Lutheran Mission Society - Compassion Care Story

Elizabeth's life was hard from the start. With a drug-addicted father and a mother who abandoned her to be with a boyfriend, Elizabeth spent much of her young life being tossed from relative to relative. Elizabeth returned to her father's custody at age sixteen -- after her father had finished drug rehab -- but the relationship was strained at best. Elizabeth signed herself out of school and went off to live on her own.

The streets of West Baltimore did not afford Elizabeth any breaks. At the age of 21 she gave birth to her first child, a daughter: two months later the child's father, a drug dealer, was murdered. She met the father of her second child a few months after that, and - two years later - she gave birth to her son.

"After our son was born, my boyfriend began to hit me," Elizabeth recounted. "It got worse and he beat me so bad it put me in the hospital, and I had him arrested." Elizabeth left with her son and daughter and - finding work at a church daycare - tried to piece together a life for her children and herself. "I was working 6 AM to 6 PM and barely making enough to pay rent, and all the while I worried, trying to hide from my son's father," Elizabeth said. "He finally found out where we were and threatened to hurt us all."

Elizabeth was distraught. Hope was a word far from her thoughts. "I was depressed, I was mad and I was afraid," she said. "There was nothing to look forward to. I wanted to make a life for my kids. I wanted something different, but I didn't think that it could happen. I thought the streets of West Baltimore would be the end."

Elizabeth didn't know it at the time, but the Lord had other plans. A coworker in the daycare, Mrs. L______, knew of Elizabeth's plight. She also knew of the Mission Society's Compassion Care program. Mrs. L______ contacted the Lutheran Mission Society and set the wheels in motion.

"I was so nervous when I went for the interview to be admitted to the [Compassion Care] program," recalls Elizabeth. "It was strange, but I could feel God there. I never went to church in my life, but I prayed that God would let me do okay in the interview."

At the conclusion of the interview, the Compassion Care director asked Elizabeth when she could move in. "I was so relieved," said Elizabeth. Mrs. L______ and her husband made several trips to help Elizabeth move her belongings into the efficiency-apartment style shelter.

"I couldn't believe it," Elizabeth said. "That first night there, I slept like a baby! My children, too. . . you could just feel the place was blessed. This was before I came to know the Lord, but you could just feel that He was in this place. I felt safe for the first time since I could remember."

"Three Lives Your Love Helped Save"

That Sunday Elizabeth went to church for the first time. Participants in the Compassion Care program are required to attend a Christian church of their choice each Sunday. That Sunday, Elizabeth came to know the Lord. "It's like having a different light shine on your life - you see things in a new way," she said. "I felt God beside me. I wasn't afraid anymore."

Elizabeth was ecstatic with her new relationship with the Lord, so much so that she didn't feel she had a need for the Compassion Care program's training classes. "I remember thinking, 'What can they teach me?'" Elizabeth recounted. "I soon changed my mind."

"The instruction was great - the Bible classes and the parenting classes," Elizabeth said. "Before, I was always yelling at my kids, but I learned to have patience with them. My parenting skills have grown so much."

"My daughter is doing well now in school, and my son is in a Christian pre-school," said Elizabeth. "I read the Children's Bible to my kids every night now and, after they're in bed, I read my own," Elizabeth added. "The Compassion Care program has not only helped change me - it's helped change my children, too."

When Elizabeth completed the program, she was offered full-time employment at one of the Mission Society Compassion Centers. "I love it here," Elizabeth said. "When people come in, they know they're in the Lord's place. As soon as people walk through the door, they know this is a place they will get the help they need."

Elizabeth also serves as house mother to women currently in the program. "I feel a lot of compassion for these ladies who feel they won't amount to anything, and I try to be uplifting," Elizabeth said. "I want to help. I know where they are right now - I've been there. They can knock on my door anytime."

Elizabeth sees her father now on occasion, and she gets along with her mother, having forgiven her for abandoning her as a child. "God fills that void. He has provided a larger family for my children and me," Elizabeth said. "My church family, and my Mission Society family. I can take my kids and go sit on Mrs. [LMS Center Coordinator's] porch, and we're treated like family. I'm accepted for who I am," she added with tears in her eyes. "And my pastor and his wife have been wonderful to us," Elizabeth said.

"I just want to thank the Lord for bringing me here," Elizabeth said. "I just don't know where I'd be right now. God provides everything we need. You know, He had me in his arms all along and I just didn't realize it 'til I came here."

Elizabeth was asked what message she would like to leave with those reading her story. She thought for just a moment, then looked up and smiled. "Never give up. There's always hope - there's always God."

Dear Friends,

I'd like to share a story with you - a story of ministry here at the Mission Society. It is the story of God's love and redemptive power in the lives of a young mother and her children.

I would like to thank "Elizabeth" for her courage and compassion in sharing her story. Her name has been changed and her location obscured for her protection.

The story is entitled: "Three Lives Your Love Helped Save" - because quite literally your donations and support allow this healing work to be done.

Without you, these three lives may have taken a very different turn. Because of you, their paths moved from the harsh streets of Baltimore through the shelters of the Lutheran Mission Society and beyond - all by way of Heaven. The Lord has accomplished a great thing. You have given Him a place to work.

So sit back. Get a cup of coffee if you'd like - and read what your response to Jesus' love helped accomplish. Know that these are three lives your love helped save.

Together in His Service,

Rev. David R. Maack