The VanSoelen Family
“Mom” has come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as her savior over the summer! She has been through so many hardships in her life and in early June God showed her that she is more broken and in need of a Savior while simultaneously showing her how deeply loved she is more than she could ever know by a God who has become her Savior and comforter.
“Mom” and I met through us hosting her son in early June through Safe Families for parents and children in the Quad Cities. Our family’s first hosting experience was filled with sweet times as well as trials. I can now say, for the sake of the gospel being shared – It was worth the lice, the lack of sleep, and the busyness of three toddlers around. “Mom” and I both thought the end of that hosting placement was the end of our relationship, but the Spirit laid upon my heart a week after our host son went home to reach out and ask if I could still drop off diapers to her after church. “Mom” responded with, “I wish I could go to church with you” so I said you can & a friend of mine brought her to church on June 16. Ever since then “Mom” has been digging into her faith, working through forgiveness, attended a few sessions of a bible study in Bettendorf, and has been attending Sacred City Church on Sundays. “Mom” & the kid’s dad have mentioned to me that they desire better for their children than the violence and hardships in Chicago they both grew up with. It makes me think of the spirit working to actually break chains and bondage of generations before these kids and I keep praying for these kids to see their parents chains and bondage break so that they can also come to know Jesus as their Savior.
The Hankner Family
Our Missional Community (MC) has served and been on mission to “Mom” by coordinating rides to church and other rides to assistant offices because she has no transportation except the bus system. A member of our MC is a social worker and has been able to assist her in ways none of us knew exactly how, and so everyone in our MC has been praying for “Mom” and even given her groceries, lunch out, and clothes. We see God working this to be a redemption story we never saw coming. After bonding with our host son, I didn’t know if I’d get to see him again but now I see him wearing My toddler’s old clothes and get to hear my son praying for him before bed. What redemption. “Mom” has seen our church serve her like Christ would serve her – a job opportunity with chick fil a in north park mall, hired by a member of our church and childcare for her kids provided by another church member.
1 John 3: 16-18 says “This is how we have come to know Christ, he laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has this world goods and see is a fellow believer in need but withhold compassion from him how does God love reside in him? Little children let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.”
Our MC has now chosen to be back on mission to Safe Families and another family in our MC also just welcomed a host daughter into their home. We want to continue to be supportive and on mission to their host daughter as she’s hosted but also to learn what it looks like to support the host home as they serve. We also pray for more at Sacred City and throughout the Quad Cities to become hosts or volunteers with safe families to continue to fulfill our call as believers to serve the orphan and the widow and walk with families like “Mom’s”. Pray for “Mom” as she continues to take steps in her discipleship and toward finding their own place to live, continue working, and disciple their kids. Also pray for our MC as a circle of support to “mom”, that the Lord gives us strength to endure the long suffering relationship that this can be at times. To have endurance, running the race to the end, sacrificing more of ourselves to see more of Jesus.
“Mom” hopes to be baptized in September, praise God!