Edmee was an addict with a criminal record and pregnant with her thirteenth child (having lost her other twelve due to miscarriages). She didn’t want to use drugs but had always suffered with low self-esteem feeling she could never amount to anything. She wanted to be a good mother to her son Nathaniel (she calls him her miracle baby), so she went to the Orange County Rescue Mission.
During her time at the Orange County Mission she learned about God and his deep love for her. With the love and support she found at the Mission, she began to see herself differently and have hope that she could work hard, get a job, and maintain it.
Edmee is grateful that now in Christ, her past was truly her past, and she would leave it there. She had a goal to see her son grow up in a healthy environment and for them to have a place of their own.She wanted him to become a good strong man with high morals and beliefs. If it wasn’t for the Rescue Mission, she thought “he may never have had the chance to become someone.”
Edmee has been clean for seventeen years and just received a job promotion where she works at Walmart. She also helps take care of her parents who live with her and her son. She said her parents stood by her during her dark times and she wanted to help take care of them now.
Edmee has accomplished something truly remarkable. She recently became the first OC Rescue Mission graduate to ever purchase her own house! God has blessed them with a permanent place to call home and raise her son. In honor of these significant achievements, Deed and Truth has recently helped Edmee and her son transition into her new place. Our Well Works House2Home volunteer team transformed her empty house into a home and it looks marvelous!
“Nathaniel, now 16 years old, is a soft spoken, well-mannered young man, who loves to play the guitar. He was so excited to see that racks were hung in his room to display guitars. Edmee’s room had a collection of keepsakes given to her from friends, displayed above her bed. She finally felt like she was home.
This was my first time serving with a House2Home ministry team. I wasn’t sure what to expect. As God so often does, he gave me more than I “gave” that day. It’s easy to generalize about people who are down on their luck and get involved in drugs. We think it’s their choice and that it could never be us. But that’s not always the case. Seeing Edmee, her parent’s, and her son’s faces when they came through the door, gave me a glimpse into the heart of our kind and merciful God. I was overwhelmed by all the love that went into making her house into a HOME, just for her. I was reminded that God gives us all second chances, never stops loving us and provides more than we could ever imagine.”
Anne Staeb, H2H Volunteer
May Edmee’s story be a powerful reminder of God’s Mercy and Grace offered to us all. In those times when hope seems like an illusive dream, recall Edmee and Nathaniel’s story and follow this compassionate advice penned thousands of years ago that still rings true today… “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
