Single parent family in urgent need
Donation protected
I met the Warren family in 2007. Elizabeth was (still is) a single mother with a 6 month old son, and a 3 year old daughter when I met them. In 2009, by the grace and mercy of God, we became neighbors. January 23, 2009 was the start of our friendship. I remember the date because it was her son, Christian's 2nd birthday, and Elizabeth invited my roommate and me over for dinner and cake.
After the birthday celebration, I stayed, and Elizabeth and I began talking. We talked until the wee hours of morn, and I discovered we had many similarities. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that has spanned nearly a decade!
Over the past years since I have known Elizabeth and her children, I have watched her strive to make ends meet. I have watched God work in amazing ways. Back in 2009, Elizabeth told me that she prayed that God would do whatever was necessary to make her depend upon Him solely, because she felt that her tendancy was to lean too much on herself. A month or so later, on Torria's first day of school, Elizabeth was involved in a car accident that totaled her vehicle, leaving her without her own transportation for more than 2 years. But thankfully, as the cop said, "The pole' s fine!" So were Elizabeth and Christian. They walked away with no major injuries!
Elizabeth told me about two weeks later that she was telling God thanks for the lesson in dependence, but she was good now and He could provide her with a new car... now! He didn't. She had to learn that dependence upon God often times also requires dependence upon others. But she admits she is a proud individual, and I know asking for help from others is extremely difficult for her.
In 2010 Elizabeth was working in a nursing home facility as a CNA (certified nursing assistant)/ PCT (patient care technician). Unfortunately, she redeveloped a blood clot in her subclavian vein, and ended up unable to continue in her chosen field because of the repeated and heavy lifting involved. She was told she cannot lift more than 25 pounds at this time. I watched her struggle to find a new job, and while the finances dwindled, and no employment came, I watched God supply hers and her children's every need. He provided food where no money was available to provide it; He provided electricity when there was absolutely no way she could pay for it. I watched God supply need after need time after time.
When I would walk into her apartment I would see things that this family had been blessed with, from a computer, to every bed, down to the pots and pans in the kitchen. I have always been amazed to see just how much and how often God has met this families needs.
There were times when I would begin to think, "Is He going to meet this need this time? It doesn't look like He will supply this time. It is so close to when she needs the money to keep this service from being disconnected!" And then, at what to me seemed the very last possible second, cutting it down to the wire, He would provide, meeting the need!
Not only was God teaching Elizabeth to trust and depend on Him, He was using her life and circumstances to teach me, as well.
In 2011, God dropped a job in Elizabeth's lap. She became a crossing guard for the next 3 years. I would see her get up at the crack of dawn to go to work in the morning, and then she would go back out mid-afternoon to do it again. Then in 2014, to help supplement her income, she got a 2nd job at Dollar General. She really enjoyed her jobs, but in 2014 she became ill. She developed a severely debilitating chronic pain condition. She went to see several doctors to try to discover what was causing her problems. She began to have extreme difficulty sleeping due to her severe pain. I remember one night in particular where I was awoken in my apartment upstairs by an agonized screaming. I came running downstairs to find out the problem, and saw Elizabeth in tears thrashing in her bed unable to endure the fiery sensation in her leg. Her screams had also awakened her children. Yet, despite all of this she kept getting up and going to work at her jobs. Summer came and the crossing guard position ended for the season, so she tried to pick up extra hours at work. Her pain kept getting more severe, and I remember several occasions where I would come in to grab something from the store and she would smile brightly and greet every single person who entered the facility. Sometimes she could not help the tears that would come from the pain, but she kept a positive up beat spirit and cheerful attitude. It was an encouragement to me, and showed me that she was determined to do all she could to provide for the needs of her family.
She finally ended up seeing a back doctor and was told she is not allowed to lift more than 15 pounds, at which point Dollar General placed her upon unpaid medical leave. So while she had not been fired, she was unable to continue in her employment with the company, and lost her income. And because of the lack of sleep she was getting each night, when her crossing guard position began again in the fall, she struggled to stay awake at her post. So she spoke with her supervisors about the situation, and all parties agreed that for the safety of the children crossing, it would be best to part ways. So she was again unemployed with no income.
She, because of her chronic pain and illness, was unable to find any suitable work so she began trying to obtain disability, to no avail. She was without employment or income for a year and a half to two years. She thought she was going to have to leave her apartment, but the landlord and landlady showed her incredible grace and mercy and let her stay on. Another act of God.
Unfortunately, in 2016, our apartment complex was sold, and Elizabeth had no funds and nowhere to go. One of our mutual friends took her and her children into her home, and, for the last two years, has graciously been able to help her family out in this way, but she was in the process of preparing to sell the house, and she was packing to move when Elizabeth's family came.
Since moving into this home with this friend Elizabeth has found employment as a companion, which is nice for Elizabeth because it doesn't require any hands on care, just sitting with her client providing company!
The house has become a burden to this friend, and she needs to sell it ASAP, so has told Elizabeth she needs to find another place. But that is a bit of a problem, because Elizabeth doesn't have the income required for such a move, in spite of her job as a companion.
I have seen her strive to maintain a good home for her children and to be all she can be as a mother. I have seen her work hard to the best of her abilities. I have watched God provide for all of her needs. I would love to see God provide this one:
It would be wonderful to see God provide enough money for Elizabeth to be able to get a small plot of land and a manufactured home to place upon it. So I am creating this go fund me to try to raise up some money to help my very dear friend to be able to get a home that is hers for her children, a place where they can put down some roots and have some stability.
