This mom and her son came to us from a very dysfunctional family and even more dysfunctional living arrangement. As a child, she remembers never having food in her home and always being hungry, in spite of her parents being married and having jobs. They drank a lot of alcohol.
She was baptized as a child and never stepped foot in a church again.
By the grace of God, she did very well in school and attended college. In college, she fell into the idea that she should have sex, and men took advantage of that attitude. At one point, a fraternity man raped her, and she had the courage to face him at their council meeting. The young man was kicked out, but never prosecuted. This happens far too often.
One day while walking down the sidewalk, another young man saw her, instantly fell in ‘love’, and within a couple of weeks, she became pregnant. She kept this baby, and he is precious. She and the young man struggled just to survive. Although he too was very intelligent, he was lazy and never worked. They lived in a mobile home court, and spent a very cold winter there. Hungry. Freezing. Poor. She received a prayer card from the father of the baby’s grandma and began praying a novena to St. Jude – commonly known as the saint of impossible causes. She specifically prayed for a home with a big front porch, on a farm, in Peoria, with a playroom. I learned this after she lived with my family for 6 months. She literally prayed herself into my home.
We met when she came to the clinic for a pregnancy test and ultrasound. She was pregnant again, but this baby wouldn’t survive. She miscarried and grieved deeply. The local Catholic hospital is the only hospital in the country that holds burial services for fetuses. I attended her baby’s funeral, listened to the description of their current living conditions, and invited them to come live with my family. She would have to sleep in a different bedroom from her boyfriend, and my house perfectly fits her prayer. I have just 3 rules to live in my house: guests have to eat dinner with us, attend church, and pray with us. They typically have never witnessed a good marriage, and as imperfect as we are, we can help in that aspect.
Time passed. The father of the baby found a job, but they spent all of the money until we had a ‘come to Jesus’ discussion. I required that they start saving for an apartment.
One night my husband and I sat down to watch tv. We heard a lot of noise in the bedroom above us. My husband investigated. The father was at work, and the mother was in bed with her now 2 year old son. He asked her if she had heard the noise. She had, but she and her son were in bed watching a movie. In the morning, she told me of other strange occurrences, and I arranged to have the house blessed. They had been praying to crystals and had brought evil into my home.
The father had to move to the basement, which he did not want to do. So, they both moved out. Soon after, she started to realize that the father was controlling her and her life. She escaped with her son and returned to our house. She received Confirmation and Communion. He received Baptism. After 20 months, she is now working in another city, attending church on her own, and growing in wisdom and understanding. Thank you for your grant which helps make these conversions possible.