Some years ago, I felt God call me to help the homeless. I joined a few groups that said that was their mission, but they just fizzled away without accomplishing much of anything.
And then God called my husband, Russ, as a full-time pastor to First Baptist Church in Pierre, SD. We moved in the spring of 2021, and my father, who has Parkinson’s and dementia, moved with us. For the 1st 18 months, I took care of my dad, worked a full-time job, all while getting to know our new state, city and congregation. Life was - and is - very busy; however, my calling was still on my mind.
A few months back, I was talking to a friend, who is the pastor of Church of Hope, a mission church in the SD women’s prison. In a passing comment, Pastor Sharon offhandedly mentioned that Pierre needed a halfway house for the ladies coming out of prison. Her comment was here and gone and she was on to another topic. I, however, was stopped in my tracks! My calling came back in a full-blown plan. You see, the ladies are essentially homeless when they leave prison. Many leave with the clothes on their backs, a few necessary toiletries, and maybe a $50 gift card given them by the prison.
A few days later, I tentatively said something to Russ and he felt I needed to look into this more.
I contacted Sharon and asked her to speak with the ladies at her next service, to see if there really was a need for what I envisioned. My thought was, “If there are 4 or 5 ladies interested, I guess that means God really does want me to open a re-entry house.” So Sharon asked for a show of hands, who would want to stay in Pierre if the option was available to them.
28 ladies! That’s how many said they would stay! You see, many don’t want to go back to where they are from, for fear of falling into the same situations or habits that got them there in the first place.
28 ladies! When I thought FIVE would be enough of a sign!
Don’t you just love God’s sense of humor?!?
Now, I know nothing about opening a re-entry house, let alone a non-profit organization. I feel like Gideon or a young David. I’m not equipped to do this. However, as I’ve been known to say to my husband, St. Francis of Assisi was quoted as saying, “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.”
Any doors that open are God’s doing and most definitely, not mine.
I’ve spoken with many people over the last few months, and all of them keep affirming God’s call. Each time I speak with someone, they have someone else for me to talk to. It’s amazing to me how God is working. I am so excited and frightened at the same time. This is a great big undertaking and I feel so very, very small.
What I envision is a place that believes in second chances. And third chances. And fourth chances. Do you see where I’m going here? We believe every woman deserves respect and dignity. We believe every woman has the capacity to change.
We will highly recommend they attend a church, although that is not mandatory. They will have to attend a recovery program. AA, Al-Anon or Celebrate Recovery. We will help them find jobs, provide clothing (remember, they walk out of prison with the clothes on their backs) and help with other needs they might have. They will need to go through an application process (this is still in development). They will be expected to stay in the program for at least 6 months, preferably 12 months or more. During our research, we found that recidivism is greatly reduced if the ladies stay at least 12 months in a program. We believe change takes time and therefore, all services are available for as long as needed.
Our next steps are:
Fundraising
grant writing
fundraising
getting our non-profit status
fundraising,
requesting donated items for a raffle,
having a rummage sale,
finding 3 or 4 more board members,
finding volunteers,
finding people to teach educational classes, such as basic budgeting, cooking on a budget or helping them get their GED,
but most importantly, we need prayer support. We can’t do this without God or your prayers.
And last, but not least, fundraising.
I’m sure there are many more steps that need doing that I don’t even know about yet! God keeps planning people in my path that are willing, and better yet, able to help.
The name of our re-entry house is Hope Village. These ladies need hope, they need God’s Hope. Jerimiah 29:11b states, “The Lord has…plans for peace, not destruction, to give you a future filled with hope.
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