Gain Through Pain

She is moving into the projects but she is not a project.

Jasmine is a beautiful example of how God transforms us to be uniquely molded through all of life’s experiences, including the pain and suffering life sometimes brings.

Recently, Deed and Truth held a House2Home launch at City Light Church in downtown Los Angeles. After the training session the new team identified leaders and made a commitment to partner in ministry. This is a short testimony from Pastor Dennis who was an active part of the team who recently moved Jasmine and her family into their first home together.

City LIght Church had the joy of partnering with House 2 Home to help move in Jasmine and her three girls (ages 9, 11 and 13) into their new home. As we pulled into their south LA apartment complex on a Saturday morning, there were a few people milling around outside a block with a lot of large complexes and single family homes. Although it was a little rough outside, the inside of her new apartment already had a warmth about it. 

Our church of eight volunteers helped to clean the house as we waited for Pastor Dan and Betty to bring a moving van full of furniture. We eventually broke into a few teams: some cleaning the kitchen, some moving in the furniture and others hanging up wall art. In a few hours her empty apartment was transformed into a home full of comfortable furniture, beds, and tasteful decor. It no longer felt like a barren apartment but a beautiful home for a family to flourish. 

When Jasmine arrived with her daughters for the big reveal they were all overwhelmed. The youngest screamed as she saw her new bedroom with bright colors and furniture. We also gifted the girls with backpacks full of back to school supplies as they started their school year. 

To conclude our time, Jasmine shared her journey, from losing her husband a few years ago, to coming to faith through a lot of doubts and pain. She began to weep as she recalled how good God has been throughout her journey and has provided for her every step of the way. She shared her heartfelt thanks to our church and Deed and Truth for being another blessing for her and her daughters. 

Our volunteers were all blessed to be a small instrument for God to bless Jasmine and her daughters. What we got was so much more than we had given that day. Our prayer is that her new home would be a place of refuge and healing for Jasmine and her three daughters. 

A big THANK YOU to the City Light House2Home team. They were hit with a few curve balls but showed flexibility and compassion. They didn’t look like rookie volunteers as they knocked out the cleaning and decorating in just a few short hours.  

And THANK YOU to all those who support the ministry via the donations of Household items to furnish this home, financial support, and praying for the ministry and the families we serve.

Please keep Jasmine in your prayers as she takes on the challenging role of a single mother who must balance parenting, housekeeping, bill paying, and working a job. Also pray for her walk with God as she so desires to be transformed into the image of his son, and her savior Jesus Christ.