A Love Story – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
"I'm so amazed that perfect strangers have helped me in ways my own family could not," said Jennifer. "Jennifer came to Love INC homeless, pregnant, and isolated," said Janel Beidel, Homes of Hope program coordinator for Love INC of Lancaster County in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "She had to move to a shelter where she could only have two of her three children with her. It was extremely difficult to send her oldest child, age 6, to live with relatives. Jennifer heard about Love INC Homes of Hope and called to see if there were any openings in the program."
Within a month, Jennifer was able to move into one of the 14 Love INC Homes of Hope supported by churches in the community. For the next three months, eight churches worked together to provide for Jennifer's particular home. "The churches provide financial and volunteer support for the home, including paying the utilities, keeping up with any needed repairs, furnishing the home, and stocking the home with dishes, linens, towels, personal care items for the family, and groceries for the family's arrival," said Janel.
Three women from one of the local church congregations provided Jennifer with mentoring and support, and connected her to community resources for food and clothing. Women from other churches purchased gifts for the family, and still others provided transportation to her many doctor appointments and to the hospital when her baby was ready to be born.
"I just wanted to do something for someone else and give back to someone in need," said Annabelle Herr, one of Jennifer's mentors from a local church. "Jennifer knew that things had gone wrong in her life. She really wanted to turn her life around and make it better."
With the help of Love INC and her case worker, Jennifer got a job doing secretarial work, and has moved into a townhouse with her family. She and her kids regularly attend one of the Love INC network churches, and her mentors still visit with her regularly. "It's kind of a family reunion when she gets together with the church volunteers who helped her," said Janel. "They are like mothers, sisters, and grandmothers to her. Jennifer has not only moved into a physical home, but she has finally found community."
"Jennifer was a stranger when she came to us, but that didn't matter to the churches," said Janel. "Church members simply gave of their time, talent, and treasure in the name of Christ." Reflecting on her time at the Love INC Homes of Hope, Jennifer said, "I felt God's peace and presence in the home. Love INC looked past my mistakes and loved me for who I am. They loved me as a child of God."