Make Waves in 2024
A full-circle moment of love, trust and hope.
Last year, Jim and Alicia from the Street Outreach team received a tip about a woman living in the woods. When they searched, they found Jane. Due to a family conflict, Jane was living outdoors in a tent. She was also pregnant. Jane was scared, and initially hesitant to work with Jim and Alicia. But Jane needed medical care. Up to this point, she had not seen a doctor during her pregnancy, and she had only a few months to go until the baby would arrive.
Jim and Alicia visited Jane regularly– bringing her food, blankets, and other supplies. Because of their care, compassion, and lack of judgement, Jane began to trust the Street Outreach Team. She allowed Jim and Alicia to take her to the doctor. Though she resisted placement in a shelter, or even in an apartment, she agreed when Jim and Alicia told her the woods and tent were no place to have a baby. Jane was open to moving into a hotel temporarily until the baby was born.
Jim and Alicia continued to visit Jane at the hotel and brought her to the hospital when it was time to have her baby. This past summer, Jane delivered a healthy baby that was then placed in a foster home.
After Jane’s discharge from the hospital, she voluntarily left the hotel. She hasn’t returned phone calls and texts from Jim and Alicia. The Street Outreach team continues to look for her, but her tent is gone. This is not an uncommon outcome with Street Outreach work. Sometimes a client will disappear for a time, and we hold out HOPE that our Street Outreach team will reconnect with them. At the Rescue Mission, we know that sometimes we need a second, third, or fourth chance to find success.
A FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT
In August, Dan Sieburg (Rescue Mission CEO) received a phone call from his brother. His brother, a local foster parent, shared that a newborn was just placed with them. To Dan’s amazement, he learned that the baby’s mother was a woman living in the woods. It was Jane. This revelation brought about a full-circle moment where love and action intertwined – a true representation of LOVE IN ACTION. Today, the baby is now six months old, still safe with their family, and loved dearly.
Patience and Perseverance. It’s the long-term commitment of the Rescue Mission Street Outreach team that helped Jane’s baby make a safe arrival into this world. And it is that commitment that provides HOPE that we will reconnect with Jane in the future.
Help us make waves in 2024!
The gifts you provide make a splash upon arrival – hungry men, women, and children eat meals with dignity, and rest their heads in warm, safe beds. Become a Love In Action Partner today.
