Shayne's story
The Mission once meant “shelter” to me – now it means “home”
My name is Shayne, and I’m here at the Mission because I want to grow in my faith! Let me tell you my story.
I’m 25 years old, and was raised in a home where I was taken to church by my mom. I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 7 years old, and a year or so later my mom stopped attending. However, she allowed me to ride a church bus each Sunday to the services. I always enjoyed the activities and my friends there.
Years went past, and I was 23 years old. My boyfriend Derek (30) and I had 2 children (who are now 5 and 2). I was living in an apartment that had a bad flea problem, so moved in with a family friend. However, she stole from me and I needed another place to stay, so I came to Kalamazoo Gospel Mission. At that time it was just a roof over my head – nothing more.
When I moved out of the Mission, I moved in with my boyfriend. But things had changed in my heart during that time at the Mission and I had developed more interest in things of the Lord. We lived together briefly, then each moved in with family members so I could continue in my walk with the Lord and he could gain one. We started attending church together and he became a Christian too. In fact, we were baptized together, we got married, and I thought this was the beginning of a whole new life for us.
I was in for a huge surprise. Five days after our wedding, Derek was picked up by the police for some legal issues from his past.. He could be looking at a very long sentence, so our faith is really being tested. The children and I had to leave the place where we were staying as we had no income. So back to the Mission we came, but this time with a whole new purpose.
I now see the Mission as not just shelter, but a home and a place to grow. I joined the Life Application program, which is a relatively new program at the Mission. Soon afterwards Derek was released on bond, and he too joined the program. It’s a two-month program where we take classes and do work training as we prepare to go into either Family Hope or New Life. It gives us a chance to learn that the programs here are hard and involve effort on our part, but we also get a good idea of the great benefits that come from participation in them.
We know that we need support from others, and I’m doing this program for myself, my family, our marriage and our kids. There will be some challenges, but I am up for them. My goal is to become a good wife and mother and hold up my end of the marriage. I’ve been told that I have some great leadership qualities, and I really want to develop those as well. In fact, someday I would like to become a missionary.
We sense the presence of God here at all times. We really thank the donors whose giving and sharing leads to the sense of security that our kids and we feel. We are seeking God, and are grateful to have this place and time to grow and learn more about Him.
