet still edible...food combinations we can think of. The winner receives the satisfaction of seeing the hilarious expressions on all of the losers faces as they imagine what the winner's combination would actually taste like. ;-) *No actual octopi were harmed in the making of this cake Tonight the winning combinations were tied between Chunky Lobster Fruit Smoothies and Octopus Topped Cake with Ink Frosting. I guess we were on a seafood kick. You're welcome. Chunky Lobster Fruit Smoothie anyone? :-) Also, sometimes kids misunderstand things in very unique ways. I submit for your enjoyment the following conversation: Me - "Would you like some boysenberry jam on your toast?" *child looks at me appalled* 5 yr Old Girl - "No thank y...

Ironically, a couple weeks after my last post " Goodbyes ," I experienced my most difficult goodbye yet. The grief knocked me off my feet and onto my knees crying out to God. My heart is still aching from it. Sometimes the process of letting go and allowing God to mend a broken heart can take awhile...especially because I have a tendency to work over the past in my mind as if I can change history. Silly Me. I don't really feel like relaying the events of the last goodbye. Maybe at a later date it will come up, but not yet. Forgive me? In the mean time I am re-reading my last post because I need the reminder that God is the mender of all things broken. A little while ago two of our moms made us a beautiful scrapbook that they filled with pictures of them and their children as well as notes of things they were grateful for. It is so precious to each of my fellow house managers, especially after an emotionally difficult week. I am going to share with you one of the note...

Last year I shared my first impressions of a Sheepfold Christmas. If you haven't read that post you can read it here . This Christmas was a little less chaotic because my house wasn't quite as full, but it was every bit as precious as last year. Rather than share my experiences I thought I'd let you read one of our moms' thoughts on Christmas at the Sheepfold. But first, a little bit of background on this mom. :-) Last Christmas our mom (who I will call Beth*) was homeless and staying at an emergency shelter. Emergency shelters are short-term, usually co-ed places where you can sleep, take a shower, and have a hot meal. If you've seen the film The Pursuit of Happynes s it is the kind of shelter where you have to wait in line hoping they'll have a bed for you each night. They can be scary places for someone like Beth with two children under the age of 4. She was hopeful however that this would be a blessed first Christmas for her little ones. The shelter she w...

WARNING: This post is for my Christian readers. You may be offended, angered, sobered, convicted, or indifferent. My hope is that, whatever your initial reaction, you will see yourself for what you are and what you would be if not for the grace of God (and by you I mean WE). Specks of dirt, beautiful wretches, and scandalous grace. One day a young woman entered a church... Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke doesn't it? Let's call her Grace... Grace had a lot of baggage. In her 30-ish years of life she had already experienced more pain, loss, abuse, and numbness than she knew what to do with. Her abuse began when she was a young child at the hands of her father, uncle, and brother. Each of them were responsible for stripping away her innocence, dignity, and hope. After years of unimaginable torment that became her daily reality she met a man. This man was better than any of the men she had ever known or loved. He could take her away ...

One of our moms decided to write down her thoughts and experiences since coming to The Sheepfold. I thought I would share with you what she had to say. This is in her own words. English is not her first language, so please be understanding of grammar and punctuation. (The following is used with permission. All names and indentifying information have been removed.) ********************************************* Being @ the Sheepfold The Sheepfold is a big blessing from GOD. When I and my daughter first came in here we were welcomed with true love. I remember when (House Manager) showed me my room. There was a small bag with lotion, body spray, and a welcome card that made me cry that there's good people in the world and it's not just on T.V. or movies. I've been going through a lot of emotional stress because of my big fear of the court dates. Every one of the house managers were ready to leave everything they are doing just to give me the time and hear me out. ...