Moving Forward

1 Thessalonians 4:2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus

A total stranger brought Lisa to Cherry Street Mission Ministries. In the six months prior to Lisa arriving at our doors her mother died, her sister died, her brother died, she was kicked out by her other sister on Christmas day, and was unwelcomed by her son-in-law. She traveled nearly 2,000 miles trying to find refuge at Cherry Street.

When Lisa arrived she was physically and mentally fatigued. It took her 24 hours just to get herself feeling like she had a chance. From the first day to her second day everyone noticed the difference. An advocate, Susan said, “I couldn’t believe the way she looked from the day she arrived to the next day. I saw a huge difference.”

isa had been a person of faith all her life but during these trials she had been enduring she really had lost touch. Lisa explained, “I believe the events of the last 6 months has been God trying to get my attention ‘hey you need to do something different with your life’”.

It took Cherry Street and other people of faith helping Lisa realize her real truth. “I felt like it was the devil on my back not letting me get a job, telling me I was worthless”, said Lisa. “I didn’t have people in my life who were for me. I was looking for direction”.

Her brother’s death brought Lisa to Toledo to attend his funeral. Devastated by the thought that her brother died alone, she visited his empty house. The next door neighbor allowed her to stay one night in her brother’s house. It was that neighbor who did more for her than anybody else in recent memory by feeding her that night, giving her a place to sleep, and then bringing her to Cherry Street the next morning.

“Not knowing what I was going to do. That was the hardest part. Where was I going to stay? How was I going to eat? Where was I going to get clothes?” said Lisa.

Hungry for direction, Lisa is doing the work she needs to do for a better life. Advocates saw the work Lisa was doing and reminded her that her time at Cherry Street was going to be brief because she was putting in the effort to move forward. In collaboration with Renhill Temporary Staffing, Lisa found a job within a week. Lisa was attending peer-to-peer mentoring and support group. “I never had support. The last 6 months I felt like nobody was on my side but these people here are definitely on people’s side trying to get them to do something to move forward with their lives”, Lisa said.

With a smile on her face, Lisa said, “I’ve just been connected with so many really good people here that really have huge hearts and love the Lord and they’re doing His work. I just needed to have somebody reaffirm it to me to believe again. Like I said in one day the difference in my demeanor and everything my attitude and everything’s changed. One day.”