Amanda’s Comeback Story
Amanda, In Her Own Words
Before The City Mission, I was Lost
For most of her adult life, Amanda had somewhere to live, but nowhere she really belonged. As a single parent attending college, Amanda lived with her mother, a relationship she described as, “highly dependent.” When her mother was evicted from their home, Amanda and her young son were forced to depend on friends and relatives for a place to live.
“After I finished my classes, I left my friend’s house because I didn’t want to be a burden,” Amanda remembers. She went to stay with a family member, but that situation had challenges as well. “Mark and I had to leave again. That was when I lost my job.”
With no job and no real home, Amanda finally recognized that she had a dependency problem – not on drugs or alcohol, but on other people.
Because of The City Mission, I am Guided
“I was frightened,” Amanda admits, remembering the day she and her son Mark, now seven, arrived at Laura’s Home. The thought of surrendering her independence and submitting to the program felt like a step backwards. But she soon discovered the sense of comfort and grace that so many women and children do when they come through our doors.
The classes offered at Laura’s Home not only helped Amanda with her personal growth, but with her parenting. After coming to Laura’s Home, the bond between Amanda and Mark grew stronger. Amanda and Mark soon learned to balance the structure of Laura’s Home with peaceful nature walks in the Metroparks.
And today, Amanda is no longer dependent on others. She graduated from Laura’s Home, and has a place of her own close to a good school and their church. She’s working as a pharmacy tech while pursuing her education to become a registered nurse.
“I opened up about a lot of personal thing at Laura’s Home,” Amanda says. “I learned how to express my feelings. I’ve changed and I appreciate what Laura’s Home did for us.”
Thank you for making a way for Amanda and Mark to have a home for the holidays. Your support does that all year long for men, women, and children in need of a renewed life. Would you consider making a donation today, so that many more of our hurting neighbors find that very peace they’re looking for this Christmas?