If you could help with this fund, I would appreciate it, but I know they would appreciate it all the more! Thank you for reading, and prayerfully considering any ways you might be able to help! God bless you!
After the birthday celebration, I stayed, and Elizabeth and I began talking. We talked until the wee hours of morn, and I discovered we had many similarities. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that has spanned nearly a decade!
Over the past years since I have known Elizabeth and her children, I have watched her strive to make ends meet. I have watched God work in amazing ways. Back in 2009, Elizabeth told me that she prayed that God would do whatever was necessary to make her depend upon Him solely, because she felt that her tendancy was to lean too much on herself. A month or so later, on Torria's first day of school, Elizabeth was involved in a car accident that totaled her vehicle, leaving her without her own transportation for more than 2 years. But thankfully, as the cop said, "The pole' s fine!" So were Elizabeth and Christian. They walked away with no major injuries!
Elizabeth told me about two weeks later that she was telling God thanks for the lesson in dependence, but she was good now and He could provide her with a new car... now! He didn't. She had to learn that dependence upon God often times also requires dependence upon others. But she admits she is a proud individual, and I know asking for help from others is extremely difficult for her.
In 2010 Elizabeth was working in a nursing home facility as a CNA (certified nursing assistant)/ PCT (patient care technician). Unfortunately, she redeveloped a blood clot in her subclavian vein, and ended up unable to continue in her chosen field because of the repeated and heavy lifting involved. She was told she cannot lift more than 25 pounds at this time. I watched her struggle to find a new job, and while the finances dwindled, and no employment came, I watched God supply hers and her children's every need. He provided food where no money was available to provide it; He provided electricity when there was absolutely no way she could pay for it. I watched God supply need after need time after time.
When I would walk into her apartment I would see things that this family had been blessed with, from a computer, to every bed, down to the pots and pans in the kitchen. I have always been amazed to see just how much and how often God has met this families needs.
There were times when I would begin to think, "Is He going to meet this need this time? It doesn't look like He will supply this time. It is so close to when she needs the money to keep this service from being disconnected!" And then, at what to me seemed the very last possible second, cutting it down to the wire, He would provide, meeting the need!
Not only was God teaching Elizabeth to trust and depend on Him, He was using her life and circumstances to teach me, as well.
In 2011, God dropped a job in Elizabeth's lap. She became a crossing guard for the next 3 years. I would see her get up at the crack of dawn to go to work in the morning, and then she would go back out mid-afternoon to do it again. Then in 2014, to help supplement her income, she got a 2nd job at Dollar General. She really enjoyed her jobs, but in 2014 she became ill. She developed a severely debilitating chronic pain condition. She went to see several doctors to try to discover what was causing her problems. She began to have extreme difficulty sleeping due to her severe pain. I remember one night in particular where I was awoken in my apartment upstairs by an agonized screaming. I came running downstairs to find out the problem, and saw Elizabeth in tears thrashing in her bed unable to endure the fiery sensation in her leg. Her screams had also awakened her children. Yet, despite all of this she kept getting up and going to work at her jobs. Summer came and the crossing guard position ended for the season, so she tried to pick up extra hours at work. Her pain kept getting more severe, and I remember several occasions where I would come in to grab something from the store and she would smile brightly and greet every single person who entered the facility. Sometimes she could not help the tears that would come from the pain, but she kept a positive up beat spirit and cheerful attitude. It was an encouragement to me, and showed me that she was determined to do all she could to provide for the needs of her family.
She finally ended up seeing a back doctor and was told she is not allowed to lift more than 15 pounds, at which point Dollar General placed her upon unpaid medical leave. So while she had not been fired, she was unable to continue in her employment with the company, and lost her income. And because of the lack of sleep she was getting each night, when her crossing guard position began again in the fall, she struggled to stay awake at her post. So she spoke with her supervisors about the situation, and all parties agreed that for the safety of the children crossing, it would be best to part ways. So she was again unemployed with no income.
She, because of her chronic pain and illness, was unable to find any suitable work so she began trying to obtain disability, to no avail. She was without employment or income for a year and a half to two years. She thought she was going to have to leave her apartment, but the landlord and landlady showed her incredible grace and mercy and let her stay on. Another act of God.
Unfortunately, in 2016, our apartment complex was sold, and Elizabeth had no funds and nowhere to go. One of our mutual friends took her and her children into her home, and, for the last two years, has graciously been able to help her family out in this way, but she was in the process of preparing to sell the house, and she was packing to move when Elizabeth's family came.
Since moving into this home with this friend Elizabeth has found employment as a companion, which is nice for Elizabeth because it doesn't require any hands on care, just sitting with her client providing company!
The house has become a burden to this friend, and she needs to sell it ASAP, so has told Elizabeth she needs to find another place. But that is a bit of a problem, because Elizabeth doesn't have the income required for such a move, in spite of her job as a companion.
I have seen her strive to maintain a good home for her children and to be all she can be as a mother. I have seen her work hard to the best of her abilities. I have watched God provide for all of her needs. I would love to see God provide this one:
It would be wonderful to see God provide enough money for Elizabeth to be able to get a small plot of land and a manufactured home to place upon it. So I am creating this go fund me to try to raise up some money to help my very dear friend to be able to get a home that is hers for her children, a place where they can put down some roots and have some stability.
If you could help with this fund, I would appreciate it, but I know they would appreciate it all the more! Thank you for reading, and prayerfully considering any ways you might be able to help! God bless you!
Organizer
Sarah Bray
Organizer
Greenville, SC