“I’m proud of who I’ve become. I can be strong for my family now.”

As Jennifer’s marriage was crumbling, her only thought was how she would take care of her children. “My husband wasn’t working to support us. One missed bill would put us behind, and things would snowball.”

She turned to drugs to escape her pain and uncertainty, and soon she and her family found themselves on the street. “It was really hard to navigate; I couldn’t figure things out fast enough.”

Desperate for a helping hand, Jennifer turned to Las Vegas Rescue Mission. “All hope was gone by that point, I felt like I had nothing left to lose.”

She and her husband parted ways permanently, but as Jennifer and her children settled into life at the Mission, she found the direction and hope she had been longing for. “I had the sense that, finally, I was not on quicksand anymore. I was on solid ground.” “A weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I know that I don’t have to worry anymore.” With support, Jennifer began making progress toward her goal of being the best mother possible. “I was a lost soul,” she remembers, “I wasn’t as good of a mother as I knew I could be, and I wasn’t living by strong values.”

She also worked hard to overcome her struggles with drug use through recovery meetings. “I didn’t even realize I needed help until I was required to attend that first meeting. Getting healthy for my kids is the most important thing to me, it’s what keeps me going.”

Jennifer worked with the Mission to find a job, save money, and make a plan to move her family into independent housing. “I’m proud of who I’ve become,” she says.

This Christmas, Jennifer is experiencing the gifts of peace and hope for a brighter future. Thank you for sharing the blessings of God’s love with her! “My life has been transformed. I’m so thankful to the people I met here, for the programs and for the hard work that they knew I could do. I can be strong for my family, now.”

Thank you for sharing support and compassion for neighbors like Jennifer!