When we first met “Dawn,” her life was unstable and chaotic. She was staying at friend’s houses or hotels while trying to find a job to keep her and her children’s lives afloat. When she had to give her children up to the foster care system, she knew it was time to get some help.
Once Dawn was admitted into the Transitional Living Program (TLP), she felt immediate relief. Melanie, the Transitional Living Coach, was able to give her realistic goals to be able to get her back on her feet again.
“I didn’t have anybody to help me before, Melanie gave me hope. I had a sense of purpose.”
When Melanie saw Dawn’s drive to not only get her life back on track but to regain custody of her children, she knew exactly who would be the best mentor for Dawn. Kim has a similar story and has been successfully living on her own with her children since leaving the shelter almost three years earlier.
With Melanie and Kim by her side, in just six months Dawn was able to find and keep a job, save enough money to move into her own house and is well on her way to getting her kids back. Praise God!
When asked how her relationship with God was before and after her time in the TLP, “I was kind of close to God, but now I’m reading my Bible more and I’m much closer to Him. I feel like I’ve been saved” she said with tears in her eyes.
While Dawn is on her way to independence and financial freedom, she knows that she still has Melanie, Kim and all the staff and volunteers at Love INC as her support. “While Dawn thinks that I inspire her, it’s actually the opposite. She inspires and motivates me every day” Kim noted. “She can’t escape us!”
Dawn has a special message for every volunteer and donor who made this journey possible: “thank you for helping me walk through this part of my life. I look forward to what happens next.”
“For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.” -2 Corinthians 13:9 (ESV)
UPDATE
We wanted to give you another praise-worthy update from Dawn’s story last week:
The same day that Dawn gave us a list of all the furniture and other items she needs for her new apartment, another client called wanting to donate many of the same items she needs.
We were able to connect the two of them, and a team of volunteers from Newberg Christian Church is going to help facilitate the movement of the furniture from the other client's storage unit!