Few people leave Georgia for Wisconsin in January, but when Monique separated from her husband, staying with family in Milwaukee was her only option. At least that’s what she thought until she arrived with her daughter and two sons. “Things didn’t go as I’d planned,” she remembers wryly.

 

Suddenly, Monique was far from home, with nowhere to turn, in the middle of a bitter Milwaukee winter. “I never felt so alone in my life. It was scary. I didn’t want to think about sleeping in the car with my kids.”

 

Monique dialed “211” for a list of shelters, that included the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. When she spoke to a staff member at Joy House, our family shelter, she remembers feeling immediately at ease. “That’s what made me choose to come here,” says Monique.

 

 

Although thankful for the warm welcome she and her family received, Monique says, “I was ashamed. I felt like I had failed as a mother. I know now that’s not true: coming here has made me a better woman and a better mother!”

 

After graduating from our two-week New Life program, Monique and her children moved into the Fresh Start program. She finds one-on-one time with her case manager and Bible studies especially helpful in her personal and spiritual growth.

 

“I was at the point where I was losing faith in God,” Monique admits. “But after going through the classes, and the people I’ve met here, my faith has been renewed. God never left me, but I went away from Him. I don’t think I would have found my way back to Him without Joy House.”

 

 

Monique is also learning practical skills for building a stable, independent life for herself and her family. “I know my kids will be okay. I know that they’ll learn from me, and I want them to grow up and be great adults.”

 

When asked what her future holds, Monique says, “I have faith that the Lord will lead me in the right direction.” She plans to go back to school and has dreams of starting her own business someday. “If it’s the will of God, I know it will happen!”

 

Monique expresses her gratitude to you for everything she and her children have received at MRM. To everyone who gives, she says, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Joy House has been a great help. Without you, there’s no way my kids and I would have made it through this tough time!”