A Year at a Glance

Well, 2014 has come to a close and it is a great time for some reflecting!  Mid-South Love Home has been a non-profit organization for a little over a year and a half.  We have been housing teens/young women and their babies and it has been quite a "ride".  If you have followed this blog, you have been all over the place emotionally with me and I thank you for allowing me to be transparent!!  I am going to post here a little recap about each of our girls and their baby to let you know an overview of what God has done through the Love Home!

God has called us to go DEEP with a few teens/young women at a time.  Our 24/7 ministry actually does life with the girls God entrusts to us.  We do not take this responsibility lightly.  We know that we want them to see Jesus and a real, living relationship displayed for them on a daily basis.  May He be made recognizable in and through our lives!

We have had the privilege to minister to five residents and one commuter this year!!  We have also been able to keep in touch a little with one former resident.  Our desire is to stay a constant in their lives for as long as they will allow us to!  It has been a blessing to see the babies born and then watch them as they grow!  We fall in love with these girls and their babies.  They become part of our family and we are blessed to know them!!

Tiandra was a 2013 resident and she gave birth to Jacob on January 1, 2014.  We were able to help her move into her first apartment and we were able to have them over to visit and even had a “slumber party” with Jacob to give mom a much needed break!  Unfortunately, we have not been able to stay in touch with Tiandra and Jacob.  She last contacted me in July and I have not gotten any response back from her since.  We are thankful for the role God allowed us to play in her life and the life of precious Jacob.

Tiffany was a 2013-2014 resident and she gave birth to Cayla in February!  She accepted Christ while a resident at Mid-South Love Home and that was an amazing experience!  We have been able to keep in close contact with these precious girls and enjoy a good relationship.  We have been blessed with baby clothes and toys that we have been able to share with them and that has been a joy!!

Brittany has been our only commuter to date!  She has a mother who was supportive so she didn’t need housing.  She just needed other help!  We were able to help resource Brittany and hook her up with ministries such as Morning Center and provide her with lots of transportation to doctors’ appointments and such.  Nathan was born in September and is a doll.  We were able to assist Brittany with her educational plan and she graduated from high school this month!!!  We look forward to continuing our friendship with her and Nathan!

Jakira came to us in late July and Micah was born prematurely.  We had so much fun with a newborn around the house!  We were able to help Jakira secure an apartment in Holly Springs so she could continue her education at Rust College.  We had an amazing outpouring of love and were able to furnish her apartment and get it all set up for her!!!  We are thankful to keep in touch with her and I was thrilled when she texted me a picture of her grades!  I want her to know how proud I am of her for pursuing her goals!!

We had another girl move in with us in September.  Her identity is being kept confidential.  She is still with us and is making huge life-altering decisions/changes!  She accepted Christ and He is evident in her life!  She has begun the GED class at Hope Works and has gotten her first job ever working at Chick-fil-A.  She has a contagious laugh and we have fun doing life with her!!

Ayanna came to live with us around the middle of November.  She had Kaleb on December 11.  She has a degree, job, etc. but was in a situation where she needed temporary housing.  She moved out a few days before Christmas.  We are thankful that we had a bed available to help her when she was in a dire situation.  We look forward to continuing a friendship with her and getting to watch Kaleb grow!

Kristie came to live with us a couple of days before Thanksgiving.  With her, that made three residents at once and that was a first for us!  Kristie ended up being very sick, was hospitalized, and delivered a stillborn son at 19 weeks.  We are thankful that God brought Kristie to us so we were able to get her to the hospital and were able to be a support system for her.  We will keep in touch with her as long as she will allow!

These brief paragraphs only scratch the surface of what this ministry does in the lives of the women and babies God brings to us!  We know that God initiated this ministry and He will continue to sustain us and use us as long as He wants!  Our “yes” is on the table and we are thankful to be used! 

As I think back to all that God has taught me this past year, I think a song by Matt Redman pretty much sums it all up!  We had some very difficult times financially the beginning of 2014 and God provided and sustained this ministry.  There have been many battles fought and struggles we have had to wrestle through.  There are scars from wounds received yet here we are at the end of 2014 still standing and able to look back at what He has done!  I am praising Him for His faithfulness!!  Here are the lyrics to "Never Once":

 "Never Once"

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

May God bless you and your family!!  We look forward to continuing His work in 2015!!!