Arms of Hope Update
by Leslie Salinas, Marilyn Flores, and Patrick Lemmons
The partnership between Impact and Arms of Hope continues to affect lives in many ways; here are a few short but powerful stories to illustrate that.
Jada is 18 years old and her home life has been tough. Her mother is a drug addict and her brother was recently murdered. She does not have any family to count on, and therefore she ended up homeless. Somehow she kept pushing and going to school, however, and recently received a full scholarship to a college in North Carolina. Arms of Hope worked with her school advisors to get her the items she needed to make it to NC, such as luggage, toiletries, and gift cards. This was the first time Jada was in an airplane and out of Houston, and her counselors were able to go with her on the plane and help her get settled on campus. We are so encouraged by her determination and resiliency, and can see her life changing already. We pray for her as she embarks on this new life!
Ms. Summer is a single mother of 4 children. She recently moved to Texas and does not have family support in Houston. She works in the medical field and is a very determined young mom. Life was fairly stable for our mom, but her pregnancy was filled with complications which resulted in her having an early delivery. She contacted us after returning back to work from unpaid maternity leave and then facing a very challenging financial situation. We embraced mom and provided prayer, baby items, formula, and helped her avoid eviction. We are encouraging her to talk to our Arms of Hope counselor.
Izabel is a single mother of 3 and currently expecting her 4th child. Her story is an illustration of the partnership between Impact and AOH. She emailed our Resource Center in need of food, but was unable to travel to the food pantry due to lack of transportation. Chris, the RC Director, delivered food to Izabel and then made the referral to our organization for additional assistance. At the time of her appointment she received a voucher for Impact’s Resale Shop, where she was able to obtain gently used items for the delivery of her baby boy. Ms. Izabel was also connected to our children’s minister, Lluvia, as she has 3 kids that would greatly benefit from Impact’s children’s ministry. Our client lives within a few miles of our location and is currently exploring her faith and wanting to ensure her children are connected to a loving church.
