Lessons Learned

Each day as we are driving to the F.A.I.T.H. Homes, Alaric, Irish, Doug and myself, laugh and tease each other about what the day with our 8 families will bring. Will we be greeted with happy and welcoming smiles or will we be greeted with faces full of fear and regret? I know what many of you are thinking, how can they possibly greet you with anything other than happy and welcoming faces, you have taken them off of the streets and they should be grateful of this blessing.  I too thought this, until God said, "No, no, Lisa. Taking them off of the streets and giving them a home was the easy part, now the real work begins!"

Family life is challenging for most of us. We want our private time, we want our space and trying to understand the mood of Mom, can be downright impossible. Now multiply that family life times 4 and you have a small glimpse of life in a F.A.I.T.H. Home. We have taken eight families from the streets, where there were no expectations or rules to follow and placed them in two small homes, where they now have rules and expectations and add to that the challenge of dealing with 3 other families. Not a situation that most of us would want to be in, yet, they are in a house and protected from the elements and so they are learning to cope. It is a learning experience for all of us.

We have had to deal with many issues such as domestic violence, inappropriate discipline, bickering amongst the mothers and complacency. In each of these situations we have gotten on our knees and asked God for His guidance. The good news is that God has heard our prayers and answered them in powerful ways. We have been able to provide marriage counseling for the couple, where they were once drawing knives on each other, they are now praying together. Criselda and Emmanuel, one of our strongest couples, have stepped up as mentors for the parents to help them learn to discipline appropriately. We have watched beautiful friendships blossoming between all of our mothers. Where one mother once felt isolated and alone she now feels loved and accepted.  From the profits of the livelihood training each family was able to pay their portion of this month's water bill. This was a huge step in helping them to see that they do have hope in becoming financially independent.

Thanks to Doug's grandmother and a few ladies from the Valley View Church of Christ Ladies Bible Class, we were able to reward those mothers that turned in their livelihood training envelopes for the 10th time. We took them grocery shopping for their families. It was the first time they had ever been in a grocery store and it was so much fun! From shopping carts, to price labels, to so much variety and even the check out process, our mothers were in awe. It was absolutely one of the funnest days I have had with our mothers.

I have learned that life has a way of teaching me lessons, some leave me laughing and feeling content, others leave me shaking, frustrated and ready to throw it all in. But no matter what the day's lesson may be, the greatest lesson I have learned is that God is my teacher and He is holding my hand and guiding me through.


"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."     Mother Teresa