Lisa's story
From living in our car to a home of our own – God answered prayer!
Hi, my name is Lisa, and this is my son Dominicke. Dominicke was born just a few months ago during my stay at Kalamazoo Gospel Mission. Here’s our story.
I was raised in Grand Rapids in a good home. I graduated from high school and hoped to go on to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. I was in special education classes all through school though, and wasn’t able to qualify for their math and science requirements. I married my husband Keith and we had two children. Keith is a good handyman and did odd jobs, until the economy went bad. We both lost our jobs, which led to an eviction. We stayed in Grand Rapids with a relative for awhile, and then a friend in Kalamazoo encouraged us to move here. He knew of several side jobs that Keith could do. At first we ended up staying in our car. Keith had been homeless before and didn’t want our 13 and 2 year old to experience homelessness, so they remained with our relative.
We lived in our car for some time, but it was a frightening experience. People would frequently run our car off, so we usually stayed at truck stops. It was hard for me to think of other people having a home, and we did not even have a roof over our heads. Finally, with winter and cold weather approaching, we decided to seek help at the Mission.
I stayed in the Women’s Shelter and actually enjoyed it a lot. I made a lot of friends there and when I learned I was pregnant with our third child, one of the other residents told me of local resources for prenatal care. Then the KGM staff helped me find resources for the baby items I needed.
People here were so nice to me when Dominicke was born. I was very concerned about how he and I would get from the hospital to the Mission, and a staff member actually picked us up on his day off from work and drove us back here. I had very nice roommates in the Women’s Shelter, and they watched the baby for me while I showered. In fact, they refer to themselves as Dominicke’s aunts! One of the Women’s Shelter staff fixed up a little bed for the baby, and they gave me more items for him. Diapers and formula were always available for him too.
I enjoyed attending classes while I was in the Women’s Shelter. I learned interesting things about managing money, budgeting, and boundaries I need to set with other people. I also came to believe in God more. I had never attended church until I met Keith, but he was a believer in God and we attended church regularly. I learned to pray while I was at the Mission, and we joined a local church. I turned 40 just before Dominicke was born and, because of my age, we prayed a lot during my pregnancy for a healthy baby. God answered those prayers, and we are very thankful.
After receiving a county housing voucher, we recently moved out of the Mission into a 2 bedroom apartment of our own. Jobs for Keith are picking up, and I am looking for a job too. I cried when I left the Mission, and I come back frequently to visit the staff and the friends I made here. Our goals are for me to get a job, for us to get steady, keep our apartment, get more into the Bible, and attend our church regularly. I’m very grateful to those of you who donate to the Mission to help people like me, Keith, and Dominicke. God answered our prayers for a home and a healthy baby, and we have both grown in our faith because of this time.
