Unofficial Volunteer Officially Changes One Familys Life

Emma Johnson will never forget Labor Day Weekend 2012. Instead of enjoying the last lazy days of summer, she and her family were scrambling to help a desperate mother of four in their hometown of Anderson, Indiana.

Emma’s relationship with this family had begun a few months earlier when she realized that Mark, the single dad next door, needed help caring for his five-year-old daughter, Lisa. Emma opened her home to Lisa, and the little girl spent hours playing with Emma’s children. Sometimes, she would bring along her seven-year-old cousin, Mia.

Mia lived on the other side of town with her mom, Andria, and three siblings. Emma soon learned that both families were under tremendous financial stress. In July, the brother and sister moved in together with their kids. Unfortunately, the situation deteriorated quickly.

Within a month, Mark moved out with his daughter and took the car he was sharing with Andria. Andria had to walk five miles to and from work. She couldn’t pay rent on her own, and she was worried about being evicted.

Desperate, she called Emma on the phone.“I had only spoken to Andria twice before, but she really opened up to me,” Emma says. “It turned out that her life had been chaotic for 10 years and she was at the end of her rope. She asked me if I knew of any agencies that provided temporary custody or guardianship.”

Emma and her husband sprang into action. They offered to take Andria’s four kids for the long weekend and started brainstorming with family members to find a solution. Suddenly, Emma remembered hearing about a program called Safe Families in Indianapolis, about 45 minutes away. Through Facebook, she made the connection to Krista Davis, our Safe Families-Indy Director.“

After talking with Krista, I realized that we could serve as Safe Families volunteers, even though we were just learning about the ministry,” Emma says. “To make a long story short, my husband and I agreed to keep Mia and her younger brother, and my parents — who live down the street from us — would keep their nine- and ten-year-old brothers.”

The arrangement was for four months, enough time for Andria to figure out a long-term plan for her family. To save money, she moved out of her apartment and lived in her car for a while. She spent time with her children on the weekends and had long conversations with Emma. In October, Andria went to hear an inspirational speaker at Emma’s church. During the altar call, Andria went forward and gave her life to Christ. A few weeks later, she was baptized.

With just three weeks to go before the four-month deadline, Andria found a new job that would support her family. By Christmas, she and the kids were reunited and starting a new life in an apartment near their school.

“It’s hard for me to find the words to express how grateful I am for Emma,” says Andria today. “She truly saved me and my babies. I know that God wanted me to see His love through her. I consider Emma and her family to be my family now, and that’s the best feeling ever.”

Andria continues to do well and keep in touch with Emma — in fact, the kids still spend a couple of days a week at Emma’s house. And, after her experience as an “unofficial” volunteer, Emma decided to start a Safe Families chapter in her community!

Since December, she has been involving Anderson churches in the effort, recruiting additional volunteers and placing 10 children in families so far.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that the need for Safe Families is growing nationwide — not just in Anderson, but in cities throughout the United States.

While we can’t help every family in need, we can certainly continue to expand Safe Families and touch more lives — as long as we have the support of generous donors like you and dedicated ministry partners like Emma.

Would you consider making a donation to LYDIA today to support the work of Safe Families?

At this time, we have 65 active programs in the United States, and this year we are partnering with ministries in 20-30 additional cities to launch new Safe Families programs. This expansion is expensive, but — without a doubt — worth it.

Simply put, Safe Families serves a unique purpose in a family’s time of crisis. Gifts of $75, $100, or more will make a significant impact, providing our staff with the resources they need to keep Safe Families strong.

We are grateful for God’s blessing on this ministry, and for your generous support.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Dave Anderson, PsyD

Executive Director